Biomechanics of fracture healing: how best to optimize your construct in the OR

Michael Hast; Vaida Glatt; Michael Archdeacon; Eric Ledet; Gregory Lewis; Jaimo Ahn; Justin Haller

doi:10.1097/OI9.0000000000000304

Biomechanics of fracture healing: how best to optimize your construct in the OR

OTA Int. 2024 Mar 11;7(2 Suppl):e304. doi: 10.1097/OI9.0000000000000304. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Authors

Michael Hast¹, Vaida Glatt², Michael Archdeacon³, Eric Ledet³, Gregory Lewis⁴, Jaimo Ahn⁵, Justin Haller⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
⁴ Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.
⁵ Department Orthopedics Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
⁶ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.

Abstract

Orthopaedic surgeons routinely assess the biomechanical environment of a fracture to create a fixation construct that provides the appropriate amount of stability in efforts to optimize fracture healing. Emerging concepts and technologies including reverse dynamization, "smart plates" that measure construct strain, and FractSim software that models fracture strain represent recent developments in optimizing construct biomechanics to accelerate bone healing and minimize construct failure.

Keywords: biomechanical; fracture union; model; reverse dynamization; smart plate; strain.

Grants and funding

R01 EB029207/EB/NIBIB NIH HHS/United States