Effect of demineralisation, decollagenisation and strain rate on bone fracture

Osteoporosis is a major healthcare problem, which is set to rise steadily with the aging population. The clinical significance of osteoporosis lies in the fractures that occur, which tend to be the result of a modest load applied quickly, such as that which would result from a fall from standing height. Pilot work has already been carried out to demonstrate that chemical processing of bone can replicate the increased fragility that occurs in osteoporotic bone. We aim to investigate the fragility of this bone over a range of strain rates replicating, standing, walking and a fall from standing height.