An Examination of the Conformity of the Orientation of Bone Trabeculae to the Directions of Principal Stress in the Case of the Proximal End of the Femur

Abstract

A quantitative examination was carried out on the proximal end of the femur in order to verify the well-known hypothesis that bone trabeculae and principal stress axes must coincide in their directions. A finite element representation of principal stress directions in the proximal femur was compared to trabecular orientations as measured from a roentgenogram of the femur. Student's t-test reveals that there is no statistically significant difference between the trabecular orientations and the principal directions of stresses in the proximal end of the femur (P=0.93). This suggests that a mechanical analysis of the trabecular structure of fossil bones using roentgenographic techniques may reveal the functional significance of morphological variations in trabecular structure.