Above is your bone architecture. People often think of bones as rocks or sticks or some shit – supportive structures but otherwise lifeless. This could not be farther from the truth.

Bone is an incredibly dynamic (always changing) tissue. Bones are malleable and are capable of change, dependent upon our activity levels. If we sit on our asses, bones and muscles which attach to them grow weak. And if we train hard and are constantly on the move, as the body prefers, bones will strengthen in response to that stress.

Bone functions include:
– Framework and support
-Locomotion, when muscles pull on them
– Protection: rib cage, pelvis, spine, skull and face
– Immune system: all formed elements of the blood are born and raised within your bone marrow!
– Mineral storage: calcium and phosphorous
– Energy storage: fats are a concentrated form of energy. If you were a cave-person, looking for something to eat, and you found a carcass, you would smash the bones with a rock and scrape out the marrow (primarily fat).

Other things about bones:

– Dude named Dr. LeFort studied facial fractures by dropping cannon balls onto the heads of cadavers. He found that the skull and face had hollow areas -the sinuses – which served as a cushion for blows to the noggin. By analogy, we would call these crumple zones, like a car’s bumper, which is designed to take the impact, saving the driver. I actually watched a surgical procedure one time, after a Marine’s face had been stomped after being caught fooling around with another devildog’s wife. The surgeons reassembled the man’s facial bones using tiny screws and clips, while Metallica’s Enter Sandman played in the background. True story!

– All bones are first formed from cartilage. This is why babies are so limber and have the “soft spot” in their head; this is called a fontanelle. As the infant’s brain develops fully, the cartilage is replaced with bone.

– “Boner” is a name given to an erect male genitalia, e.g. “Man, I almost popped a boner during squats!” Some mammals actually have a bone in their penis, it’s called a baculum – hence, the term is ironic and accurate.

Hey, I know my bones…it’s the business I’m in. Chiropractors are doctors who find and fix problems having to do with nerve-muscle-BONE. So if you have any questions please ask, because I live for this shit.

Immediate action for strong bones: Take your nasty ass outside and perform lots of weight bearing exercise = DDIP!