The architectural influences on vertebral cancellous bone strength and the effect of applied stresses on cancellous bone remodeling are not well understood. One reason for this is that the transmission of stress through cancellous bone has not been extensively investigated at the trabecular level. At this time, there is no theoretical model for cancellous bone that properly reproduces both the morphologic and mechanical aspects of this tissue. A mechanical model of cancellous bone is needed which: matches all standard stereological measures of trabecular hard tissue morphology; accurately predicts bone strength and stiffness in 3D; and also accurately predicts the tissue level stresses and strains. The development of this model is here in proposed. Advanced numerical methods for stress analysis of cellular structures will be used to define the basic model, and it will be validated by comparison of: (1) model predictions of stiffness and strength with experimental results for vertebral cancellous bone; (2) model predictions of structural failure pattern with actual failure patterns; and (3) model predictions of trabecular stress and strain with three-dimensional finite element stress analysis predictions of trabecular stress and strain. Development of this model will provide a basic tool for the understanding of cancellous bone remodeling and strength. It will be valuable for the examination of the effects of bone remodeling on vertebral bone strength and it will increase the understanding of the mechanical causes of vertebral collapse in osteopenic women.
