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Your Funnybone: It Isn't Funny at All

© Mary M. Alward

You bang your elbow and pain shoots down your arm to your hand and fingers. You grab your elbow and find that you've hit a small lump just to the side of it. You yell, "Ouch!" Your mom says, "That's your funnybone." You give her a strange look. Funnybone? Why, that wasn't funny at all.

Your funnybone has nothing to do with fun and it isn't really a bone. It's a place where a nerve crosses the long bone that's located near your elbow. It's called the humerous, but if you hit it, it isn't humorous at all.

What are Nerves?

Nerves are tiny threads of tissue that run through all parts of our body. These nerves carry message to your brain and to other parts of your body. They are part of the body's central nervous system. They are located in our spinal column and in that pink and gray matter that resembles gelatin, which we call a brain; and yes, they are part of our elbow.

Funnybone and Pain

The funnybone is one of the easiest nerves to bump or hit. When you smack your elbow, you hit that nerve. Messages then travel to your spinal cord and from there, they go to your brain. Then, your brain sends back a message of pain to your elbow, hands and fingers. This makes your face muscles move so those around you know that you are in pain. The pain causes your other hand to move to the elbow that you bumped. That is a pain response. In other words, you respond to the pain by moving your hand to protect that spot.

Yes, it's called your funnybone, but we all know it isn't very funny at all, especially when you whack it.

The copyright of the article Your Funnybone: It Isn't Funny at All in Science for Kids is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish Your Funnybone: It Isn't Funny at All in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.