PERIOSTEUM

dense fibrous membrane covering the surfaces of bones, consisting of an outer, fibrous layer and an inner, cellular layer. The outer layer is composed mostly of collagen and contains nerve fibres that cause pain when the tissue is damaged. It also contains many blood vessels, branches of which penetrate the bone to supply the osteocytes, or bone cells. These branches pass into the bone along channels known as Volkmann's canals to the vessels in the haversian canals, which traverse the length of the bone. Fibres from the inner layer also penetrate the underlying bone, serving, with the blood vessels, to bind the periosteum to the bone. The inner layer of the periosteum contains osteoblasts (bone-producing cells) and is most prominent in fetal life and early childhood, when bone formation is at its peak. In adulthood these cells are less evident, but they retain their functional capacities and are vital to the constant remodeling of bone that goes on throughout life. In the event of bone injury they proliferate greatly to produce new bone in the repair process. Following an injury such as a fracture, the periosteal vessels bleed around the traumatized area and a clot forms around the fragments of bone. Within 48 hours the osteoblasts multiply and the inner layer of the periosteum expands to become many cell layers thick. The cells then begin to differentiate and lay down new bone between the ends of the fracture. The periosteum covers all surfaces of the bone except for those capped with cartilage, as in the joints, and sites for attachment of ligaments and tendons. Fibrous cartilage often takes the place of the periosteum along grooves where tendons exert pressure against the bone. The periosteum on the inner surface of the skull is also modified to some extent as it joins the membrane protecting the brain, the dura mater.