Sesamoid bone

In anatomy, a sesamoid bone is a bone embedded within a tendon. They usually resemble sesame seed, hence the name.

Sesamoid bones are typically found in locations where a tendon passes over a joint, such as the hand, knee, and foot. Functionally, they act to protect the tendon and to increase its mechanical effect. The presence of the sesamoid bone holds the tendon slightly farther away from the center of the joint and thus increases its moment arm. Sesamoid bones also prevent the tendon from flattening into the joint as tension increases and therefore also maintain a more consistent moment arm through a variety of possible tendon loads. This differs from menisci, which are made of cartilage and rather act to disperse the weight of the body on joints and reduce friction during movement.

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Human anatomy

  Sesamoid bones can be found on joints throughout the body:

• In the knee - the patella
• In the hand - three sesamoid bones are found in distal portions of the metacarpal bones; two on the first metacarpal bone and one on the second
• In the foot - the first metatarsal bone has two sesamoid bones at its connection to the big toe. These two bones protect the tendon that flexes the toe and keep the toe aligned.

Injuries of the sesamoid bones

• A common foot ailment in dancers is sesamoiditis.
• A bi-partite sesamoid bone is when the sesamoids are in 2 separate entities - usually congenital, but may be related to a history of trauma.

Horse anatomy

In horse anatomy, the term sesamoid bone usually refers to the two sesamoid bones found at the back of the fetlock or metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal joints in both hindlimbs and forelimbs. Strictly these should be termed the proximal sesamoid bones whereas the navicular bone should be referred to as the distal sesamoid bone. The patella is also a form of sesamoid bone in the horse.

Panda anatomy

In both the giant panda^[1] and the red panda^[2], the radial sesamoid has evolved to be larger than the same bone in counterparts such as bears. It is primarily a bony support for the pad above it, allowing the panda's other digits to grasp bamboo while eating it. The panda's thumb is often cited as a classical example of exaptation, where a trait evolved for one purpose is commandeered for another^[3].

References

1. ^ Arthro.com: The Panda's Thumb
2. ^ Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas PNAS December 30, 2005
3. ^ The Panda's Peculiar Thumb, Nature Magazine Vol. LXXXVII No. 9, Nov. 1978, by Stephen J. Gould

• Bartleby' Medical Terminology