Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Bone turnover
Introduction
Bone remodeling is a life long process where old bone is removed from the skeleton (a sub-process called bone resorption) and new bone is added (a sub-process called ossification or bone formation). These processes also control the reshaping or replacement of bone during growth and following injuries. Remodeling responds to functional demands and muscle attachments. As a result bone is added where needed and removed where it is not required.
In the first year of life, almost 100% of the skeleton is replaced. In adults, remodeling proceeds at about 10% per year.[1]
An imbalance in the regulation of bone remodeling’s two sub-processes, bone resorption and bone formation, results in many metabolic bone diseases, such as osteoporosis. [2]
References
References
- ↑ Wheeless Textbook: http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/bone_remodeling
- ↑ Online Medical Dictionary: http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?bone+remodeling