Mechanics and mechano-biology of fracture healing in normal and osteoporotic bone

Fracture repair, which aims at regaining the functional competence of a bone, is a complex and multifactorial process. For the success of fracture repair biology and mechanics are of immense importance. The biological and mechanical environments must be compatible with the processes of cell and tissue proliferation and differentiation. The biological environment is characterized by the vascular supply and by many biochemical components, the biochemical milieu. A good vascular supply is a prerequisite for the initiation of the fracture repair process. The biochemical milieu involves complex interactions among local and systemic regulatory factors such as growth factors or cytokines. The mechanical environment is determined by the local stress and strain within the fracture. However, the local stress and strain is not accessible, and the mechanical environment, therefore, is described by global mechanical factors, e.g., gap size or interfragmentary movement. The relationship between local stress and strain and the global mechanical factors can be obtained by numerical models (Finite Element Model). Moreover, there is considerable interaction between biological factors and mechanical factors, creating a biomechanical environment for the fracture healing process. The biomechanical environment is characterized by osteoblasts and osteocytes that sense the mechanical signal and express biological markers, which effect the repair process. This review will focus on the effects of biomechanical factors on fracture repair as well as the effects of age and osteoporosis.