Bones

What each bone does, how it takes load, how it fails and heals, and what attaches to it.

Neck

Cervical vertebrae
The seven bones of the neck. How the atlas and axis nod and turn the head, how the lower bones are built and move, how they are injured in contact sport, and what changes studies found over years of play.

Clavicle
The collarbone, an S-shaped strut between the breastbone and the shoulder blade. How it holds the shoulder out, where and how it breaks, what studies of healing found, and what attaches to it.
Scapula
The flat, triangular bone on the back of the shoulder. How it anchors the arm's muscles and moves as the arm rises, how often it breaks, and what it connects to.

Humerus
The upper arm bone, from the shoulder to the elbow. How it is shaped, how it breaks, how it heals and thickens with throwing and racquet sports, and what attaches to it.

Distal radius
The wrist end of the radius, the forearm bone on the thumb side. How it is shaped, how much load it carries, who breaks it and how, how it mends and builds up with loading, and what attaches to it.
Scaphoid
A boat-shaped wrist bone on the thumb side that links the two rows of wrist bones. Where it sits, how blood reaches it, who breaks it and how, and how long its parts take to join again.

Ribs
The twelve pairs of curved bones that, with the breastbone and spine, make the rib cage. How they move for breathing, how muscle pull cracks them in rowing, golf and throwing, and how long studies found they took to settle.

Lumbar vertebrae
The five bones of the lower back. How each is built, how the body, facet joints and pars share load, how and in whom the pars cracks, and how lumbar bone responds to loading.

Pelvis
The ring of bone at the base of the spine that carries the upper body's weight to the legs. How it is built, how it fractures in teenagers, athletes and older adults, how bone responds to load, and what attaches to it.

Femur
The thigh bone, the longest and strongest bone in the body. How it forms the hip and knee, how much load it carries, how it breaks, how it heals and responds to load, and what attaches to it.

Patella
The kneecap, a bone that sits inside the tendon at the front of the knee. How it slides on the thigh bone and carries load, how it breaks or slips out of place, and how bone responds to use.

Fibula
The thin outer bone of the lower leg. How little load it carries, how it breaks at the ankle and under repeated stress, how it responds to training and disuse, and what attaches to it.
Tibia
The shin bone, the main weight-bearing bone of the lower leg. How it carries load, how it breaks down under repeated stress, how bone adapts and heals, and what attaches to it.

Calcaneus
The heel bone, the largest bone of the foot. How it carries body weight and the pull of the calf, how it breaks down, how its growth plate closes, and what attaches to it.
Metatarsals
The five long bones of the forefoot. How they carry load in walking and running, where and in whom they crack under repeated stress, what studies of fifth metatarsal fractures found, and what attaches to them.
Navicular
A boat-shaped bone at the top of the foot's inner arch. Where it sits and how it is loaded, why its stress fractures are slow to show and slow to heal, and what studies of casts and surgery found.