Bones

Bones form part of the skeletal structure and are strong enough to support your weight but light enough to allow movement. Bones are alive though they may appear lifeless.

The functions of bones include:

• Assisting in movement,
• Support of the body framework, and soft tissue,
• Protection especially for the body’s internal organs,
• Storage of minerals including calcium and phosphorus,
• Storage of chemical energy. Yellow marrow formed as one ages stores adipose cells, and
• Production of blood cells in the red marrow.

Bone Structure

Bones contain blood vessels, nerve cells and living bone cells. They are held together by a framework of had material containing calcium and phosphorus. Along the center of long bones such as the femur is a cavity filled with bone marrow. Red bone marrow produces blood cells and yellow bone marrow is a store for fat.

Bones can be either spongy or compact. Compact bones are dense and form the outer layer of the bones. Spongy bones on the other hand are lightweight and made up of needle-like pieces of bone with large spaces between them.

Bone Shapes

The shape of the bones reflects their roles within the body. These include:

• Long bones - Made up mainly of compact bone such as your arms and legs,
• Short bones - Made up mainly of spongy bones such as your wrists and ankles,
• Flat bones - Made up of a layer of spongy bone between two thin layers of compact bone such as your ribs, and
• Irregular bones - These are bones that do not fit in any of the three categories above and include your butterfly shaped vertebrae.

Please click one of the Major Bones below to get an in depth view of how each bone works...

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