C. Noel Henley, MD

Hand and Upper Extremity Specialist

  • About
  • For Patients
    • Deciding to Have Surgery
    • Nonsurgical Treatment
    • Living With One Hand
    • After Treatment
    • Instructions After Surgery
    • Make An Appointment
  • Disclaimer
  • Articles
  • What Patients are Saying
  • Appointments

The Four Layers of Bone

x-rays of hand bones

Our bones are made of five main layers. Moving from outside the bone to inside the bone, here are the layers:

  1. Periosteum
  2. Cortical, or Hard Bone
  3. Cancellous, or Spongy Bone
  4. Bone Marrow

Let’s take a closer look.

Periosteum

The periosteum is a soft outer covering over the bone’s surface. It provides blood flow to the bone which lets a bone heal, grow, fight infection, and stay healthy. This layer is very thick in children and gets thinner as we get older.

Cortical Bone

This layer is hard and thick. When you see a skeleton, you’re looking at mostly cortical bone. You can think of it like a hard shell, like a turtle has. It’s job is to protect body parts underneath it and hold up muscles around it.

Cancellous Bone

Cancellous bone is a spongy type of bone inside the cortical bone. It’s not as dense as the outer cortical bone. Some bones have a lot of it, and some bones have less. A broken bone may heal faster if it has more cancellous bone inside.

Bone Marrow

Your bone marrow is deep inside your bones – inside the middle of the cortical and spongy bones. It’s job is to make all the blood cells inside your body – red cells, white (infection-fighting) cells, and platelets that help you stop bleeding when you get a cut.

A picture of the four bone layers

This diagram will show you the layers of bone and more information. Just click on the name of the layer for more information!

EDUCATION PAGES

click on the links below to start learning:

  • arthritis: base of the thumb
  • arthritis: osteoarthritis
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • trigger finger
  • ganglion cysts
  • tennis elbow (epicondylitis)
  • wrist fractures
  • cubital tunnel syndrome
  • deQuervain's tendonitis
  • elbow fractures
  • olecranon bursitis
  • fingertip injuries
  • hand fractures

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

Call our office today at 479-521-2752 to make an appointment with Dr. Henley

Featured Articles

Mallet Finger Injury

“my finger doesn’t work”“my finger is bent”“my finger won’t straighten”“my finger is drooped” These are several of the most common things I hear when patients come in with a mallet finger.  A mallet finger is the name for a ruptured (torn) tendon at the tip of the finger. A tendon rupture is where a tendon […]

Bad Thumb Arthritis – What Does It Look Like?

The video below shows a patient’s thumb moving back and forth. As you’ll see, most of the range of motion is at the MP (metacarpophalangeal) joint. This is abnormal – in a normal thumb, the majority of the motion is through the CMC (carpometacarpal joint, at the base of the thumb). When the CMC joint […]

Forearm Fractures In Kids – What Parents Need To Know

Bones in children are different from bones in adults. They break differently and they respond differently to injury. Some fractures occur both in adults and kids – some fractures occur only in children. Forearm fractures occur in both, with some important differences. This article will cover some of the basics of forearm fractures in kids. […]

Fingertip Ganglion Cysts – Mucous Cysts

The most common tumor in the finger is a ganglion cyst. A ganglion cyst is simply a fluid-filled sac. It can be visible from the outside or buried deep underneath the skin. Sometimes it causes symptoms like soreness and pain; other times patients have no idea it’s there. What is a mucous cyst? Ganglion cysts […]

Categories

  • anatomy
  • announcements
  • arthritis
  • bone health
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • common problems
  • current events
  • Famous Hands and Arms
  • FAQ
  • fractures
  • hand surgery
  • injections
  • media appearances
  • news
  • nonsurgical treatment
  • nutrition
  • philosophy of medicine
  • prevention
  • sports
  • surgery
  • tests
  • thumb
  • Uncategorized
  • video
  • wrist surgery

Copyright © 2023 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in