title: Stress protection osteopenia due to rigid plating.
abstract: The rigid plating of bones leads to a condition of reduced bone mass under the plate. This condition, stress protection osteopenia, is of concern to clinicians because of a risk of fracture of the weakened bone after plate removal. The extent of stress protection and the consequent osteopenia is dependent on the structural rigidity of the plate in relation to the rigidity of the bone. Stress reduction of up to 50% is possible when rigid metal plates are placed on long bones. Even though numerous experimental animal studies have documented morphological changes and decreases in bone strength due to plating, more clinical studies are needed to documentthe extent of stress protection osteopenia in humans. The use of less rigid plates and the use of plates that become progressively less rigid with time are being explored as a means of circumventing the problem of stress protection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedics and Curriculum of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gilbert