Abstract
Microdamage formation is a major determinant of bone fracture. The nature and type of damage formed, as linear microcracks or diffuse damage, depends on the interaction between applied loading and the extracellular matrix. Human bone naturally experiences multi-axial cyclic loading. Changes in its extracellular matrix can contribute to the overall deterioration of bone’s mechanical integrity with aging and/or disease. This chapter provides a review of literature reports on the detection of microdamage and its limitations; alterations in microdamage with aging and disease; differences in microdamage between gender and bone’s two distinct structural forms (cancellous and cortical); and the role of microdamage in bone’s mechanical properties.