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Diffuse Damage Repair Mechanism In Bone, Leila Mehraban Alvandi

Dissertations and Theses

Bone microdamage is a result of fatigue, creep or ‘wear and tear’ caused by physiological activities and largely contributes to bone fragility. Bone, unlike engineered materials, has the ability to repair the microscopic cracking or microdamage through targeted, osteoclast-mediated bone remodeling. This capability is crucial for preservation of its structural integrity and quality; failure of the skeleton to effectively repair microdamage leads to accumulation of damage, which is one of the main contributors to bone fragility. Linear microcracks (50-100 µm) and diffuse damage (Dif.Dx) (sub-micron) are the two types of microdamage. Recent studies show that Dif.Dx repairs without bone remodeling, …