Parametric Analysis of the Stress Protection in Bone After Plating

Bone refracture after plate removal has been attributed to the structural adaptation of bone (bone loss) to reduced stress (stress protection). The analysis of the stress pattern and the reduction of deformation work in plated bones seems to be a prerequisite for the assertion that bone loss is stress related. The strain field within bones under eccentric axial load is analyzed using the composite beam theory and verified experimentally using strain gages, with plates made of different materials. The difference between the reduction of stress obtained using the less stiff plate materials is small. Reduction of plate rigidity does not result in proportional improvement of the bone strain.