Bones are one of the organs that play an important role in the structure of the body, in addition to helping us to support and help us walk, move, participate in the activities of the organ. So why do bones lengthen? Its formation and structure, the following article will help you better understand this issue.
The human body is made up of 206 bones. This skeletal system is the lever that helps muscles to expand and move, in addition, bones also protect organs in the body such as: chest, abdomen, head, respiratory system, digestive system... Bone is formed from the early stages. fetal stage and develops rapidly during puberty. The development of bones is also important to help us increase height quickly.
Characteristics of bones
Bone or bone tissue has a different structure from other tissues in the body. This is a part with many different shapes and roles to participate in the structure of the body, protect organs and help the body move and move. Deep inside the bone is the bone marrow, which makes blood cells and stores minerals, especially calcium.
Structure inside bone
During infancy and infancy, there are about 270 soft bones inside the body. Gradually growing with maturity, the bones also lengthen, some of them will fuse together. Therefore, when reaching a certain age, the human body has only about 206 bones, of which the largest is the femur and the smallest is the stirrup bone located in the middle ear.
The structure of bones in the body is collagen protein, the minerals needed to harden the skeleton to help support the body are calcium and phosphorus. Up to 99% of calcium in the body is accumulated in teeth and bones. Bones are also calcium stores that help maintain blood calcium levels and limit it to normal levels. Once you reach adulthood, your bones will not break easily.
Why do bones elongate? Bone growth and structure
Human bones are formed from the fetal stage and the process of bone development varies by stage:
Embryonic stage
For this stage, bone will develop from the dermis and go through 3 stages including, membrane, cartilage and bone. Periosteum is formed from the first month of pregnancy. Periosteal development into osteochondrosis occurs at the beginning of the second month, and cretinism forms bone by the end of this month of the embryo.
In the 3rd month, the fetal skeleton has grown significantly, which shows a clear division of joints, knuckles and toes. By the 5th and 6th stages of pregnancy, the joints in the arms and legs begin to be able to move, and from 7 to 8 months of pregnancy, the muscles around the bones begin to develop. By the last month of pregnancy, the baby's skeleton is basically complete with all parts, but the bones are still very soft.
Postpartum period
Human bones are divided into 4 types: long bones, flat bones, short bones and irregular bones. In particular, the structure of each type consists of 3 parts: the head bone, the body bone and the limb bone. The place where the ends of the bones are joined is called a joint.
So why do bones lengthen? During childhood most bones are composed of cartilage material, as the body develops this cartilage material gradually transforms into bone through a process known as ossification. Bone growth is due to the process of cell division in growth cartilage, also known as ossification point. For long bones, this point of ossification is located at the tip of the bone and when the body matures, it will ossify and merge with the bone body. For other types such as flat bones, short bones, growth cartilage is located in the surrounding cartilage.
Stages of bone formation and development
Measures to help bones grow longer
After answering the question " Why do bones grow long ?" Then let's see how to help bones grow longer!
The long growth of bones is affected by factors such as nutrition, genetics, living environment and physical training... In which there are 3 rapid growth stages: fetal stage, neonatal period and prepubertal period.
Nutritional factors
Nutrition affects not only bone length, but also mental and physical health. Building a diet to properly supplement nutrients should be done from the mother's pregnancy. Newborns need to be breastfed for the first 6 months, because breast milk is thought to be the best source of nutrition at this time. At the weaning stage, mothers need to pay attention to supplementing with 4 groups of essential substances for children: protid, lipid, vitamins, sugar and minerals. In addition, adequate nutrition should be added through changing foods to enrich the menu.
The growth and enlargement of bones depends on a process of metabolism from bone cartilage, called ossification. Essential nutrients for this process are calcium , phosphorus and the participation of vitamins such as vitamin D, vitamin K2, calcitriol… So the diet should be fully supplemented with essential vitamins and minerals. for bone growth.
Add calcium-containing foods to support bone growth
Exercise
Why do bones elongate? It is also thanks to exercise. Through exercise is an important factor for the development of the skeletal system. Therefore, you should create a habit of exercising every day with exercises for each age such as long jump, high jump, swimming, ... these exercises help stretch muscles, stretch, stimulate The spine and bones develop effectively. It is also effective in preventing joint pain .
Hopefully the above information will help you answer the question "Why do bones grow long?" and measures to help bones grow as best as possible. Follow SignsSymptomsList for more useful information!