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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Biomech. 2010 Dec 1;43(16):3126–3131. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.08.002

Table 1.

Maximum and minimum principal strain limits (90th percentiles) for bone tissue in the endplate, trabecular bone, and cortical shell.

Endplate Trabecular Bone Cortical Shell
Maximum Principal Strain
  90th Percentile (μstrain) 836 ± 237 a,b 600 ± 139 b 437 ± 111
  Risk of Initial Failurec 0.25 ± 0.07 0.18 ± 0.04 0.13 ± 0.03
Minimum Principal Strain
  90th Percentile (μstrain) −525 ± 126 a,b −1085 ± 232 b −861 ± 162
  Risk of Initial Failurec 0.08 ± 0.02 0.16 ± 0.03 0.12 ± 0.02

Data given as mean ± SD (n=22 vertebral bodies).

a

p < 0.0001 vs. trabecular bone

b

p < 0.0001 vs. cortical shell

c

The maximum and minimum principal strain limits (90th percentiles) were normalized by the respective yield strains (tension = 0.34%; compression = −0.69% (Bevill et al., 2009)) to determine the relative risk of initial failure. Compared to a lower number, a higher number indicates a greater relative risk of initial failure. Pairwise comparisons between each of the risks of initial failure were significantly different (p < 0.0001) except for the comparison between the risk of initial failure in the cortical shell in tension and in compression.