Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aging and strength of bone as a structural material

  • Session II
  • Published:
Calcified Tissue International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

There is a general, age-related reduction in the material strength and stiffness of bone in both men and women. Between the ages of 35 and 70, cortical bone strength in bending is diminished by about 15–20%, and cancellous bone strength in compression is reduced about 50%. In addition, bone becomes increasingly brittle and fractures with less energy. It is hypothesized that this tendency is driven by the need for remodeling to repair fatigue damage, and the fact that most osteonal and endotrabecular remodeling events fail to replace all the bone that they remove. Each remodeling event also introduces cement line interfaces, which although affording protection against fatigue failure, weaken bone for monotonic loading. Remodeling also affects collagen fiber orientation, mineralization, and the amount of unrepaired fatigue damage, which are additional determinants of bone strength and stiffness. Mechanical factors apparently inhibit age-related bone loss where stresses are higher by reducing remodeling rates and/or the deficit at each remodeling site. They may also stimulate modeling responses, primarily in the form of periosteal bone formation, which, in men more than women, alter bone size and shape to effectively compensate for loss of material strength. Suggested directions for future research include elucidation of the relationships between (1) histologically observable microcracks and bone fragility, (2) remodeling and the repair of fatigue damage, and (3) estrogen and other hormones and mechanically adaptive responses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Parfitt AM (1989) Plasma calcium control at quiescent bone surfaces: a new approach to the homeostatic function of bone lining cells. Bone 10:87–88

    Google Scholar 

  2. Frost HM (1963) Bone remodeling dynamics. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois

    Google Scholar 

  3. Carter DR, Hayes WC (1977) Compact bone fatigue damage: a microscopic examination. Clin Orthop Rel Res 127:265–274

    Google Scholar 

  4. Burr DB, Martin RB, Schaffler MB, Radin EL (1985) Bone remodeling in response to in vivo fatigue microdamage. J Biomech 18:189–200

    Google Scholar 

  5. Mori S, Burr DB (1991) Increased intracortical remodeling following fatigue microdamage. Transactions, Combined Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Societies of the USA, Japan, and Canada, Banff, Canada, Oct. 21–23

  6. Frost HM (1987) Bone “mass” and the “mechanostat”: a proposal. Anatom Rec 219:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  7. Yamada H (1973) Strength of biological materials. Robert E Krieger Publishing Co, Huntington, NY

    Google Scholar 

  8. Burstein AH, Reilly DT, Martens M (1976) Aging of bone tissue: mechanical properties. J Bone Joint Surg 58-A:82–86

    Google Scholar 

  9. Evans FG (1976) Age changes in mechanical properties and histology of human compact bone. Yearbook Phys Anthropol 20:57–72

    Google Scholar 

  10. Smith CB, Smith DA (1976) Relations between age, mineral density and mechanical properties of human femoral compacta. Acta Orthop Scand 47:496–502

    Google Scholar 

  11. Weaver JK, Chalmers J (1966) Cancellous bone: its strength and changes with ageing and an evaluation of some methods for measuring its mineral content. J Bone Joint Surg 48-A:289–299

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bell GH, Dunbar O, Beck JS (1967) Variations in strength of vertebrae with age and their relation to osteoporosis. Calcif Tissue Res 1:75–86

    Google Scholar 

  13. Mosekilde L, Mosekilde L (1986) Normal vertebral body size and compressive strength relations to age and to vertebral and iliac trabecular bone compressive; strength. Bone 7:207–212

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mosekilde L, Mosekilde L (1990) Sex differences in age-related changes in vertebral body size, density and biomechanical competence in normal individuals. Bone 11:67–73

    Google Scholar 

  15. Mosekilde L (1989) Sex differences in age-related loss of vertebral trabecular bone mass and structure—biomechanical consequences. Bone 10:425–432

    Google Scholar 

  16. Singh M, Sagrath AR, Miani PS (1970) Changes in trabecular pattern of the upper end of the femur as an index of osteoporosis. J Bone Joint Surg 52-A:457–467

    Google Scholar 

  17. Evans FG (1976) Mechanical properties and histology of cortical bone from younger and older men. Anat Rec 185:1–12

    Google Scholar 

  18. Schaffler MB, Burr DB (1988) Stiffness of compact bone: effects of porosity and density. J Biomechanics 21:13–16

    Google Scholar 

  19. Currey JD (1988) The effect of porosity and mineral content on the Young's modulus of elasticity of compact bone. J Biomech 21:131–139

    Google Scholar 

  20. Currey JD (1990) Physical characteristics affecting the tensile failure properties of compact bone. J Biomech 22:837–844

    Google Scholar 

  21. Martin RB, Ishida J (1989) The relative effects of collagen fiber orientation, porosity, density, and mineralization on bone strength. J Biomech 22:419–426

    Google Scholar 

  22. Carter DR, Hayes WC (1977) Compact bone fatigue damage—I. Residual strength and stiffness. J Biomech 10:325–337

    Google Scholar 

  23. McElhaney JH, Fogle JH, Melvin JW, Haynes RR, Roberts VL, Alem NM (1970) Mechanical properties of cranial bone. J Biomech 3:495–511

    Google Scholar 

  24. Parfitt AM (1983) The physiologic and clinical significance of bone histomorphometric data. In: Recker RR (ed) Bone histomorphometry techniques and interpretation. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL

    Google Scholar 

  25. Currey JD (1969) The mechanical consequences of variation in the mineral content of bone. J Biomech 2:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  26. Simmons ED, Pritzker KPH, Grynpas MD (1990) Age-related changes in the human femoral cortex. J Orthop Res 9:155–167

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kerley ER (1965) The microscopic determination of age in human bone. Am J Phys Anthropol 23:149–164

    Google Scholar 

  28. Martin RB, Burr DB (1989) The structure, function, and adaptation of compact bone. Raven Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  29. Parfitt AM (1984) Age-related structural changes in trabecular and cortical bone: cellular mechanisms and biomechanical consequences. Calcif Tissue Int 36:S123-S128

    Google Scholar 

  30. Vincentelli R, Grigorov M (1985) The effect of haversian remodeling on the tensile properties of human cortical bone. J Biomech 18:201–207

    Google Scholar 

  31. Reilly DT, Burstein AH (1974) The mechanical properties of cortical bone. J Bone Joint Surg 56-A:1001–1021

    Google Scholar 

  32. Burr DB, Stafford T (1990) Validity of the bulk-staining technique to separate artifactual from in vivo bone microdamage. Clin Orthop Rel Res 260:305–308

    Google Scholar 

  33. Carter DR, Caler WE (1985) A cumulative damage model for bone fracture. J Orthop Res 3:84–90

    Google Scholar 

  34. Evans FG, Vincentelli R (1974) Relations of the compressive properties of human cortical bone to histological structure and calcification. J Biomech 7:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  35. Portigliatti-Barbos M, Bianco P, Ascenzi A (1983) Distribution of osteonic and interstitial components in the human femoral shaft with reference to structure, calcification and mechanical properties. Acta Anat (Basel) 115:178–186

    Google Scholar 

  36. Olivo OM (1937) Rispondenza della funzione meccanica veria degli osteoni con la loro diversa minuta architettura. Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper 12:400–401

    Google Scholar 

  37. Amprino R, Bairati A (1936) Processi di ricostruzione e di riassorbimento nella sostanza compacta delle ossa dell'uomo. Ricerche su cento soggetti dalla nascita sino a t eta. Zellforschung and Mikroskopische Anatomie 24:439–511

    Google Scholar 

  38. Vincentelli R (1978) Relation between collagen fiber orientation and age of osteon formation in human tibial compact bone. Acta Anatomica 100:120–128

    Google Scholar 

  39. Smith RW, Walker RR (1964) Femoral expansion in aging women: implications for osteoporosis and fractures. Science 145:156–157

    Google Scholar 

  40. Martin RB, Atkinson PJ (1977) Age- and sex-related changes in the structure and strength of the human femoral shaft. J Biomech 10:223–231

    Google Scholar 

  41. Martin RB, Pickett JC, Zinaich S (1980) Studies of skeletal remodeling in aging men. Clin Orthop Rel Res 149:268–282

    Google Scholar 

  42. Ruff CB, Hayes WC (1988) Sex differences in age-related remodeling of the femur and tibia. J Orthop Res 6:886–896

    Google Scholar 

  43. Beck TJ, Ruff CB, Scott WW, Plato CC, Tobin JD, Quan CA (1992) Sex differences in geometry of the femoral neck with aging: a structural analysis of bone mineral data. Calcif Tissue Int 50:24–29

    Google Scholar 

  44. Burr DB, Martin RB (1983) The effects of composition, structure and age on the torsional properties of the human radius. J Biomech 16:603–608

    Google Scholar 

  45. Frost HM (1991) A new direction for osteoporosis research: a review and proposal. Bone 12:429–437

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, TB-150, University of California, 95616, Davis, California, USA

    Bruce Martin

Authors
  1. Bruce Martin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martin, B. Aging and strength of bone as a structural material. Calcif Tissue Int 53 (Suppl 1), S34–S40 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01673400

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01673400

Key words

Search

Navigation