Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this graduate-level course on the biology and disease processes of bone, joint, and muscle tissue. Lessons cover the growth, development, and structure of normal bone and joints, the biomechanics of connective tissue under stress, and the hormonal control of calcium and phosphate levels through parathyroid hormone and vitamin D. The course then turns to pathology, examining the mechanisms behind metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis and disorders affecting connective tissue, joints, and muscle. Materials include MIT's lecture notes and readings, made available free through OpenCourseWare with no certificate offered. It suits students with a background in physiology or biochemistry who want a mechanistic grounding in skeletal and muscular disease rather than a clinical overview.