This book offers a summary of research on the biomechanics of fracture fixation and mechanobiology of fracture healing. The author, a known expert, provides an overview of the state of art, his own research together with that of his co-workers and collaborators; he describes the ideas and findings from the beginning of this research field in the 1960s up to the clinical consequences and applications of today.

The book discusses the mechanobiology of fracture healing, illustrates the numerical methods that simulate fracture healing processes, and depicts specific research methods of experimental studies. Finally, it provides conclusions for the improvement of fracture treatment that will be of use in clinical applications nowadays.

This book will be a valuable resource of knowledge for students and scientists in the field of bioengineering, experimental biology, and biomechanics, helping them to identify the correct conditions and analysis fortheir respective research and receive an understanding of the research field from its beginning until today. For experimental and clinical surgeons active in the field of fracture healing, this book will provide a useful historical overview over this translational research field.

Autorentext

Lutz Claes, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Research in Trauma Surgery and Biomechanics, University of Ulm, Germany.

Inhalt

1.Introduction.- 2.Basic biology of fracture healing.- 3.Specific methods in experimental fracture healing.- 4.Basic biomechanical factors affecting fracture healing.- 5.Biomechanical enhancement of fracture healing.- 6.Mechano-biological hypothesis of tissue differentiation in fracture healing.- 7.Numerical mechano-biological models for bone healing.- 8.Conclusions for the improvement of clinical fracture treatment.- 9.References.- 10.List of abbreviations.