Effect of spaceflight on the human body of muscle fibre prominent in muscles also change. Slow twitch endurance fibres used to maintain posture are replaced by fast twitch rapidly contracting fibres that are insufficient for any heavy labour. Advances in research on exercise, hormone supplements and medication may help maintain muscle and body mass. Bone metabolism also changes. Normally, bone is laid down in the direction of mechanical stress. However, in a microgravity environment there is very little mechanical stress. This results in a loss of bone tissue approximately 1.5% per month especially from the lower vertebrae, hip and femur. Due to microgravity and the decreased load
Hip bone is easily located through the skin. The iliac crest shows clear marks of the attachment of the three abdominal wall muscles. The ischium forms the lower and back part of the hip bone and is located below the ilium and behind the pubis. The ischium is the strongest of the three regions that form the hip bone. It is divisible into three portions: the body, the superior ramus, and the inferior ramus. The body forms approximately one-third of the acetabulum. The ischium forms a large swelling, the tuberosity of the ischium, also referred to colloquially as the "sit bone". When