Bones in the Body

Cranium Also known as the skull. The bony section of the head. Protects the brain, houses the brain senses, provides attachments for muscles of the head and neck, and helps to form the first portions of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Rests on the first vertebrae.

Bones of the Middle Ear Ear Helps transmit sound. Made up of three bones or ossicles: Malleus (hammer) Incus (anvil) Bridge between the malleus and stapes Stapes (stirrup) Smallest bone in the human body

Mandible Also known as the jawbone. Hardest bone in the human body. Assists in chewing and laughing.

Clavicle Also known as the collarbone. There are two of these bones, each one curves a little. Joins the top of the sternum (breastbone) to the scapula (shoulder blade). Support the arms and transmit force from the arms to the central skeleton.

Scapula Also known as the shoulder blade. Flat, triangular bone which lies over the back of the upper ribs. The rear surface can be felt under the skin. Serves as an attachment for some of the muscles and tendons of the arm, neck, chest, and back and aids in movements of the arm and shoulder. It is well padded with muscle so that great force is necessary to fracture it.

Sternum Also known as the breastbone. Long, narrow, flat plate that forms the center and front of the chest. Develops in three parts: The manubrium: the upper portion. The body: the middle portion. The xiphoid process: the lower portion that projects downward. Assists the ribs in protecting the chest cavity.

Ribs Flat, curved bones that form the framework of the chest and make up a cage to protect the heart, lungs, and other upper organs. There are 12 pairs of ribs, each joined at the back of the cage to a vertebrae on the spine. Between the ribs, and attached to them, are thin sheets of muscle that help to expand and relax the chest during breathing. There are 7 true ribs attached to the sternum directly by costal cartilage. The remaining 5 pairs are called “false ribs” because their cartilages do not reach the sternum directly.

Spine A column of bone and cartilage that extends from the base of the skull to the pelvis. Encloses and protects the spinal cord and supports the trunk of the body and the head. The spine is made up of approximately 33 bones called vertebrae.

5 Types of Vertebrae (1) The first seven vertebrae are called cervical vertebrae. These are the bones in the back of your neck, just below your brain, and they support your neck and head. Below the cervical vertebrae are the thoracic vertebrae. There are 12 of these in total, and they anchor the ribs in place.

5 Types of Vertebrae (2) Below the thoracic are five lumbar vertebrae. Beneath the lumbar vertebrae is the sacrum. This is made up of 5 vertebrae that are joined together. Finally, all the way at the bottom of the spine is the coccyx. This is made up of 4 fused vertebrae. This is important for bearing weight and giving a good center of gravity.

Humerus The bone of the upper arm. The smooth, dome-shaped head of the bone socket of the scapula joins with the humerus to form the shoulder joint. Joins with the bones of the lower arm to form the elbow joint. Near the “funny bone” which isn’t a bone at all, but is actually a nerve which passes the humerus where it is vulnerable.

Radius The shorter of the two long bones of the forearm. The other is the ulna. The radius is the bone on the thumb-side of the arm. Has a broad base that joins the lower end of the ulna and the upper bones of the wrist. The upper end of the radius joins the lower end of the humerus to form the elbow joint.

Ulna The longer of the two bones of the lower arm. When the palms face forward, the ulna is the inner bone, the one nearest the pinky finger. The upper end of the ulna joins with the radius and fits around the lower end of the humerus to form the elbow joint.

Carpals The skeleton of the wrist contains 8 small carpal bones that are firmly bound in two rows of 4 each. Often referred to as the wrist bones because they make the connection between the forearm bones (ulna and radius) and the metacarpals (first joints of the fingers).

Metacarpals One of five, long cylindrical shaped bones in the body of the hand. Run from the carpal bones of the wrist to the base of each digit (phalange) of the hand. On the palm of the hand, these are padded with a thick layer of fibrous, connective tissue On the back of the hand they can be seen and felt through the skin. The heads of the metacarpal bones form the knuckles.

Phalanges The small bones that make up the skeleton of the fingers and thumb. Each finger has 3 phalanges; the thumb has 2. The phalange nearest the body of the hand or foot is called the proximal phalange. The one at the end of each digit is called the distal phalange. When there are three, the one in the middle is referred to as the middle phalange.

Pelvis A ring of bones in the lower trunk of the body, which is bonded by the coccyx (tailbone) and the hip bones. Protects abdominal organs such as the bladder and reproductive organs. Also helps to support the weight of the body.

Femur The thigh bone. The longest bone in the body. Lower end joins to the tibia (the shin bone) to form the knee joint. The upper end is rounded into a ball that fits into the socket at the pelvis. This makes up the hip joint. The top or ball of the femur gives the hip joint a wide range of movement.

Patella Also known as the kneecap. The triangular-shaped bone at the front of the knee joint. Held in place by muscles and is located between the femur and the lower leg bones. Helps to protect the knee joint.

Tibia The shin bone. The inner and thicker bone of the two bones that make up the lower leg. The supporting bone of the lower leg. Runs parallel to the smaller bone in the lower leg, the fibula. The front of the tibia lies just below the skin and can easily be felt. The lower end forms part of the ankle joint.

Fibula Outer and thinner of the two long bones of the lower leg. The upper end of the fibula does not reach the knee, but the lower end descends below the shin and forms part of the ankle. Main function is to provide attachment for muscles. Doesn’t give much support or strength to the leg.

Tarsals The ankle is composed of 7 tarsal bones. These bones are arranged so that one of them, the “talus”, can move freely where it joins the tibia and fibula. The remaining tarsal bones are joined firmly together, forming a mass on which the talus rests.

Metatarsals One of five, long cylindrical-shaped bones in the foot. Make up the central skeleton of the foot and are held in an arch formation by surrounding ligaments. A Ligament is a tough band of connective tissue that connects various structures such as 2 bones. Joined to the toe bones (phalanges) and the ankle bones (tarsals).

Phalanges Small bones that make up the bones of the toes. Each toe has three phalanges except for the big toe which has 2.