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Bone morphology and skeletal variations are significantly influenced by mechanical stress, which plays a crucial role in shaping bone structure throughout an organism’s life. Mechanical forces, such as weight-bearing, muscle activity, and physical strain, drive the process of bone remodeling—a dynamic balance between bone formation and resorption. This process enables bones to adapt to changing functional demands, thereby affecting their shape, density, and overall architecture. In response to increased mechanical stress, bones tend to strengthen and thicken, whereas reduced loading can lead to bone weakening or resorption, as seen in conditions like osteoporosis or during prolonged immobility. This interplay between mechanical stress and bone biology is guided by mechanotransduction, where osteocytes, the bone’s mechanosensitive cells, detect and respond to mechanical signals. Various factors, including age, genetics, activity levels, and environmental conditions, further contribute to skeletal variations, emphasizing the complex relationship between form and function. Understanding how mechanical stress shapes bone morphology has broad implications, from treating musculoskeletal disorders to improving strategies for rehabilitation and enhancing the performance of athletes or those in physically demanding occupations. This review examines the mechanisms behind bone adaptation to mechanical stress, explores skeletal variations across species and populations, and discusses the implications for health and disease management.
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