Bones - Five facts you've always wanted to know!
Tip of the Month: September 2011

The human body is an amazing thing. The more I learn the more incredible it seems, and still with all the wonders of modern science it still hold many secrets that we have yet to discover. The skeletal system is just one of the many astounding structures of the body and here are just a few physiological facts that will really blow you away.

• How many bones are there in the body?

• There are 206 bones in the average adult human body. Fascinatingly, a new born child has about 300 bones and over the first 18 years of life a number of these bones, including the sacrum and coccyx, fuse together to finally form 206 distinct bones.

• Are bones actually alive?

• Bones are certainly alive! The marrow at the centre of flat and long bones actually produce a whole host of vital substances including red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells and lymphocytes. Interestingly, bone marrow can be either red (which consists of mainly of hematopoietic tissue) or yellow (which contains more fat cells). During times of heavy blood periods the body can convert yellow bone morrow to red, so that it can produce a larger number of red blood cells.

• Which bone is the smallest bone in the body?

• The smallest bone in the body is located in the ear ossicles and is called the stirrup bone, the stapes, the incus or the anvil. It is only 0.25cm to 0.33cm long and weighs as little as 1.98 to 4.3mg.

• How much does the skeletal system weigh?

• In an average adult human the skeletal system comprises of around 14-15% of their total body weight.

• How many ways can you fracture a bone?

• Like most things in life, a break is not simply a break. In fact, there are 8 different ways you can fracture a bone:

  Simple Fracture: A clean bone break
  Compound Fracture: Where the bone pierces the skin
  Comminuted Fracture: Where the bone breaks into many small pieces
  Compression Fracture: Where the bone is crushed

  Depressed Fracture: Where the bone is pushed inwards.
  Impacted Fracture: Where broken bone ends are pushed into each other
  Spiral Fracture: A break caused by excessive twisting forces
  Greenstick Fracture: An incomplete bone break common in children

  And just in case you ever get faced with this question in a pub quiz … the longest bone in the body is the femur!