โ† Chapter 6
Anatomy & Physiology ยท Chapter 6

Bone Cells & Remodeling

Bone is alive and always rebuilding. One crew lays down new bone. Another crew dissolves old bone. This constant tug-of-war is called remodeling. Watch it happen, and meet the four cells.

Remodeling in action

Bone remodelingbuild vs break down

The four bone cells

Balance matters. Exercise that puts weight on your bones helps tip it toward building. So does getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Aging, not moving much, and low estrogen tip it toward loss. That can lead to osteoporosis, weak bone full of holes.
๐Ÿ“ท Reference image
A real labeled picture to compare with the interactive above.
Bone Cells & Remodeling reference figure
Bone Cells & Remodeling โ€” Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)