 VFs occur more often at mid-thoracic T7-T8 and thoraco-lumbar T12-L1 vertebrae than elsewhere in the spine, and it has been suggested that biomechanical factors predispose these areas to fracture by increasing vertebral loading. In the first phase of this project, a novel musculoskeletal model was developed that uniquely predicts peaks in vertebral loading around the T12-L1 region of the spine, but this was not observed in the mid-thoracic region. Our preliminary data suggested that increased thoracic stiffness causes greater vertebral loading at mid-thoracic levels T7-T9, while increased thoracic kyphosis increases vertebral loading, particularly in the thoraco-lumbar T12-L1 region. 