What is Anatomy of Bones ?

Read about  Anatomy of Bones Disease presented in simple easy to understand language

In lower limb, the hipbone is attached to femur at its deep cup-like depression called acetabulum forming a ball and socket joint. The lower end of the femur is attached to the tibia forming a hinge knee joint. A small bone called patella protects the knee joint. The lower end of tibia articulates with the anklebone forming an ankle joint. The ankle joint is made up of three bones: the lower end of the tibia ( shinebone), the fibula (the small bone of the lower leg) and the talus, the bone that fits into the socket formed by the tibia and the fibula.

The talus sits on top of the calcaneus ( the heel bone). The talus moves mainly in one direction. It works like a hinge to allow your foot to move up ( dorsi flexion) and down ( plantar flexion). There are ligaments on both sides of the ankle joint that hold the bones together. The large4 Achilles Tendon in the back of the ankle is the most powerful tendon in the foot. It connects the calf muscles to the hell bone and gives the foot the power to walk, run and jump. The anklebone is thereafter connected to metatarsal and phalanges.

The backbone, or central portion of the skeleton, is composed of a series of bones called Vertebrae. The vertebrae is usually said to consist of thirty-three bones, but only twenty-four of these are joined in such a manner as to be movable on each other, i.e., the bones of the neck, back, and loins. The lower part of the column consists of nine bones fused together. 

The Vertebrae are Classified as
• Cervical Vertebrae (belonging to the neck) - 7
• Dorsal (Thoracic) vertebrae ( belonging to the back) - 12
• Lumbar Vertebrae ( Belonging to the loin ) - 5
• Sacrum - 5 and Coccys - 4

Pads of flexible fibro cartilage separate the single vertebrae – intravertebral discs which cushion the vertebrae and absorb shock. In a young person, the discs have high water content ( about 90%) and are spongy and compressible. As a person ages, the water content of the discs decreases and the discs become harder and less compressible. Drying of the discs, along with a weakening of the ligaments of the vertebral column, makes older people more likely to have herniated discs ( “slipped” discs). The cervical vertebrae are designed to allow more range of motion than the thoracic or lumbar areas, but also provide good stability in the neck region. C1 is called the atlas and is the pedestal on which the skull rests. Cervical vertebrae C2 is called the axis. 

Between the bodies of the vertebrae are pads of elastic cartilage or gristle called intervertebral cartilages. Along the vertebrae goes a tube called spinal canal, which contains the great nerve called the spinal cord. It should be noted that the spinal cord is not present in the lower part of the backbone. 

The sacrum is a shield – shaped bony structure that is located at the base of the lumbar vertebrae and is connected to the pelvis. The sacrum forms the posterior pelvic wall and strengthens and stabilizes the pelvis. Joined at the very end of the sacrum are two to four tiny, partially fused vertebrae known as the coccyx or “tail bone”. The coccyx provides slight support for the pelvic organs but actually is a bone of little use. The Sacroiliac joints occur where the sacrum is joined with the ilium, or the top portion of the pelvis on both sides of the back. These joints bear the weight of the twists and turns of the trunk of the body. Read Previous