Identification of bones

Finding your way around the skeleton

Identifying a bone means recognising it and knowing its name and location. Everyday names provide useful starting points: the shoulder blade is the scapula, the breastbone is the sternum, and the kneecap is the patella.

A joint is a place where bones meet. Some bones extend between two joints, so the same bone can appear in more than one location you need to identify. For example, the humerus runs along the upper arm from the shoulder to the elbow.

Head, neck and chest

The cranium is the part of the skull surrounding the brain. Below it, the vertebrae form the spine. The vertebrae in the neck are the bones to recognise for the neck location, although the spine continues down the back.

In the chest, the ribs form a curved cage. The sternum is the breastbone running down the front and centre of the chest. On a skeleton diagram, distinguish the many curved ribs from the single central sternum.

Shoulder and elbow

At the shoulder, identify the scapula and humerus. The scapula is the broad shoulder blade at the back of the shoulder. The humerus is the long upper-arm bone below it.

At the elbow, identify three bones: the humerus, radius and ulna. The humerus approaches the elbow from above; the radius and ulna extend from the elbow towards the wrist, forming the forearm.

To distinguish the two forearm bones, use the hand as a guide. The radius is on the thumb side, while the ulna is on the little-finger side. These relationships are more useful than memorising which bone appears on the left or right of a particular drawing.

Hip and knee

At the hip, identify the pelvis and femur. The pelvis is the bony structure around the hips. The femur is the thigh bone, extending down from the hip to the knee.

At the knee, the femur meets the tibia, the larger lower-leg bone also known as the shin bone. The patella sits in front of the knee joint. Its position matters: it is not a long bone running down the leg, but a smaller bone over the front of the knee.

Lower leg and ankle

The lower leg contains the tibia and fibula. The tibia is the larger shin bone; the fibula is the thinner bone alongside it on the outer side of the leg.

At the ankle, identify the tibia, fibula and talus. Follow the two lower-leg bones downwards: the talus lies beneath them at the ankle, above the rest of the foot.

You can connect these locations into a continuous route: pelvis at the hip, femur through the thigh, tibia and fibula through the lower leg, then talus at the ankle. This helps you recognise a bone even when a diagram shows only part of the skeleton.

Bones by location

Quick distinctions

• Radius: thumb side. Ulna: little-finger side.
• Tibia: larger shin bone. Fibula: thinner outer lower-leg bone.
• Scapula: shoulder blade. Sternum: breastbone. Patella: kneecap.
• Talus: beneath the tibia and fibula at the ankle.