Female Wistar rats aged 3 months were ovariectomized (OX, n = 27). Three months later they were given i.v. doses of 150 (6), 300 (7), or 600 (6) ug/kg 2/wk of olpadronate during 12 weeks or left as OX controls (OXc). Bending fracture load of femur diaphyses, reduced in OXc, was recovered by olpadronate. This effect was paralleled by changes in material quality indicators as DEXA-BMD, tomographic (volumetric) BMD, elastic modulus, and maximum elastic stress of cortical bone. No changes were induced by any of the treatments on cross-sectional area or moment of inertia. Diaphyseal stiffness, not reduced by OX, was enhanced to overnormal values by olpadronate at any dose. None of the treatments affected the normal mechanostatic interrelationships between cross-sectional architecture and bone material quality indicators. The positive effects described point out important differences in bisphosphonate action on bone biomechanics according to the experimental conditions assayed.