K. Takakuda, A HYPOTHETICAL REGULATION MECHANISM OF ADAPTIVE BONE REMODELING - (TRANSPORT OF GROWTH-FACTORS BY MECHANICAL LOADS), JSME international journal. Series A, mechanics and material engineering, 36(4), 1993, pp. 417-434
A hypothetical regulation mechanism of adaptive bone remodeling is pro
posed. In this hypothesis, the growth factors and bone cells are invol
ved in the mechanim as follows: first osteoclasts activate the growth
factors contained in the bone matrix and release them into bone fluid,
then the growth factors are transported to the bone surface with flui
d flow induced by the mechanical loads applied to the bone, and finall
y the growth factors transported regulate the activities of osteoblast
s which are responsible for bone formation. It is shown that many curi
ous features which have been reported for adaptive bone remodeling are
explained by the proposed hypothesis. Furthermore, a simple analytica
l model is constructed based on the hypothesis, which can simulate som
e typical adaptation processes such as the adaptation to applied repet
itive moments and the correction of abnormal curvature after misaligne
d fracture.