Garnet Livingston Tafari Smith

Sophomore-7th Period
2/14/17

Precursor-Simple Anatomy of a Long Bone: Bones are comprised of multiple layers of

calcium, bone and other materials that make up the bony matrix. The middle of your bone
contains red marrow. Red marrow supplies nutrients and creates red and white blood cells. Your
marrow is lined with the endosteum which participates in your bones growth and repair.
Surrounding this is the spongy bone followed by the compact bone which each contain
trabeculae. Trabeculae are extremely small tube-like tissues that hold yellow marrow, which
store fat, in your spongy bone. The compact bone is a dense outer layer of your matrix and
contain pillars of tough Hydroxylapatite crystals. A structural protein called collagen is very
important in your bones durability and strength. The periosteum covers the outermost surface of
a bone and consist of many fibers. Bones contain four types of osteoids responsible for changes
in bone. Osteoblasts construct bone while osteoclasts resorb the bone matrix breaking it down.
Osteocytes are the mature bone that have already calcified and osteoprogenitor, grandfather
cells, are to be broken down by osteoclasts.

1) A complete, comminuted, intertrochanteric fracture of the right hip describes a fracture between
the lesser and greater trochanters of the hip. The trochanters are proximal on the femur.
Therefore, a fracture between the lesser to the greater trochanter separate the head and neck from
the femur. The fracture passes fully through the bone separating the femur into two or more
fragments, this explains the completeness. The fracture is comminuted therefore the bone
shattered into several pieces.
2)
3) An osteoporotic femur has significantly decreased volume of bone and as such can withstand
much less pressure. The fragility is due to a loss spongy bone larger than the loss of compact
bone. The outer layer of her femur is much thinner than it should be and is extremely vulnerable
to damage. Loss of bone volume naturally occurs around the age of thirty however osteoporosis
can accelerate the loss of bone. Osteoporotic bones imbalance the work between osteoblasts and
osteoclasts, making your bone weaker. An osteoporotic femur as seen by an x-ray is much more
opaque with detailed grooves in the head and neck compared to a normal femur.
4) The bone collar always handles the most lateral stress of any part of your bone. It is able to
withstand great force due to vertical spiralling bundles of collagen, which are tough structural
proteins. Collagen is eosinophilic, meaning it is stained pink by a cellular dye called eosin.
Bundled collagen are called fibers, they have immense tensile strength and are the major
structural support of the extracellular matrix of a bone.
5) The cancellous/spongy bone of long bones contain bone plates called trabeculae that interlock
within each other. This tessellated structure allows your bodyweight to be disturbed towards the
outer and much stronger bony collar. Hydroxylapatite
crystals form hexagonally and are arranged in tube like pillars within the compact bone.
They can withstand compressive crushing because their strong structure can bear a lot of
weight. The crystals are extremely dense in formation and are tougher than any synthetic
composite material.
6) Steps of Repairing A Broken Femur:
a. Within a couple hours of the fracture a blood clot forms around the break called a hematoma.
b. Your immune system helps by deploying special cells called phagocytes that begin cleaning out
bone fragments and germs scattered around the break.
c. Collagen begins forming around the break creating a soft callus made by specialized cells called
chondroblasts.
d. Osteoblasts create new bone by adding minerals to the soft callus that force it to harden, making
the hard callus.
e. Osteoclasts target the hard callus and begin to break down the extra bone around the fracture.
Bone is removed until the bone is returned to its original shape.

Sources Cited
"Collagen Types 1, 2, & 3 - Knowing the Important Differences." Nutrients for an Energetic
Lifestyle. N.p., 09 Sept. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
<https://www.energeticnutrition.com/blog/2016/04/collagen-types-1-2-3-knowing-
important-differences/>

"Comminuted Fracture." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://medical-
dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/comminuted+fracture>

Driver, Catherine Burt. "Osteoporosis Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - What Causes

Osteoporosis?" EMedicineHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
<http://www.emedicinehealth.com/osteoporosis/page2_em.htm>

"How Do Broken Bones Heal?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., 07 May 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
<http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/musculoskeletal/heal-broken-bones1.htm>

"Hydroxyapatite." The Medical Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.

<http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hydroxyapatite>

January-February 2017_Animas High School_Tina Hott Skeletal System Anatomy Class Notes