Stapes: The smallest bone of the human body
The human skeletal system is made up of bones, cartilage, and ligaments. The skeleton acts as a framework of the human body by giving it proper structure and helps in protecting delicate internal organs and more. We all know there are 206 bones in an adult human body, but do you know that we are born with 300 bones as a baby? If you are wondering where this bone disappears when we grow up. Chill, our bones don’t go anywhere with time tiny bones of our body fuse forming a much larger bone isn’t it amazing, no doubt our body is full of wonders, and in this article, we will cover one such tiny yet essential element of our body’s skeletal system, which is the staple bone.
The human ear is divided into three parts:
External ear
Middle ear
Inner ear
Stape Bone Location and Function
The smallest bone of the human body is located in the middle ear. The middle ear contains the malleus, stapes, and incus bones and is present between the tympanic membrane and the oval window. The stapes are 3mm by 2.5 mm in size are the smallest bone, and resemble a bell.
Functions of the middle ear in the transmission of sound vibrations:
Malleus- The malleus transmits the motion of the vibrations to the incus.
The incus- the incus in turn transmits the sound vibrations to the stapes.
Stapes- The stapes amplify and transform the sound energy into mechanical energy.
Structure and Composition
The stapes bone is a firm tissue, but is a softer and much more flexible bone, giving shape to the outer ear.
The stape bone is stirrup in shape. The word stirrup came from a Latin word which means horseshoe. It consists of three parts: the head, neck, and two crura.
Composition: The stapes bone is made up of dense bone tissue and as we know our body never fails to surprise us, you may find it interesting because though the stapes bone is the smallest bone of the human body, it is strong in that it does, and that is helping us hear and understand sounds around us.
Modification of stapes bone
Interesting facts about stapes bones:
The stapes bone is the modification of the Hyomandibular bone in tetrapods. The hypomandibular bone is a set of bones that is found in the hyoid region in most of the fishes. In fishes, it plays the role of suspending the jaws and operculum. In mammal-like reptiles, the stapes bone picks up the vibration from the jaw and transmits it to the ear, with time they leave the jaw joint completely and become the ossicles of the middle ear.
Disorders and Condition
Otosclerosis is a medical condition, commonly seen in people between the ages of 30 to 50. Otosclerosis occurs when the tiny bone known as stapes fuses with other parts of the ear and stops you from being able to hear properly. This condition may also passed on in families.
Symptoms:
Symptoms include Hearing loss in 1 or both ears, with time. Hear ringing, buzzing, or other noises in 1 or both ears, along with the problems with Dizziness and balance.
Treatments:
Its treatment involves the following two options:
Hearing aids
Surgery.
Conclusion:
The human body is a product of multiple cells, organs, tissues, and bones. Each of them has a specific function and is equally vital for the proper living of human beings, and stape bone is one of the beautiful examples of it. It is the smallest, yet one of the most important parts of the human body which enables us to hear, and its defect can lead to serious medical problems such as Otosclerosis.
Most asked questions:
The human middle ear consists of how many bones?
The Human middle ear consists of three bones-malleus, incus, stapes
Which is the smallest bone in the human body?
The state bone is the smallest bone of the human body, measuring 3mm x 2.5mm.