Let’s face it, the big toe can be irritating. It’s often the ugliest toe but nevertheless pushes forward with almost narcissistic aplomb, always ensuring it is one step ahead. However, without it we would fall over. The big toe is intrinsic to our balance and ability to stand and walk. No matter how pushy it […]

“Even though your parents and grandparents didn’t have tails, if we went back in time and looked at ancestor species that we have in common with other primates, we would see some tails.” At least that’s the bald pronouncement of Erika Deinert, Biologist, Washington State University. The tailbone or coccyx, is located at the bottom […]

In paleo-anthropological circles it is well-known that the thumb was perfectly designed for picking up a club and hitting someone. It has even been proposed that this anatomical wonderment was the first sign of our potential civilisation; because of this itsy-bitsy protuberance we would get smarter. You see, if we could do the club thing […]

Elbows are ugly. Let’s face it, they’re not the prettiest bones in your body. They’re pushy and pugnacious – delicately curtained off by a demure fall of wrinkly skin when not in use. And for good reason. An elbow has its own power and is ready to be put into aggressive action at a moment’s […]

No other collection of bones has been more insulted than the spine. There is always something creeping up it, chilling it, tingling it – not to mention the accusation that it’s not there at all. It has alignment issues, curvature problems, and a habit of slipping bits of itself into awkward positions – usually without […]

The parathyroid glands are four small glands in the thyroid which control the calcium levels in the body: how much is absorbed from our diet, how much is secreted by the kidneys, and how much is stored in our bones. Although the parathyroid glands form part of the thyroid gland anatomically, they have no related […]

Bones are an odd piece of equipment really. They are very much with us while we’re alive, but they do tend to stick around for a long time after we’ve gone, leaving skeletal trails all over the place, sometimes in very inconvenient spots, such as the discovery of Cro-magnon man down some poor chap’s well […]

Whether you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis or you are unaware you are at risk, a fracture may well become a reality – sometimes caused by a simple misadventure that in a younger, stronger boned person would not cause a problem. Rehabilitating a fracture, especially if your bones are already compromised by osteoporosis can be […]

Attitude is everything, they say. As we think, so we are. This is no different when it comes to disease and discomfort. How seriously we allow something to ruin our moment, our day or our life, really depends on the way we view it, because our minds control so much of the experience of our […]