Researchers with the University of South Denmark and the University of Saskatchewan have discovered a fifth bone regeneration process which could lead to more options when it comes to osteoporosis treatment.

The discovery was found in the Trabecular bone, which is found at the ends of long bones, like the thigh bone, and in the center of flat and irregular bones, like vertebrae of the spine. It makes up roughly 20 per cent of the adult skeleton. Researchers had previously assumed the holes or canals in the bone was evidence of bone loss caused by chronic kidney disease or disorders related to parathyroid hormone. After using the Canadian Light Source on a rabbit with the Trabecular bone, researchers discovered that the bone was actually renewing itself.

Lisbeth Thomsen, a postdoctoral at USask, says when viewing the bones in real time, they seemed to be regenerating from the inside.

“We’re going to use some measures to find out how much it effects the strength of the bone, that’s very important in osteoporosis, and also try to learn more about what controls how these tunnels are forming.”

Thomsen says there’s still plenty to be learnt from the discovery to find better treatments or a form of prevention, especially for women with osteoporosis.