Bone Practical Exam Practice

Tuberosity

Large rounded projection; may be roughened

Crest

Narrow ridge of bone; usually prominent

Trochanter

Very large, blunt, irregularly shaped process (the only examples are on the femur)

Line

Narrow ridge of bone; less prominent than a crest

Tubercle

Small rounded projection or process

Epichondyle

Raised area on or above a condyle

Spine

Sharp, slender, often pointed projection

Process

Any bony prominence

Head

Bony expansion carried on a narrow neck

Facet

Smooth, nearly flat articular (joint) surface

Condyle

Rounded articular projection; often articulates with a corresponding fossa

Groove

Furrow

Fissure

Narrow, slitlike opening

Foramen

Round or oval opening through a bone

Notch

Indentation at the edge of a structure

Meatus

Canal-like passageway

Sinus

Cavity within a bone, filled with air and lined with mucous membrane

Fossa

Shallow, basin-like depression in a bone, often serving articular surface

Superior

Toward the head end or upper part of structure or the body; above

Inferior

Away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure or the body; below

Anterior

Toward or at the front of the body; in front of

Posterior

Toward or at the back of the body; behind

Medial

Toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side of

Lateral

Away from the midline of the body; on the outer side of

Intermediate

Between a more medial and a more lateral structure

Proximal

Closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

Distal

Farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

Superficial

Toward or at the body surface

Deep

Away from the body surface; more internal