Bones are more than just spooky installments – they are the structural elements of the human body, like the steel girders of a skyscraper. They contain calcium-rich minerals and collagen fibers which are usually aligned along the long axis of the bone, known as the major axis. As a result, bones typically have material properties that are stronger in the axial direction. Nowadays, human bones can regularly experience forces much larger than loads that were experienced thousands of years ago. Especially in sports like powerlifting, these loads may be applied to bones in directions different than normally experienced during development. How does this affect bone structure in athletes today?
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