Your Body: The Missing Manual

Chapter 4. Bones

If your body were nothing more than a loose package of skin, muscle, and fat, you wouldn’t be much to look at. Fortunately, your body includes a sturdy substructure—your bones—that shapes you into the fine-looking specimen you are today.

You probably think you understand your bones pretty well. They support your body, protect your tender organs, and provide a handsome frame on which to drape some designer duds. But like the rest of your body, your bones are doing a lot more than you may realize. For one thing, your bones are a work in progress—and they stay that way for your entire life. That’s because bones are built out of living tissue that continuously refashions itself. Your body constantly creates small holes in your bones, then patches them up—this keeps your bones healthy and strong. And, like your muscles, you strengthen your bones by straining them in just the right way.

If you think these facts don’t add up to much more than fodder for a late-night biology bash, think again: Understanding these processes gives you the essential insight you need to care for your body.

In this chapter, you’ll see how this knowledge can help you sustain sturdy bones, avoid joint pain, and keep your back on track. In fact, your newfound awareness just might make the difference between a body that glides gracefully into old age and one that limps into the hospital for double hip-replacement surgery.

The Skeletal System

Skeletons bring strange images to our minds. We associate them ...