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Skeletal Microdamage: Less About Biomechanics and More About Remodeling

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Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The mechanical consequences of skeletal microdamage have been clearly documented using various experimental methods, yet recent experiments suggest that physiological levels of microdamage accumulation are not sufficient to compromise the bones’ biomechanical properties. While great advances have been made in our understanding of the biomechanical implications of microdamage, less is known concerning the physiological role of microdamage in bone remodeling. Microdamage has been shown to act as a signal for bone remodeling, likely through a disruption of the osteocyte-canalicular network. Interestingly, age-related increases in microdamage are not accompanied by increases in bone remodeling suggesting that the physiological mechanisms which link microdamage and remodeling are compromised with aging.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MS-5035, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Matthew R. Allen & David B. Burr

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    David B. Burr

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    David B. Burr

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  1. Matthew R. Allen
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Correspondence to Matthew R. Allen.

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Allen, M.R., Burr, D.B. Skeletal Microdamage: Less About Biomechanics and More About Remodeling. Clinic Rev Bone Miner Metab 6, 24–30 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12018-008-9015-5

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