Bones - the basics

Question 1

what are bones?

Answer 1

living structures formed of connective tissue

Question 2

which organ governs the bones in Chinese medicine?

Answer 2

the kidney

Question 3

name the shapes of bones

Answer 3

long, short, flat and irregular

Question 4

what are sesamoid bones?

Answer 4

bones which are situated with tendons (eg patella and pisiform)

Question 5

what are wormian bones?

Answer 5

tiny bones found to form part of the suture joints between the flat bones of the cranium (skull)

Question 6

name the two parts of the skeleton

Answer 6

Axial skeleton and appendicular skeleton

Question 7

what parts are in the axial skeleton?

Answer 7

skull, vertebrae, ribs, sternum, the sacrum and the coccyx

Question 8

what parts are in the appendicular skeleton?

Answer 8

the bones which ‘hang off’: the shoulder girdle - scapulae and clavicle, humerus, radius and ulna (arm bones), bones of the wrist and hand, hip bones, leg bones - femur, fibula and tibia, and the bones of the ankle and feet

Question 9

what makes up the vertebral column?

Answer 9

the vertebrae, the sacrum and the coccyx

Question 10

what bones is the skull made up of?

Answer 10

plates of flat bones : parietal, occipital, frontal and temporal - complex internal bones (the sphenoid) and bones of the face - the zygomatic bone, the nasal bone, maxilla and the mandible.

Question 11

name the three parts to the vertebrae

Answer 11

7 cervical vertebrae - C1-7
12 thoracic vertebrae T1 -12
5 lumbar vertebrae L1 -5

Question 12

what features in common do the three parts of the vertebrae have?

Answer 12

A cylindrical body
A vertebral foramen (hole) through which the spinal cord travels
Pointed bony processes for the attachment of the spinal muscles )spinous and transverse processes
Articular processes which form the joints between adjacent vertebrae

Question 13

how many pairs of ribs are there?

Answer 13

12 - T1-12

Question 14

tell me about ribs 1-10

Answer 14

they articulate anteriorly with the sternum

Question 15

tell me about ribs 11 and 12

Answer 15

they are floating ribs they do not articulate anteriorly

Question 16

another name for breast bone

Answer 16

sternum

Question 17

list the breastbone components

Answer 17

manubrium, body of sternum, xiphoid process

Question 18

name some useful landmarks on the breastbones

Answer 18

the sternal angle
the second rib
xiphisternal joint
tip of the xiphoid

Question 19

name the pelvic bones

Answer 19

sacrum
coccyx
hip bones (innominate bones)

Question 20

how are the pelvic bones joined?

Answer 20

they are joined as a ring which protects the deep bowl of the pelvic cavity

Question 21

how are hip bones joined?

Answer 21

the hip bones are joined at the front at the symphysis pubis and at the back to the sacrum at sacroiliac joints

Question 22

describe the sacrum

Answer 22

a triangular shaped flat bone made up of 5 fused vertebrae (s1-5). L5 articulates (make a joint) with the top of the sacrum and the coccygeal bones (c1-4) form the tail which articulates at the bottom of the sacrum.

Question 23

name the bones in the leg

Answer 23

femur, patella, tibia, fibula, the 7 tarsal bones, the 5 metatarsals and the 14 phalanges

Question 24

name the 7 tarsal bones

Answer 24

talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid, 3 cuneiforms

Question 25

where does the head of the femur articulate

Answer 25

the hip bone at the ball and socket hip joint

Question 26

what bone is the patella

Answer 26

a sesamoid bone in the tendon of the quadraceps muscle. the tendon inserts into the tibial tuberosity below the knee

Question 27

what do the condyles of the femur articulate with?

Answer 27

the table like surface of the top of the tibia

Question 28

describe the shoulder girdle

Answer 28

it supports the musculature of the arm, it include the two shoulder blades (scapulae) they articulate laterally with the clavicles (collar bones)

Question 29

how do the clavicles articulate

Answer 29

anteriorly and medially with the manubrium

Question 30

name the arm bones

Answer 30

humerus, radius, ulna, 8 carpol bones (trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate, triquetral, pisiform, lunate, scaphoid, 5 metacarpals and 14 phalanges