Your Bones Under the Microscope

Musculoskeletal pathologies associated with decreased bone mass affect millions of Americans. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million Americans currently suffer from osteoporosis while 34 million have osteopenia. As such, it is imperative to develop countermeasures for bone loss. In recent years, science has addressed bone loss by studying changes in gene expression induced by osteoporosis, disuse, spaceflight, and simulated microgravity. Furthermore, low magnitude and high frequency (LMHF) mechanical loads experienced in activities such as standing have been shown to be anabolic to bone. Most interestingly, LMHF loading has even been shown to prevent some of the changes induced by disuse at the cellular level, such as increasing the expression of a gene decreased by disuse. Although this book encompasses only a small portion of what may actually be occurring in the body, it furthers the knowledge on how cells respond to changes in loading. Thus, science and technology, when armed with this additional knowledge, may be able to provide novel, target-specific therapies to counteract bone loss.