Common Bone Names | Effortless Movement
Effortless Movement
Pilates Training in Portland Oregon's Pearl District
Follow My Blog via Email
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
September 20, 2010
.
As often as possible, I use Common Names for bones when teaching.  Of course there is nothing wrong with learning the Anatomical Names that are often used by doctors and physical therapists.  But, here’s the thing – why make learning a new movement pattern more difficult by learning new terminology at the same time?   I want your brain to be focused on the movement and the experience, not on translating what I’m saying.
With that end in mind, here is a chart of the names that I use on this site and when I’m teaching.
Common Use Bone Names
Breastbone
Sternum
The boney piece running from the notch at the base of the neck to the opening of the ribcage.
Collarbone
Clavicle
Locate the notch at the base of the neck.  The boney ridges extending 3-4” on either side are the collarbones.
Forearm
The two bones that run from your wrist to your elbow.
Front Hip Bones
Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS)
Sit your hands on your hips, find the little bones that point forward on the front of your lower torso.
Kneecap
The hard point on the front of your knee.
Pelvis aka ‘hips’
Pelvis
Sit your hands on your hips.  The basin shaped pelvis is everything from here to your public bone in front, and from here to your sit bones in back.
Ribcage
Thoracic Cavity
Shaped like a cylinder, the ribcage is made up the breastbone, 12 pairs of ribs, and 12 thoracic vertebrae.
Tail triangle, aka Sacrum
The boney triangle, about the size of a palm, just above your tailbone.
Shin
The flat front of your lower leg, below the knee and above the ankle.
Shoulder Blade
Scapula
Sometimes referred to as the ‘wingbones,’ the triangular, flat shoulder blades sit on either side of the upper back.
Sit Bones
Ischial Tuberosity
Sit tall on a hard chair.  The bones that you feel hitting the chair are the Ischial Tuberosity.
Spine, aka ‘back bones’
Vertebral Column
Also known as your backbone, the spine is made up of 24 small bones called vertebrae, plus the sacrum and tailbone.  The 7 neck bones are referred to as cervical vertebrae.  A pair of ribs attaches to each of the 12 mid-back bones, known as thoracic vertebrae.  The 5 bones that make up the curve of the low back are called the lumbar vertebrae.
Tailbone
The last bone at the end of the spine.
Thigh Bone
Femur
The meaty part of your thigh houses the longest and strongest bone in your body, the femur, which runs from the hip to the knee.
Upper Arm