What is the term for areas of the body where bone lies close to the skin?

• A. Joints
• B. Muscles
• C. Bony prominences
• D. Ligaments

Answer: (C)

The main concept is recognizing spots where bone lies close to the skin. The term for those areas is bony prominences. These are places where little padding sits over bone, so sustained pressure can more easily reduce blood flow and cause skin damage. That’s why these areas—heels, sacrum, elbows, hips, back of the head, and other bony points—are high-priority for repositioning and cushioning in caregiving.

Other structures described by the choices aren’t about bone near the surface: joints are where bones meet, ligaments connect bones, and muscles are soft tissue covering bones. But the specific term for bone-close-to-surface areas is bony prominences.