Human body how many bones

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The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Bones muscles and joints. Home Bones muscles and joints. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. The skeleton The human skeleton is made up of bones, including bones of the: Skull — including the jaw bone Spine — cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and tailbone coccyx Chest — ribs and breastbone sternum Arms — shoulder blade scapula , collar bone clavicle , humerus, radius and ulna Hands — wrist bones carpals , metacarpals and phalanges Pelvis — hip bones Legs — thigh bone femur , kneecap patella , shin bone tibia and fibula Feet — tarsals, metatarsals and phalanges.

Bone types There are four different types of bone in the human body: Long bone — has a long, thin shape. Examples include the bones of the arms and legs excluding the wrists, ankles and kneecaps. With the help of muscles, long bones work as levers to permit movement. Short bone — has a squat, cubed shape. Examples include the bones that make up the wrists and the ankles. Flat bone — has a flattened, broad surface.

Examples include ribs, shoulder blades, breast bone and skull bones. Irregular bone — has a shape that does not conform to the above three types. Examples include the bones of the spine vertebrae.

Bone tissue The different layers of bone tissue include: Periosteum — the dense, tough outer shell that contains blood vessels and nerves Compact or dense tissue — the hard, smooth layer that protects the tissue within Spongy or cancellous tissue — the porous, honeycombed material found inside most bones, which allows the bone to be strong yet lightweight Bone marrow — the jelly-like substance found inside the cavities of some bones including the pelvis that produces blood cells.

Bone marrow Bone marrow is where blood cells are made. The three different types of blood cell made by bone marrow include: Red blood cells — carry oxygen around the body. Platelets — are used for clotting. Bone cells Our body is constantly remodelling its skeleton by building up and breaking down bone tissue as required. The bone cells involved in this process include: Osteoblasts — the cells that build bone tissue Osteocytes — the cells that maintain bone tissue by controlling the mineral and calcium content Osteoclasts — the cells that break down old bone tissue.

Bone density Many factors work together to ensure the strength and health of bones. Some thin kids can even see a few of their ribs right through their skin. Your ribs come in pairs, and the left and right sides of each pair are exactly the same.

Most people have 12 pairs of ribs, but some people are born with one or more extra ribs, and some people might have one pair less. All 12 pairs of ribs attach in the back to the spine, where they are held in place by the thoracic vertebrae. The first seven pairs of ribs attach in the front to the sternum say: STUR-num , a strong bone in the center of your chest that holds those ribs in place. The remaining sets of ribs don't attach to the sternum directly. The next three pairs are held on with cartilage to the ribs above them.

The very last two sets of ribs are called floating ribs because they aren't connected to the sternum or the ribs above them. But don't worry, these ribs can't ever float away. Like the rest of the ribs, they are securely attached to the spine in the back. Your skull protects the most important part of all, the brain. You can feel your skull by pushing on your head, especially in the back a few inches above your neck. The skull is actually made up of different bones.

Some of these bones protect your brain, whereas others make up the structure of your face. If you touch beneath your eyes, you can feel the ridge of the bone that forms the hole where your eye sits. And although you can't see it, the smallest bone in your whole body is in your head, too. The stirrup bone behind your eardrum is only. Want to know something else? Your lower jawbone is the only bone in your head you can move.

It opens and closes to let you talk and chew food. Your skull is pretty cool, but it's changed since you were a baby. All babies are born with spaces between the bones in their skulls. This allows the bones to move, close up, and even overlap as the baby goes through the birth canal. As the baby grows, the space between the bones slowly closes up and disappears, and special joints called sutures say: SOO-churs connect the bones.

As you sit and type at the keyboard, while you swing on a swing, even when you pick up your lunch, you're using the bones in your fingers, hand, wrist, and arm. Each arm is attached to a shoulder blade or scapula say: SKA-pyuh-luh , a large triangular bone on the upper back corner of each side of the ribcage. The arm is made up of three bones: the humerus say: HYOO-muh-rus , which is above your elbow, and the radius say: RAY-dee-us and ulna say: UL-nuh , which are below the elbow.

Each of these bones is wider at the ends and skinnier in the middle, to help give it strength where it meets another bone. At the end of the radius and ulna are eight smaller bones that make up your wrist. Although these bones are small, they can really move! Twist your wrist around or wave and you'll see how the wrist can move. The center part of your hand is made up of five separate bones. Each finger on your hand has three bones, except for your thumb, which has two.

So between your wrists, hands, and all your fingers, you've got a grand total of 54 bones — all ready to help you grasp things, write your name, pick up the phone, or throw a softball!

Sure, your arm, wrist, hand, and finger bones are great for picking up the phone, but how are you supposed to run to answer it? Well, with the bones of the legs and feet! Your legs are attached to a circular group of bones called your pelvis. The pelvis is a bowl-shaped structure that supports the spine. It is made up of the two large hip bones in front, and behind are the sacrum and the coccyx. The pelvis acts as a tough ring of protection around parts of the digestive system, parts of the urinary system, and parts of the reproductive system.

Your leg bones are very large and strong to help support the weight of your body. The bone that goes from your pelvis to your knee is called the femur say: FEE-mur , and it's the longest bone in your body. At the knee, there's a triangular-shaped bone called the patella say: puh-TEL-luh , or kneecap, that protects the knee joint. Just like the three bones in the arm, the three bones in the leg are wider at the ends than in the middle to give them strength. The ankle is a bit different from the wrist; it is where the lower leg bones connect to a large bone in the foot called the talus say: TAL-iss.

Next to the talus are six other bones. But the main part of the foot is similar to the hand, with five bones. Each toe has three tiny bones, except for your big toe, which has just two. This brings the bone total in both feet and ankles to 52! Most people don't use their toes and feet for grabbing stuff or writing, but they do use them for two very important things: standing and walking. Without all the bones of the foot working together, it would be impossible to balance properly.

The bones in the feet are arranged so the foot is almost flat and a bit wide, to help you stay upright. So the next time you're walking, be sure to look down and thank those toes! Fixed joints are fixed in place and don't move at all. Your skull has some of these joints called sutures, remember? One of these joints is called the parieto-temporal say: par-EYE-ih-toh TEM-puh-rul suture — it's the one that runs along the side of the skull.

Moving joints are the ones that let you ride your bike, eat cereal, and play a video game — the ones that allow you to twist, bend, and move different parts of your body.

Some moving joints, like the ones in your spine, move only a little. Other joints move a lot. One of the main types of moving joints is called a hinge joint. Your elbows and knees each have hinge joints, which let you bend and then straighten your arms and legs. These joints are like the hinges on a door. Just as most doors can only open one way, you can only bend your arms and legs in one direction.

You also have many smaller hinge joints in your fingers and toes. Another important type of moving joint is the ball and socket joint. You can find these joints at your shoulders and hips. They are made up of the round end of one bone fitting into a small cup-like area of another bone. Ball and socket joints allow for lots of movement in every direction. Make sure you've got lots of room, and try swinging your arms all over the place.

Have you ever seen someone put oil on a hinge to make it work easier or stop squeaking? Well, your joints come with their own special fluid called synovial fluid say: SIH-no-vee-ul that helps them move freely.

Bones are held together at the joints by ligaments say: LIH-guh-mints , which are like very strong rubber bands. Protect those skull bones and your brain inside!