TECHNOLOGIES FOR STRAIN ASSESSMENT FROM WHOLE BONE TO MINERALIZED OSTEOID LEVEL: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

Bone has distinctive structures and mechanical properties at the whole bone, perilacunar and mineralized osteoid levels. A systematic understanding of bone strain magnitudes at different anatomical levels and their internal interactions is the prerequisite to advances in bone mechanobiology. However, due to the intrinsic shortcomings of the strain-measuring technologies, the systematic assessment of bone strain at different anatomical levels under physiological conditions and a deep understanding of their internal interactions are still restricted. To promote technological advances and provide systematic and valuable information for mechanical engineers and bone biomechanical researchers, the most useful methods for measuring bone strain at different anatomical levels are demonstrated in this review, and suggestions for the future development of the technologies and their potential integrated applications are proposed.