A possible mechanism of Wolff's Law:​ trabecular microfractures

Pugh, J. W.; Rose, R. M.; Radin, E. L.

Affiliations

¹Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston

²Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Abstract

The response of bone to stress by appropriate remodelling is known as Wolff's Law and has been verified both clinically and anatomically. Significant trabecular microfracture in various stages of healing was observed in cancellous bone from both human tibias and tibias of rabbits whose bone was caused to remodel by experimental loading. This healing increases the trabecular mass by the addition of large quantities of callus which stiffen the bone. This mechanism may be responsible for the remodelling of trabecular bone in response to stress.

Links

DOI: 10.3109/13813457309074441

PubMed: 4122939

WoS: A1973P343700004

History

Received: 1972-09-11

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Cited By (15)

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1989	Benaissa R, Uhthoff HK, Mercier P. Repair of trabecular fatigue fractures: cadaver studies of the upper femur. Acta Orthop Scand. October 1989;60(5):585-589.
1994	Fyhrie DP, Schaffler MB. Failure mechanisms in human vertebral cancellous bone. Bone. 1994;15(1):105-109.
1993	Fazzalari NL. Trabecular microfracture. Calcif Tiss Int. February 1993;53(suppl 1):S143-S147.
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1994	Guo X-DE, McMahon TA, Keaveny TM, Hayes WC, Gibson LJ. Finite element modeling of damage accumulation in trabecular bone under cyclic loading. J Biomech. February 1994;27(2):145-155.
1994	Keaveny TM, Guo XE, Wachtel EF, McMahon TA, Hayes WC. Trabecular bone exhibits fully linear elastic behavior and yields at low strains. J Biomech. 1994;27(9):1127-1136.
2015	Oftadeh R, Perez-Viloria M, Villa-Camacho JC, Vaziri A, Nazarian A. Biomechanics and mechanobiology of trabecular bone: a review. J Biomech Eng. January 2015;137(1):010802.
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1997	Wachtel EF, Keaveny TM. Dependence of trabecular damage on mechanical strain. J Orthop Res. September 1997;15(5):781-787.
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1994	Zysset P. A Constitutive Law for Trabecular Bone [PhD thesis]. Lausanne, Switzerland: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; 1994.
1993	Guo X-DE. Fatigue of Trabecular Bone [PhD thesis]. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University; 1993.
2015	Oftadeh R. Hierarchical Analysis and Multiscale Modelling of Cellular Structures: From Meta Materials to Bone Structure [PhD thesis]. Northeastern University; December 2015.
2013	Toal VR. The Mechanics of Microdamage and Microfracture in Trabecular Bone [PhD thesis]. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland University of Technology; September 2013.