Ch. 6 Bones and Bone Structure

Martini - Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology 11th Edition

Martini, Nath, Bartholomew11th EditionFundamentals of Anatomy & PhysiologyISBN: 9780136874089Not the one you use?Change textbook

Martini, Nath, Bartholomew 11th Edition

Ch. 6 Bones and Bone Structure

Problem 28

Chapter 6, Problem 28

Which of the following conditions would you possibly observe in a child who is suffering from rickets?
(a) Abnormally short limbs
(b) Abnormally long limbs
(c) Oversized facial bones
(d) Bowed legs
(e) Weak, brittle bones

Verified step by step guidance

Understand that rickets is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, which leads to poor calcium absorption and results in weak and soft bones in children.

Recall that the hallmark signs of rickets include bone deformities due to the inability of bones to mineralize properly during growth.

Recognize that bowed legs (option d) are a classic symptom of rickets because the softened bones cannot support the child's weight properly, causing the legs to curve outward.

Note that while weak, brittle bones (option e) are related to bone weakness, this term is more commonly associated with osteoporosis rather than rickets, which primarily causes bone deformities during growth.

Conclude that among the options, bowed legs (d) is the most characteristic condition observed in a child suffering from rickets.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Rickets and Its Causes

Rickets is a childhood bone disorder caused primarily by vitamin D deficiency, leading to impaired calcium and phosphate metabolism. This results in soft and weak bones, as the minerals necessary for bone strength are insufficiently deposited during growth.

Symptoms and Physical Manifestations of Rickets

Children with rickets often exhibit symptoms such as bowed legs, delayed growth, and skeletal deformities due to weakened bones. Bowed legs occur because the soft bones cannot support the child's weight properly, causing them to bend outward.

Bone Development and Mineralization

Normal bone development requires proper mineralization, where calcium and phosphate are deposited into the bone matrix. In rickets, defective mineralization leads to weak, brittle bones that are prone to deformities and fractures, affecting limb length and shape.

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Bone Matrix

Related Practice

Textbook Question

Frank does not enter puberty until he is 16. What effect would you predict this will have on his stature?

(a) Frank will probably be taller than if he had started puberty earlier.

(b) Frank will probably be shorter than if he had started puberty earlier.

(d) Frank will have bones that are heavier than normal.

e) The late onset of puberty will have no effect on Frank's stature.

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Textbook Question

While playing on her swing set, 10-year-old Sally falls and breaks her right leg. At the emergency room, the doctor tells her parents that the proximal end of the tibia where the epiphysis meets the diaphysis is fractured. The fracture is properly set and eventually heals. During a routine physical when she is 18, Sally learns that her right leg is 2 cm shorter than her left, probably because of her accident. What might account for this difference?

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Textbook Question

Why does a second fracture in the same bone tend to occur at a site different from that of the first fracture?

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Textbook Question

In physical anthropology, cultural conclusions can be inferred from a thorough examination of the skeletons of ancient peoples. What sorts of clues might bones provide as to the lifestyles of those individuals?

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Textbook Question

Exposure to optimum amounts of sunlight is necessary for proper bone maintenance and growth in children.

(b) If a child lives in an area where exposure to sunlight is rare because of pollution or overcast skies, what can be done to minimize impaired maintenance and growth of bone?

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Textbook Question

The process of bone growth at the epiphyseal cartilage is similar to:

(a) Intramembranous ossification

(b) Endochondral ossification

(d) The process of healing a fracture

(e) The process of calcification

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