March 2010 Review

Reviewing everything leads to some solid conclusions and fairly obvious answers to basic questions. The final quandary in the fracture resistance (FR) equation was the role of calcification. This crucial Q from the 3/24/10 post:

Production and construction. Does speed work trigger calcium production or affect how HA mineral platelets are laid down inside and outside bone collagen fibrils?

Reviewing and putting all together, believe there's an answer, based on the following:

1. Yes. Speed work does trigger calcium production. Hansma proved that in 2009 with his mouse treadmill experiments and bone indentation instrument.

2. Ha (calcium salt) crystals in bone are laid down in specific patterns developed over the eons. While bone itself, according to Planck, is but 30-50% calcium, the Type 1 bone collagen fibril portion--i.e. the cortical (hard) bone part is about 70% Ha crystals.

These crystals form and self arrange within the fibril and on the skin of the fibril in various shapes that will be influenced by exercise HOWEVER these crystals are stuck within a lattice and are about 40 nm apart from each other!!! New salts thus are unable to form in this already established lattice!

Thus, when the stimulus of exercise causes osteocytes and the collagen fibril itself to secrete additional calcium salts, where do these salts go?????

Easy answer: Equine speed work, due to its compacting materials, creates additional spacing. After speed work there might be room within the younger fibrils for one additional crystal. One additional crystal per young fibril (maybe 10% of all the fibrils, is going to increase FR significantly. We remember Nunamaker, Maryland Shin study, that even a small increase in mineralization creates a large increase in strength.

Additionally, as has been noted, additional secretion of salts stimulated by exercise will over time fill in nano spacing between fibrils, and calcium receptors at various vacant nano areas will draw in these new salts and produce additional crystals in those previously empty areas.

Probably this can be quantified! Next post.

Training:

Sat. 10/16: Off

Sun: 10/17: Rod was trot-walked up and down the hill three times and thereafter 2 x 1 mile riderless slow. First tack work in a few days. Review of March 2010 posts reveals that month as possibly the worst weather wise since blog inception. I am fearing a repeat this year, although we've suddenly completed the 2nd week of dry.