The mechanical and stress adaptive properties of bone.

The properties of bone tissue as a material and bones as the structural elements of the skeleton are reviewed and summarized. The first half of this work describes bone tissue microstructure, the stress-strain relations, and the strength and fracture of bone. The second and slightly larger half concerns the adaptation of living bone tissue to its load environment. Some observations and experiments of bone remodeling due to applied stress are described and continuum models for this process are formulated. An example of bone remodeling leading to shape changes in the bone is described as well as an example of bone remodeling leading to changes in the bulk density of the bone tissue.