Musculoskeletal System Foundations

The musculoskeletal system includes bones, joints, skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and supporting connective tissues. Bones provide structure and protection, house marrow, store minerals, and act as levers for movement. Tendons connect muscle to bone; ligaments stabilize joints by limiting excessive motion; cartilage reduces friction and helps distribute load across joint surfaces. The system is also a functional unit. A fracture can damage surrounding muscle, vessels, and nerves. Pain and swelling can restrict movement, while immobility causes muscle loss, joint stiffness, pressure injury, constipation, and venous thromboembolism risk. For that reason, a musculoskeletal assessment is not limited to the painful bone or joint. The nurse assesses function, circulation, sensation, movement, skin, and the effects of reduced mobility. The most urgent question is not simply, “How severe is the pain?” It is, “Has function or distal neurovascular status changed?” New numbness, weakness, pallor, coolness, a weak or absent pulse, or pain that escalates despite treatment can signal tissue-threatening compromise.