What are the major bones present in Shoulder Joints?

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What are the major bones present in Shoulder Joints?

Shoulder joints, also known as shoulder articulations, are the most mobile joints in our body and are responsible for our ability to make such wide movements with our arms and hands. The shoulder joint is composed of three main bones: the scapula, clavicle and the humerus. The scapula (shoulder blade) and clavicle (collarbone) provide the socket that the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) sits in when the arm moves through its range of motion.

Scapula

The scapula is a flat, triangular-shaped bone that sits just below your collarbone. It's connected to your collarbone at one end and to your ribs and spine at its other end. The scapula provides a stable surface for muscles, tendons and ligaments attached to it to move, rotate and act on arm bones. One such set of muscles, called scapular retractors, draws your shoulder blades back toward your spine so you can bring them together in front.

The acromion is a bump on your scapula. It articulates with two bones in your arm, known as the clavicle and humerus. The scapula and clavicle are attached at another point called their glenoid cavity. Together, these two points create a wide socket that holds your arm bone in place so it can move easily during activities such as lifting or reaching. At its lower end, your scapula connects to your spine via ligaments and muscles in order to provide a stable platform for moving your arms and shoulders.

Clavicle

The collarbone is one of two long, curved bones that connect your upper arm to your breastbone (sternum). The clavicle sits in front of your shoulders and forms part of your rib cage. It's a crucial component for protecting and stabilizing your shoulders and upper arms. The word clavicle comes from Latin, where it means little key – appropriate, since it looks like a little keyhole. While you have one clavicle on each side, it doesn't matter which side it is on. Because both are identical in size and shape, either one can take over for its twin if needed.

Another set of synonyms for clavicle are collarbone and collar bone. A collarbone serves multiple purposes, including protection for your lungs, heart and esophagus; anchoring points for muscles and ligaments; a connection point for your shoulders to your upper arms; plus a staging ground on which to attach jewelry such as necklaces or pendants. It can be fractured –- usually by direct trauma to it –- but since it's somewhat flexible and is connected at one end to each shoulder blade, even a broken clavicle usually heals on its own without surgery. When you're young, you have cartilage in front of your sternum that actually connects your clavicles with each other via a piece in between known as the xiphoid process.

Humerus

It is a long bone and takes up more than half of our arm length. It has three bony prominences on its outside, which are called as deltoid tuberosity, lateral supracondylar ridge, and medial supracondylar ridge. These three prominences give attachment to muscles or ligaments related to arm movements. The upper part of it is rounded from behind and flattened from in front; it articulates with head (capitulum) of humerus. The rounded lower end articulates with scapula forming a ball-and-socket joint between them. It is firmly attached to thorax by clavicle via acromioclavicular joint that helps in free range of motion at shoulder.

In humans, upper arm bone is shorter than lower arm bone. It is a cylinder that is approximately one inch in diameter and eight inches long. The humerus is attached to muscles, joints, and ligaments at its two ends by way of ball-and-socket type connections that allow for an almost unlimited range of movement. A good supply of blood flows through it; hence its color varies from light pink to deep red. The top end (head) fits into a socket on top of collarbone and connects with three muscles at its middle portion, while lower end (elbow) connects with forearm bones via elbow joint.

Conclusion

There are many ways you can achieve optimum health, but being mindful of your health on a daily basis can help improve your overall wellbeing. Afterall, you only get one body - why not take care of it?

Schedule an appointment with Prime Shoulder and Elbow Care by visiting primeshoulder.com