We have also begun to apply experimental methods to in vitro assessment of the mechanical function of trabecular tissue. Using a rabbit femur model, we have documented in detail the surface strain distribution under naturalistic loading (Swartz and Mitchell, in prep.). Following successive removal of primary tracts of trabecular tissue, we find that strain magnitudes and orientations in the bone cortex show little or no significant change. Our findings suggest that the mechanical function of trabecular tissue may vary significantly in relation to body mass, and depend to a great extent on the relative thickness of bones' cortical shells (Swartz and Mitchell, in prep.).
