Describe a growth plate. how do growth plates allow bones to
lengthen?

Fisis is also called growth cartilage, growth plate or epiphyseal plate. It is an area of long bones that is in the metaphysis. The metaphysis is the intermediate area of the long bones that is located between the central region or diaphysis and the ends or epiphysis.

Explanation:

Growth plate:

It occurs in long bones and in those under 5 years of age it presents most of the long bone (as in humerus, radius)

When puberty is reached, the physis begins to decrease; when it disappears completely, around the age of 25, man reaches his greatest growth. From there it will not grow anymore, it becomes spongy bone tissue, the bone does not increase its length and the area of union between the diaphysis and the epiphysis becomes called the epiphyseal line.

Growth cartilage (growth plate) allows bones to grow in length.

There are two types of cells: osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteoblasts with calcium help bone formation, since osteoblasts are responsible for depositing calcium in them, and osteoclasts are responsible for reabsorbing calcium to prevent bones from increasing excess thickness. In the growing season the activity of osteoblasts is greater, where feeding for calcium intake is very important. The moment osteoclasts dominate, the bone begins to lose calcium and become more fragile; This happens in adulthood.

Zones can be differentiated in the growth cartilage depending on the function performed by the cells that compose it:

- Germ cell zone: or stem cell zone.

- Proliferative Cell Zone

- Zone of hypertrophied cells

- Degenerate Cell Zone

- Calcified Cell Zone