How does the metaphysis transfer weight from a joint to the shaft of a long bone?

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Internal structure of a human long bone — bone A long bone of the human body, showing a magnified cross section of the interior.

The metaphysis facilitates the transfer of weight from the joint surfaces to the diaphysis (the central shaft) of a long bone by flaring outward from the tubular shaft and assuming a predominantly cancellous internal structure.1

This internal structure consists of trabeculae—a network of intersecting plates and spicules. In mature bone, these trabeculae are organized into an orderly pattern of cross-braced interior struts that align with the lines of major compressive or tensile forces. By arranging this bony tissue in continuous units, the metaphysis provides the necessary structural rigidity to effectively distribute and transition loads from the epiphysis at the joint surface into the thick-walled, tubular shaft of the bone.1