Calcaneal bone mineral density and mechanical strength of the metatarsals.

The primary aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the bone mineral density of the calcaneus for fracture of the metatarsals. The authors report a strong positive correlation between the bone mineral density of the calcaneus and the four-point bending strength of each of the five metatarsals (r(2) = 0.76, 0.64, 0.70, 0.68, and 0.78 for metatarsals 1 through 5, respectively). In addition, the relative strengths of the metatarsals and the correlation with their in vivo loads during gait as previously reported in the literature are discussed.