Simulations of trabecular remodeling and fatigue: is remodeling helpful or harmful?
Microdamage-targeted resorption is paradoxal, because it entails the removal of bone from a region that was already overloaded. Under continued intense loading, resorption spaces could potentially cause more damage than they remove. To investigate this problem, we incorporated damage algorithms in a computer-simulation model for trabecular remodeling. We simulated damage accumulation and bone remodeling in a trabecular architecture, for two fatigue regimens, a 'moderate' regimen, and an 'intense' regimen with a higher number of loading cycles per day. Both simulations were also performed without bone remodeling to investigate if remodeling removed or exacerbated the damage. We found that remodeling tends to remove damage under the 'moderate' fatigue regimen, but it exacerbates damage under the 'intense' regimen. This harmful effect of remodeling may play a role in the development of stress fractures.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
René F M
RF
van Oers
Bert
B
van Rietbergen
Keita
K
Ito
Rik
R
Huiskes
Peter A J
PA
Hilbers
D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000166:cytology; D013314:Stress, Mechanical