How post-operative rehabilitation exercises influence the healing process of radial bone shaft fractures fixed by a composite bone plate

Abstract

Radial bone shaft fractures are commonly treated with bone plates. Flexible bone plates made of fiber-reinforced polymer composites have advantages over complications, such as stress shielding, corrosion, harmful ions, X-ray artifacts, resulting from metallic bone plates. Postoperative rehabilitation exercise is an important factor influencing the healing outcomes of radial bone fractures. A finite element model of radial shaft fracture was treated with Twintex [0](2nT) composite bone plate and six stainless steel bicortical screws. Axial compression (10 N), bending moment (0.1 Nm), and torsion (0.1 Nm) as single, combined, and alternative loads (10% loads of daily activities) were used in the finite element study. A mechano-regulation algorithm based on deviatoric strain was used to predict the healing of bone fractures. The healing performance and bending stiffness were evaluated and compared to estimate the healing status of bone fractures. The best exercise mode, which gave the highest healing performance (68%) and bending stiffness (89%), was suggested. These results can be successfully utilized for the design of healing devices for the rehabilitation of fractured bones. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.