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Skeletal Biology

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Skeletal Tissue Mechanics

Abstract

Chapter 1 has shown us that the skeleton must withstand very high forces; because our muscles can only contract a small percentage of their length, we must amplify movements using levers that “spend rather than save forces,” as Borelli put it. In this chapter we begin to develop an understanding of how the biology of bone, cartilage and the other connective tissues provides tissues that can support these large forces day in and day out for a lifetime.

The human skeleton is a mechanically optimized biological system whose composition and organization reflect the functional demands made on it.

Thomas Einhorn (1992)

Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.

Theodosius Dobzhansky (1973)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Osteoarthrosis is a term applied to joint degeneration that has a mechanical rather than a primary inflammatory cause. This condition is more commonly referred to as osteoarthritis, even though the “itis” in that term implies that inflammation is the initiating cause.

  2. 2.

    Recall Einstein’s famous question, “Does Zurich stop at this train?”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopaedic Surgery, UC Davis Medical Center, Olga, WA, USA

    R. Bruce Martin

  2. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    David B. Burr

  3. Kinesiology, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Neil A. Sharkey

  4. Orthopaedic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    David P. Fyhrie

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  1. R. Bruce Martin
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Martin, R.B., Burr, D.B., Sharkey, N.A., Fyhrie, D.P. (2015). Skeletal Biology. In: Skeletal Tissue Mechanics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3002-9_2

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