How do bones respond to mechanical stress?

How do bones respond to mechanical stress?

• A. They thicken due to stress
• B. They thin
• C. They become more brittle
• D. They liquefy

Answer: (A)

Bones adapt to mechanical stress by remodeling to become stronger where the load is greatest. When stress deforms bone, bone cells detect this strain and signal for new bone to be laid down on the outer surface, increasing cortical thickness and reinforcing the internal structure. This adaptive thickening, described by Wolff's Law, makes the bone better able to resist future forces from the same activity. If stress is removed, bone mass can decline, leading to thinning. Brittleness and liquefaction aren’t typical direct responses to mechanical stress in healthy bone—brittleness is more related to aging or disease, and liquefaction doesn’t occur in bone tissue.

Bones adapt to mechanical stress by remodeling to become stronger where the load is greatest. When stress deforms bone, bone cells detect this strain and signal for new bone to be laid down on the outer surface, increasing cortical thickness and reinforcing the internal structure. This adaptive thickening, described by Wolff's Law, makes the bone better able to resist future forces from the same activity. If stress is removed, bone mass can decline, leading to thinning. Brittleness and liquefaction aren’t typical direct responses to mechanical stress in healthy bone—brittleness is more related to aging or disease, and liquefaction doesn’t occur in bone tissue.