OsteoProbe®: handheld impact microindentation for bone material strength
OsteoProbe is the first and only FDA-cleared instrument that measures bone material strength in living people. A handheld probe performs impact microindentation and reports the Bone Material Strength index (BMSi). Clinics use it as the BoneScore® test. Researchers use it in vivo in humans at any skeletal site, including the tibia, shoulder, hip and spine, and in animals, and ex vivo on cadaver and animal bone.
In clinical use, OsteoProbe delivers a single, precisely controlled micro-impact to the anterior tibial cortex and measures how well the bone tissue resists it. The result is BMSi, a unitless score referenced against a standard material at every session. Unlike densitometry or imaging, BMSi reflects the mechanical behavior of the bone tissue itself rather than its mass, geometry or microarchitecture. That makes it complementary to DXA, HR-pQCT and QCT, not a duplicate of them.
Built for clinical research
Handheld and battery-operated: usable in clinics, field studies and multi-site protocols
No ionizing radiation: no dosimetry limits on repeat measures
Referenced every session: a fresh single-use reference block with every participant supports comparison across operators, devices and sites
Surgical software mode: for investigational intraoperative research under IRB approval
Where it’s been applied
Published work spans metabolic bone disease; secondary osteoporosis (type 1 and type 2 diabetes, glucocorticoid use, CKD, post-transplant, HIV); drug studies (bisphosphonates, teriparatide, denosumab, romosozumab); exercise and mechanical loading; orthopedics; and comparative and preclinical work. More than 200 published papers from 70+ institutions use the OsteoProbe and BioDent platform. OsteoProbe is in use at leading centers including Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt, Scripps and HSS. See the publications →
Research pricing on devices and consumables · Training on measurement protocol · Protocol consultation · Multi-site coordination · Literature support · Testing performed by our team · Investigator-initiated study proposals welcome
Looking for bench testing of cartilage, soft tissue or materials? See BioDent, our benchtop reference point indentation system.
Regulatory information
OsteoProbe is a measurement tool intended to assess bone tissue resistance to microindentation on the tibia of adults, reported as the Bone Material Strength index (BMSi). Laboratory studies show that BMSi measurements correlate with bone biomechanical properties; the clinical significance of laboratory-based biomechanical studies is unknown. The device is not intended to diagnose disease, predict fracture risk, or treat any clinical condition. Prescription use only. FDA De Novo DEN210013; 510(k) K250216.Study findings described on this page are those of the cited investigators and are not device performance claims.
