Vertebrae - Human Development Reference
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Development - Human Vertebrae and Their Growth:
Identification of Skeletal Evidence
Skeletons as Forensic Evidence
Another aspect of aging involves the fusion of certain bones with one another, often as a result of a form of arthritis known as osteoarthritis, in which the cartilage in the joints ossifies, which means that it turns into bone. As there is cartilage between bones (Cartilage that connects bone to bone are called ligaments; cartilage connecting muscle to bone are called tendons.), this process, in essence, creates a larger bone made of the fusion between two bones. Some common examples in the elderly are shown below:
Top: a vertebra fused with the sacrum
Bottom: the manubrium (top of the sternum)
fused with the clavicle (shown cut here)
Bottom: the manubrium (top of the sternum)
fused with the clavicle (shown cut here)
At the other end of the scale, there are changes in the body of the vertebrae (the largest portion of the bone) throughout the teenage years, which can be used to determine approximate age at time of death:
X-rays can be used to show comparative age, simply by looking at the end of the long bones, in an area called the epiphysis. In a child, the area of growth is made of cartilage, and is called the epiphyseal plate. In the x-ray below, it appears as a clear space running approximately parallel to the end of the bone (See section on Hands, Skull - 'epiphysis', 'epiphyseal').
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Vertebral Centrum
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