Bone classification

• Bone can be classified anatomically and histologically (based on tissue characteristics)
• Anatomical Classification of bone

  • long e.g. femur
  • short e.g. carpals, tarsals
  • flat - made up of a layer of spongy bone between two thin layers of compact bone e.g. skull, ribs
  • irregular - consist of cancellous tissue enclosed within a thin layer of compact bone e.g. sacrum, coccyx, vertebrae
• Histological classification of bone

  • Compact / lamellar / cortical bone (mature skeleton)
  • Cancellous/ trabecular / spongy bone (mature skeleton)
  • Woven bone (immature skeleton)