Bone remodeling

Bone remodeling is the ongoing replacement of old or damaged bone tissue with new bone through coordinated resorption and formation. It helps maintain skeletal strength and regulate mineral balance.

Osteoclast: A bone-resorbing cell that dissolves mineral and degrades the organic matrix of bone. Osteoclasts create the resorption cavities that remodeling must refill.
Bone tissue: A mineralized connective tissue made of cells, collagen-rich matrix, and inorganic mineral. Remodeling continually renews this living structural material.
Mechanical loading: The forces placed on a tissue by movement, weight bearing, or external loads. Bone cells adjust remodeling in response to habitual loading.
Calcium homeostasis: The regulation of calcium concentration in body fluids within a range needed for normal function. Bone resorption can release calcium when the body requires it.
Osteoblast: A bone-forming cell that produces and mineralizes the organic matrix of bone. Osteoblasts fill resorption cavities with new bone matrix.
Bone matrix: The collagen-rich organic framework and mineral phase that together give bone its strength. Remodeling removes and rebuilds both components of this matrix.
Osteoporosis: A skeletal disorder in which reduced bone strength increases susceptibility to fractures. Imbalanced remodeling can remove bone faster than it is replaced.
Bone mineral density: The amount of mineral matter per area or volume of bone, measured to assess skeletal status. The balance of remodeling formation and resorption affects measured density.
Osteocyte: A mature bone cell embedded in the mineralized matrix, with processes that sense mechanical conditions. Osteocytes help direct where remodeling is needed.
Hydroxyapatite: A calcium phosphate mineral that forms the principal inorganic component of vertebrate bone and teeth. Resorption releases calcium and phosphate from this mineral phase.

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