Wave propagation characteristics in long bones to diagnose osteoporosis

A mathematical model of stress wave propagation in bone is developed assuming a long bone to be a thick-walled, long cylindrical shell filled with a fluid. The calculated phase and group velocities in adult human femurs were found to be a function of the wave number and they were different for population groups of above and below 55 yr of age. The velocities were also sex dependent, being different for males and females of the same age group. Diagnostic methods based on the measurement of wave propagation characteristics may potentially be used to measure the structural changes in long bones due to osteoporosis.