Fun Facts about the Human Skeleton
Blogs, / By Shi Qi Yap
In our Wednesday post, to correspond with the spirit of Halloween, we have briefly introduced some interesting facts about the human skeleton.
In this article, we are going to tell you in detail about all the facts that we introduced in Wednesday’s post. Read on and enjoy these interesting facts about our skeletons and bones.
Fun Facts about the Human Skeleton
-
Babies have more bones than Adults!
Adults will end up with only 206 bones, but babies are born with around 300 bones. It’s not that bones disappear as we grow older. Instead, these tiny bones fuse together to form the larger bones of the skeletal system.
-
More than half your bones are in your hands and feet!
An adult skeletal system is made up of 206 bones in total. Surprisingly,106 of them are in your hands and feet! 27 in each hand, so 54 in total in two of your hands. 26 in each foot, which make 52 in total in two of your feet!
-
Only one bone is not connected to another bone!
Not all bones in the human skeleton are connected to each other. The one exception is the hyoid bone, which sits at the base of the tongue. The hyoid bone is responsible for holding your tongue in place.
-
The smallest bone in the body is in your ear!
The stapes, a bone in your inner ear, is the smallest of all your bones. Because of its Y shape, this bone is also sometimes called the stirrup. It works together with the anvil and hammer bones, to translate sounds you hear into waves your brain can understand.
-
Most people have 12 ribs, but some have 13!
It’s very rare for people to born with 13th rib. The possibility is only 1%. This extra rib also called as cervical rib, can cause medical issues like neck pain. For that reason, people born with this extra rib often have it removed in most of the cases.
Hope this article is useful for you to know clearer about the human skeletal system!
If you have any more questions or would like our physiotherapists to assess or treat your back pain, feel free to drop us a question, talk to us, or fill in the form below. Do check out our Instagram page too.
Yap Shi Qi
Rehab Therapist
Shi Qi graduated with Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons), awarded by Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP®). She practiced as a physiotherapist in a Malaysian private physiotherapy center with a special interest in musculoskeletal and neurological rehabilitation. Her previous experience inspired her to combine active approach along with patients’ education to optimize the rehabilitation outcome in sports-related injuries and postural pain.
In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, singing, and playing piano.