Transforming patient information into patient understanding.

After taking you through three weeks of Orthopaedic Imaging in Courses 101, 201 and 301 I think you deserve a change of pace!  I have wanted to do this class for awhile and this week seems like the right time.

Even though it is on the light side you may still learn something, hopefully.  You never know when you will have a chance to amaze your friends with this stuff.  Ready.  Here we go.

What is your funny bone?

Your “funny bone” is not a bone at all, but a large nerve, which is named the ulnar nerve.  It passes very close behind the arm bone at the inner side of the elbow.  The arm bone is called the
humerus (not humorous!).  The nerve is very superficial as it passes behind a portion of the bone.  It is easily irritated when you bump it, causing a sharp tingling or numbness down the arm
and into the hand.  Ouch!

Where would you be without your bones?

You would be pretty floppy and you couldn’t stand or go anyplace!  Bones are complex living structures that are the structural support for the muscles and other soft tissues of the body as well as the protection for organs.

What are bones made of?

Bones are a mixture of dense connective tissue filled with minerals that give them strength.  They also contain tons of living cells, which help the bones grow and repair themselves when
injured.  Bones have a great blood supply, which brings them food and oxygen and takes waste away.

What else do bones do?

For one they store calcium.  99% of the calcium in your body is in bones.  The interior aspect of bones contains bone marrow, which is the formation site of blood cells.

Bones last forever!

Scientists unearth remains of persons who lived thousands or in some cases millions of years ago (Lucy).  The structure and durability of the skeleton is unbelievable!  That’s why
Dermatologists envy Orthopaedic Surgeons (joke!).

How many bones do you have in your entire body?

206

How many bones do newborn babies have?

270. Huh.  How come?  By the time the baby becomes an adult the number shrinks to 206 because many bones making up the skull and spine fuse together as the body grows and becomes
older.

How many bones are in your foot, ankle and toes?

26

How many bones do your wrist, hand and fingers have?

27. The hand wins!

What is the body’s longest bone?

The femur or thigh bone.  It comprises roughly 25% of a person’s overall height.

What is the smallest bone?

The stirrup in the middle ear, which measures 1/10 of one inch.

How many bones are in your face?

14

How many bones are in your neck?

7  The same number in your neck as a giraffe!  Giraffe vertebrae are just that much longer.

How many joints in your body?

230 joints

How many muscles do you have?

Over 600 which comprise 40% of the body weight.

I could go on and on, but we’re out of space.  Hope you enjoyed this Fun with Bones segment.

Notice

I am getting close to the time when all the Orthopaedic Connection articles that have appeared in the Gratiot County Herald will be available on the website, www.orthopodsurgeon.com. They
will all be listed by title so you will be able to go back and find articles you may want to retrieve or print.  I am very excited about being able to do this because there is a ton of information that
will be in the archive.

Another way www.orthopodsurgeon.com and Your Orthopaedic Connection can continue to keep you informed.

Our goal is simple – To help people return to more pain free, functional lives.

Good health.  Good life.  All the best to you.

Be well.

Dr. Haverbush