A 50-year perspective on the use and potential of artiodactyl calcanei in bone adaptation studies.

ABSTRACT: Sheep and deer calcanei are important models for studying cortical (compact) and trabecular (cancellous) bone adaptation because they are amenable to direct strain measurement (due to lack of surrounding muscles), experience relatively simple/unidirectional bending, exhibit osteon remodelling, and have the most pronounced regional variations in mineralization and other histological characteristics reported in any bone. This simple loading environment is characterized by bending that produces prevalent/predominant tension on the plantar side and predominant compression on the dorsal side of the cantilevered, beam-like shaft of these bones. Histocompositional differences are clear between these opposing cortices, optimizing their mechanical properties for these regional differences in loadin

SUBMITTER: Skedros JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12783491 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature