stirrup bones
Smallest human bones
The stirrup bones are the stapes—tiny bones in the middle ear shaped like riding stirrups.
Each human ear contains one, making them the smallest bones in the body.
They transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear: The doctor explained that her hearing loss involved damage to the stirrup bone.
- incusMiddle ear ossicle
- malleusHammer-shaped hearing bone
- auditoryOf or relating to hearing
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
- auditory systemOrgans that detect sound
stapes · middle ear · oval window · round window · inner ear · ear drum · hearing · otology · cochlea · eustachian tube · sound waves · ears · tinnitus · ear canal · anatomy · mechanical energy · horseback riding · vestibular