What is the longest bone in the human body

Our body has the surprising amount of 206 bones to reach adulthood, which makes us vertebrate animals, that is to say that we have a bone skeleton inside with a spine that allows our figure to have the shape that characterizes us. This bony disposition allows us to perform such daily actions for us as getting up, walking or bending over.

And of course among those 206 bones there are some very small and others larger. Do you wonder what is the longest bone in the human body ? Keep reading, because in .com we reveal it to you.

The longest bone is the femur

The area of ​​our body in which we have more bones are the extremities, that is, in the arms and legs. And it is just in this last area where the longest bone of the human body is located: the femur, 46 centimeters long. Located in the upper part of our legs, in the area of ​​the thigh, this bone allows the leg to be joined to the hip in addition to being part of the knee joint, so that our correct state of health greatly depends on our movement and also the joint well-being of our organism.

The femur is not only long, it is also the most voluminous and strong bone of our skeleton, counting on the important mission of supporting our weight adequately. Its size corresponds to approximately 25% of our height, not bad for just being a bone!

The parts of the femur

  • Femoral diaphysis, also known as the body of the femur, has three faces (anterior, internal and external) and three edges. This part of the femur is closely linked to the crural quadriceps muscle since three of the four muscular bodies with which they count are inserted in this area, which allows us to extend our leg. Other muscles such as the gluteus maximus or the thigh adductors are also inserted in this area of ​​the femur.
  • Upper epiphysis, also known as the head of the femur, articulates with the hip, so it is a smooth surface covered with cartilage, which facilitates smooth and adequate movements.
  • Lower epiphysis, this area articulates with the tibia and ends in the knee, it is in this area where the crossed ligaments of the knee are inserted, so important in the mobility of this joint.

And the smallest bone in the human body?

You already know that the longest bone in the body is the femur, but what about the smallest? Located in the middle ear the stirrup is the smallest bone in the body, with between 2.5 and 3 millimeters in length. This little one transmits the sound vibrations from the anvil to the inner membrane, allowing us to hear properly everything that happens around us.

And sometimes the size does not really matter.