Humerus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bone: Humerus | |
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| Upper extremity | |
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| Gray's | subject #51 209 |
| MeSH | Humerus |
- "Funny Bone" redirects here. For the comedy-drama film, see Funny Bones.
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. Anatomically, it fits between the scapula and the ulna, and consists of the following three sections:
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[edit] Muscle insertions and origins
- The deltoid inserts on the deltoid tuberosity of the humerus and has several actions including abduction, extension, and rotation
- Pectoralis major, teres major and latissimus dorsi insert at the intertubercular groove of the humerus. They work to adduct and medially rotate the humerus.
- Biceps brachii, brachialis, coracobrachialis, and brachioradialis (which attaches very distally) act to flex the elbow. The biceps, however, does not attach to the humerus.
- Triceps brachii and anconeus extend the elbow, and attach to the posterior side of the humerus.
[edit] Clinical considerations
The most common type of shoulder dislocation is an anterior or inferior dislocation of the humerus of the glenohumeral joint. This dislocation has the potential to injure the axillary nerve or axillary artery. Signs and symptoms of this dislocation include a loss of the normal shoulder contour and a palpable depression under the acromion.
[edit] Popular culture
The ulnar nerve at the distal end of the humerus near the elbow is sometimes referred to in popular culture as 'the funny bone'. Striking this nerve can cause a tingling sensation ("funny" feeling), and sometimes a significant amount of pain.
The humerus is also notable because it is the longest bone in the human arm (the femur is the longest bone in the human body).
In an episode of the television series CSI ("To Halve and To Hold"), the skeletal humerus is used to determine a man's original height by multiplying the length of his humerus by five.
Leaning on both the medical and "funny bone" definitions, a Hollywood design firm took the name Humerus LLC and released a series of Zombie related products, and features an x-ray of the humerus bone in their logo.
[edit] See also
[edit] Additional images
 Diagram of the human shoulder joint |
 Human arm bones diagram |
 Humerus (right) - anterior view |
 Humerus (right) - posterior view |
 Left humerus. Anterior view. |
 Left humerus. Posterior view. |
 The left shoulder and acromioclavicular joints, and the proper ligaments of the scapula. |
 Cross-section through the middle of upper arm. |
 The Supinator. |
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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