• Question: why do our bones break quite easily, as i broke my arm running into someone, and I broke my foot in football by kicking someone elses foot

    Asked by mshaw to Jemma, John, Katie, Lisa on 28 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      Hi @mshaw,

      it is easier to break your bones when you are young as they toughen up with use. As you’re under 20 (i presume!) the fractures you will have experienced will have been ‘green stick’ which means that the bone bends but doesn’t break right through. As you age, you build up bone density in the areas that experience the most pressure, so you are less likely to get a break. However bone density declines after middle age, so you are more likely to break a bone at this stage in life, however these will more likely be clean breaks through the bone, rather than the bending during earlier years.

      Hope this helps

      Jemma

Comments