Fascinating bone facts.
20 February 2009The adult human body has 206 bones in all, a baby has 300, as you age the bones fuse together to combine and become the 206 we need in adulthood. Kids Health: where you and your child can get a good look at the whole skeletal system.
The funny bone really isn’t funny! We call it that because if you accidentally bump this area known as your ulnar nerve, a shock wave feeling travels across your epicondyle which is a rounded, bony projection on the side of the bone in the top of your arm which we know better as the humerus bone. Hence the title “funny” bone.
During birth, it can be quite common for an infant to break their clavicle bone as they travel through the birth canal. There is no need to panic though as the high rate of bone growth in babies fixes the break within days of birth.
Our first vertebra is called an Atlas after the mythological Greek God who was forced to hold the world on his shoulders; the round globe was likened to a person’s head and so named.
The spinal column consists of 5 regions:
- Cervical vertebrae – The neck area.
- Thoracic vertebrae – The upper chest and rib cage.
- Lumbar vertebrae – Lower back.
- Sacrum – Basically our rounded rump part.
- Coccyx – What we fondly refer to as the “tail” bone.
As the vertebrae travel down the spine they become progressively larger and sturdier to bear the weight of the body.
Did you know that babies are born without kneecaps? The kneecap bones develop between the age of 2 and 6 years old. The Patella or kneecap can be prone to injury such as runner’s knee, housemaid’s knee, or dislocation.
The femur (the long bone in your thigh) joins the tibia (lower leg) and between them they support the weight of our bodies. The fibula, located next to the tibia is much thinner than the tibia but is just as important to hold us up.
From Infancy through puberty, new bone formation exceeds bone breakdown. During adulthood the daily formation of new bone equals the daily rate of bone breakdown. In old age, the problem becomes one of bone breakdown exceeding bone formation; hence the bones become fragile and prone to fracture. At all stages of life, formation of new bone is dependent on having enough calcium and phosphorus in the diet. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of leafy green veggies and lots of fruit, and most important keep exercising to ward off that brittle and fracture prone stage of life.
Make an adjustment: Stay healthy ~ Be Happy!
Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan with your bone and joint health questions.
303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com
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