Our Body Frame: Things You Didn't Know About Bones!

Have you ever seen how when you build a house, you first build a big frame with posts and beams? Then you build the walls and put on the roof. That's how our body is called a skeleton. It's the main frame of our body, it's this skeleton that gives us the strength and stability to stand, walk, and do anything.

What are the main things that these bones actually do?

We think of bones as just a lifeless, hard thing inside the body. But the truth is much more complicated than that. Bones, like every other part of our body, are living tissue . That means they are constantly growing, changing, and renewing themselves. In fact, our skeleton is a very busy place.

Let's look at the main things that will happen from this.

1. To support and shape the body

This is the most important thing we all know. Without our skeleton, we wouldn't be able to stand or sit properly. We would be like a mass of jelly. The skeleton plays a big role in determining things like our height and body shape.

2. Helping with movement

How do we walk, run, and move our limbs? All of this happens because our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones work together. Bones act like a system of levers. When muscles contract, the bones they are attached to move.

3. Protecting delicate internal organs

This is a very strange and important thing. Imagine that you fell off your bike and hit your head on the ground. What would save your brain from being damaged? It would be your skull . It protects your brain like a helmet.

For example, what if we get hit in the chest by a ball while playing cricket? Our ribcage protects our delicate organs like our heart and lungs. It also protects our spine and the very important nervous system called the spinal cord that runs through it.

4. Protecting bone marrow and producing blood cells

Inside our large bones is a part called bone marrow. This is the main factory that makes our blood.

• Red blood cells: These cells carry oxygen throughout the body.
• White blood cells: These cells protect us by fighting germs that cause disease.
• Platelets: These help stop bleeding when there is a wound.

How many bones do we have in our body?

This is also a very interesting question. On average, an adult has 206 bones in their body . But some people can have up to 213. The reason for this is that some people can have slight differences in things like the number of ribs and the number of bones in their spine. It is not a disease, it is a normal condition.

But the amazing thing is, a newborn baby has about 270 bones in its body ! So how does that number decrease to 206 when it becomes an adult? Here's what happens. Some of the small bones in babies, as they grow, fuse together and become one bone. This makes the skeleton even stronger.

Doctors divide our skeleton into two main parts.

• Axial skeleton: This consists of 80 bones. These are the bones that form the main axis of the body, which is the head, neck, spine, chest, and pelvis.
• Appendicular skeleton: This includes all the other bones that are attached to the main axis. That is, the bones in the shoulders, arms, and legs.

Are there types of bones?

Yes, bones can be divided into several main types based on their shape and size. This classification is done to make it easier to understand their function.

What are bones made of?

A bone is made up mainly of cells and proteins. Like a biscuit, it has two main layers.

1. Cortex - compact bone: This is the hard, strong outer layer of the bone. If we look at a picture of a bone, this is the part we see.

2. Cancellous - spongy bone: This is the inner layer. It is not as hard as solid bone, it is a bit like a sponge with holes. The bone marrow that we talked about earlier is located in this part.

As I mentioned earlier, bone is a living tissue. That's why we have a process of bone renewal throughout our lives. This is facilitated by two special types of cells.

• Osteoblasts: These cells build new bone tissue, like a builder building a house.
• Osteoclasts: These cells break down and remove old, weakened bone tissue, making way for new, stronger tissue.

This process is what keeps our bones healthy and strong.

Common bone diseases and problems

No matter how strong our skeleton is, there are diseases and problems that can affect it. Two of the most important of these are fractures and a condition called osteoporosis.

Fractures

A broken bone is called a fracture in medicine. Any bone in our body can break. However, smaller, weaker bones are more likely to break. In a major accident like a car accident, even a strong bone like the thigh bone can break.

Osteoporosis

This is a word that many people have heard. Simply put, osteoporosis is a condition in which the density of bones decreases, making them weak, brittle, and break very easily.

The most dangerous thing about this is that many people with this condition don't know it. Because it doesn't show any special symptoms at first. Most of the time, the disease is discovered only after a sudden fall or a broken arm, leg, or hip.

Therefore, if you are over 65 years of age , or if someone in your family has had osteoporosis , be sure to talk to your doctor about a bone density test.

Did you know? Some surprising facts about the skeleton

• The longest and strongest bone in the body: It is our thigh bone. In medical terms, it is called the femur . The average adult thigh bone is about 18 inches (46 centimeters) long. It is so strong that it can support about 30 times your body weight!
• The smallest bone in the body: The three smallest bones in our body are in our middle ear. They are called ossicles . The malleus, incus, and stapes are all less than an inch long. They are very important for our hearing. These three tiny bones transmit sound vibrations to the inner ear. The smallest bone is the stapes. It is only 3.5 millimeters long!

Whether you're sitting at home, bored, or training for a marathon, your skeleton is what gives your body its support. It helps you move, or it helps you stay still on the couch. From the smallest bone in your ear to the longest bone in your leg, every bone in our body is precious to us.

Bones, skeleton, osteoporosis, fracture, body structure, health