Why don’t skeletons fight each other?

… They don’t have the guts.

​Happy Halloween! In the spirit of the holiday I thought we would learn some random skeleton facts. The adult skeletal system is made up of 206 bones. What’s even more interesting is that when we’re born we actually have 300 bones. It’s not a magic trick where the extra bones just disappear--- some of them actually fuse together as babies grow. These growth plates usually close between 13 and 18 years old and our bones completely ossify or harden by age 25. From there we want to focus on keeping our bones strong. Vegetables, high calcium foods, and light strength training/ exercise are the best ways to keep our bones healthy as we age. Of our 206 adult bones, more than half of them, 106 of them to be exact, are found in our hands and feet. Speaking of numbers of bones-- it is possible to have some extra ones in different parts of the body. About 1% of people have an extra rib-- so 13 instead of 12. It’s usually a cervical rib which can cause neck pain to the point that some people actually have the extra rib removed. More commonly, about 10% of people have an extra lumbar vertebrae (low back vertebrae). This extra bone usually doesn’t cause any discomfort or issues-- many people find out about the extra vertebrae from a lumbar x-ray. 

When we’re fully developed adults, the smallest bone in our body is found in our inner ear. It’s called the stapes, sometimes called the stirrup since it’s shaped like a Y. This bone plays an essential role in our ability to hear. On the other hand, our largest bone in the body is the femur. The femur connects our hip to our knee and is the strongest bone in our body- it has to be, to carry us around all day. We have many different types of joints in the body which allow us to bend, move, and function in daily life. Joints are found in our fingers, toes, elbows, knees, hips, and even our back. The biggest of these joints is found in our knees. This joint connects our femur (largest bone in our body) to the tibia and patella. Ironically this is one of the more common joints to cause discomfort and pain as we age. 

Every system in our body has certain functions. The skeletal system (bones) have five main functions: support, movement, protection, blood cell generation, and storage. Our skeletal system gives our whole body support. Without our bones we’d be a big gooey blob. Only 5% of animal species are vertebrates (meaning we have a bony skeleton to hold us up). The other 95% are invertebrates like jellyfish and worms. Our bones also help us move. All of our muscles attach to our bones by tendons and ligaments. When the muscles contract, our bones act as a lever to pivot. This helps us walk, run, dance, talk, sing-- you name it. Our bones also protect us, especially our internal organs and our spinal cord and brain. Our skull completely encloses our brain-- which is the main controller of our entire body. Imagine if our brain was exposed on a daily basis, we’d be much more careful in our daily activities. Our ribcage is another big protector of our heart and lungs. Our bones also help make blood cells. This is called hematopoiesis and this process is completed in the bone marrow. Bones also help store vital minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. When our body needs these things, our bones release them back into the bloodstream. The skeletal system can support you for a lifetime of movement. Taking proper care of it ensures you can move longer, experience more, and have greater health.