Inducing Skeletal Repair by Mechanical Stimulation

 

 

Our laboratory is investigating the effects of mechanical loading on bone healing. Our goal is to determine quantitative relationships between the mechanical “environment” at the fracture site and the healing process. This work entails experimentation as well as computer modeling.

 

 

 

While formation of bone tissue is the primary goal in studies of bone healing, bones often heal by initially bridging the fracture site with cartilage. This cartilage subsequently becomes mineralized and is replaced with bone tissue. Our laboratory has demonstrated that simply altering the mechanical environment at the fracture site can affect where and how much of each tissue (cartilage vs. bone tissue) forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funding provided by the NIH