Trabecular bone is a highly porous, heterogeneous, and anisotropic material which can be found at the epiphyses of long bones and in the vertebral bodies. Studying the mechanical properties of trabecular bone is important, since trabecular bone is the main load bearing bone in vertebral bodies and also transfers the load from joints to the compact bone of the cortex of long bones. This review article highlights the high dependency of the mechanical properties of trabecular bone on species, age, anatomic site, loading direction, and size of the sample under consideration. In recent years, high resolution micro finite element methods have been extensively used to specifically address the mechanical properties of the trabecular bone and provide unique tools to interpret and model the mechanical testing experiments. The aims of the current work are to first review the mechanobiology of trabecular bone and then present classical and new approaches for modeling and analyzing the trabecular bone microstructure and macrostructure and corresponding mechanical properties such as elastic properties and strength.
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January 2015
Review Articles
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Trabecular Bone: A Review
Ramin Oftadeh,
Ramin Oftadeh
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Northeastern University
,Boston, MA 02115
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Miguel Perez-Viloria,
Miguel Perez-Viloria
1
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
1These authors have contributed equally to this work.
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Juan C. Villa-Camacho,
Juan C. Villa-Camacho
1
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
1These authors have contributed equally to this work.
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Ashkan Vaziri,
Ashkan Vaziri
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Northeastern University
,Boston, MA 02115
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Ara Nazarian
Ara Nazarian
2
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
e-mail: anazaria@bidmc.harvard.edu
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
e-mail: anazaria@bidmc.harvard.edu
2Corresponding author.
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Ramin Oftadeh
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Northeastern University
,Boston, MA 02115
Miguel Perez-Viloria
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
Juan C. Villa-Camacho
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
Ashkan Vaziri
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Northeastern University
,Boston, MA 02115
Ara Nazarian
Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies,
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
e-mail: anazaria@bidmc.harvard.edu
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School
,Boston, MA 02215
e-mail: anazaria@bidmc.harvard.edu
1These authors have contributed equally to this work.
2Corresponding author.
Manuscript received August 5, 2014; final manuscript received November 17, 2014; accepted manuscript posted November 20, 2014; published online December 10, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Blaine A. Christiansen.
J Biomech Eng. Jan 2015, 137(1): 010802 (15 pages)
Published Online: January 1, 2015
Article history
Received:
August 5, 2014
Revision Received:
November 17, 2014
Accepted:
November 20, 2014
Online:
December 10, 2014
Citation
Oftadeh, R., Perez-Viloria, M., Villa-Camacho, J. C., Vaziri, A., and Nazarian, A. (January 1, 2015). "Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Trabecular Bone: A Review." ASME. J Biomech Eng. January 2015; 137(1): 010802. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4029176
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