Short bones are designated as those
bone
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
s that are as wide as they are long. Their primary function is to provide support and stability with little to no movement. They are one of five
types of bones: short,
long
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music mensu ...
,
flat,
irregular and
sesamoid
In anatomy, a sesamoid bone () is a bone embedded within a tendon or a muscle. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for 'sesame seed', indicating the small size of most sesamoids. Often, these bones form in response to strain, or can be prese ...
. Examples of these bones include the
tarsals in the foot and the
carpals
The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (or carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The term "carpus" is derived from the Latin carpus and the Greek καρπός (karpós), meaning "wrist". In human anatomy, the ...
in the hand.
Additional images
File:Short bones - animation.gif, Short bones in human skeleton. (shown in red)
File:Blausen 0229 ClassificationofBones.png, Classification of bones by shape.
References
Stedman's Online Medical Dictionary, 27th Edition
Skeletal system
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