Random Fact #30

Veins push blood back to the heart by surrounding muscles contracting and moving the blood. The Great Saphenous Vein is surrounded by fat in your leg and can not use the leg muscles to move the blood.  The vein therefore has a muscular wall that can contract to move the blood.  This vein is not crucial and can be harvested and used in cardiac bypass surgery.

Random Fact #29

DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is the muscle pain that you have 24-72 hours after strenuous exercise.  The pain is caused by micro tears in the muscle tissue and not lactic acid accumulation.  Lactic acid does form during extreme exercise and can lead to muscle fatigue but is usually flushed from the tissue 30 minutes post exercise.  So to all the coaches who, after a game, would make us run to flush out the lactic acid  I say..... "thanks for nothing."

Random Fact #28

ATP is a high energy bond that is needed for muscle contraction.  ATP can be produced without oxygen and so after death ATP can still be produced for a short period of time.  This allows muscle contractions to occur even after death.  This phenomenon is known as rigor mortis.  It has been noted that sometimes there can be such a strong muscle contraction that the body will actually move post mortem.

Random Fact #27

Every second your body produces 2 million new red blood cells

Random Fact #26

Rickets is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D in the body.  This disease causes softening of the bone and the legs bow to try and support the weight of the body.  The disease is common in the underdeveloped world, where vitamin D is not as prevalent in the diet.  In North America, rickets is rare, however children who are always inside and never exposed to sunlight may also be susceptible to rickets.  

Random Fact #25

The Thyroid gland in the largest endocrine gland in the body weighing between 40-60 grams.  During fetal development it starts as little buds on the back of the tongue.  As it grows it migrates down the front of the neck and settles in front of the trachea leaving a duct along the way.  After birth the duct usually disappears however sometimes pieces of the duct remains and may become thyroglossal cysts.

Random Fact #24

Bilirubin is an important chemical that is responsible for the breakdown of red blood cells in the body.  It further breaks down and is responsible for the yellow color (notice the american spelling) in bruises, the brown color in feces and the amber color in urine.

Random Fact #23

"When testing flexion and extension of the Sacroilliac joint make sure to not to play piano on the patients rear end.  This is how lawsuits happen."

Dr. McCaffery.