What are growth plates in bone?
The majority of the bones containing growth plates are the long bones (those found in the arms and legs). There is also an intermediate class of bones, called the short bones, that contain some minor growth plates, such as the bones in your fingers (the phalanges). If you think about it, this makes sense: the majority of the growth that happens, especially during your growth spurt as an adolescent, comes from extension in the length of your arms and legs. Does that mean your other bones don’t grow? Absolutely not. All your bones are constantly growing, even after maturity. The key thing to know here is that not only are your bones constantly growing, but they are also constantly being reabsorbed as well. Just like most of the other parts of your body, your bones are constantly being remade. As the older parts of your bones are being destroyed by certain cells in your body called osteoclasts, new bone is being made to replace it by other cells called osteoblasts. In an adult human, the
