Types of Bones
There are two types of bone within the skeleton:
- Trabecular (or cancellous) bone
- Cortical bone
Slide of trabecular bone
Trabecular bone
The spongy-looking porous interior part of the bones (mainly vertebra and at the end of long bones) is called trabecular or cancellous bone. It has a greater surface area than cortical bone and is more actively remodelled. The effects of therapeutic agents are seen earlier in trabecular bone than in the cortical bone.
Cortical bone
Cortical bone is the strong and compact type of bone found on the outer layer of the long bones and makes up about 80% of the skeleton.
The femoral neck is made up of both cortical and trabecular bone. The vertebrae are largely composed of trabecular bone as is the lower end of the radius and ulna (bones in the forearm fractured with colle's fractures).
