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Geometry of a Weight-Bearing and Non-Weight-Bearing Bone in the Legs of Young, Old, and Very Old Men

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Abstract

Bone geometry is an important determinant of bone strength and is influenced by muscle pull and weight-bearing. Muscle mass and exposure to weight-bearing decrease with age and thus the purpose of the study was to compare bone geometry of the weight-bearing (tibia) and non-weight-bearing (fibula) bones of the leg in different age groups. Magnetic resonance images of the right leg were acquired in 13 young (26 yr), 13 old (66 yr), and 13 very old men (83 yr). Cortical, medullary and total cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the bones were measured at approximately one-third and two-thirds the length of the leg. Muscle CSA of the anterior, lateral and posterior compartments was measured at the proximal site. Cortical CSA was ~14 to 22% smaller in the elderly in the tibia but similar across age in the fibula. Medullary CSA was larger with age (~5 to 65%) in both bones but ~15 to 440% greater in the tibia than fibula. Total CSA was similar across age in both bones. Muscle mass was similar between young and old but ~25% less in the very old and as a consequence, the magnitude of differences in bone geometry at proximal and distal sites varied in the two elderly groups. These findings indicate that there is a complex age-dependent interaction between muscle pull and weight-bearing. The greater age-related differences in bone geometry in the tibia suggest the weight-bearing role of the tibia makes it more susceptible than the fibula to the reduced activity typically associated with aging.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported in part by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada

    Chris J. McNeil, Timothy J. Doherty, Greg D. Marsh & Charles L. Rice

  2. Physical and Health Education Program, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada

    Graydon H. Raymer

  3. Departments of Clinical Neurological Sciences and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Timothy J. Doherty

  4. Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Greg D. Marsh

  5. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Charles L. Rice

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  1. Chris J. McNeil
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  2. Graydon H. Raymer
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  3. Timothy J. Doherty
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  4. Greg D. Marsh
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  5. Charles L. Rice
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Correspondence to Charles L. Rice.

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McNeil, C.J., Raymer, G.H., Doherty, T.J. et al. Geometry of a Weight-Bearing and Non-Weight-Bearing Bone in the Legs of Young, Old, and Very Old Men. Calcif Tissue Int 85, 22–30 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-009-9261-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-009-9261-7

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