Stress shielding is the reduction in
bone density
Bone density, or bone mineral density, is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue. The concept is of mass of mineral per volume of bone (relating to density in the physics sense), although clinically it is measured by proxy according to optic ...
(
osteopenia
Osteopenia, known as "low bone mass" or "low bone density", is a condition in which bone mineral density is low. Because their bones are weaker, people with osteopenia may have a higher risk of fractures, and some people may go on to develop osteop ...
) as a result of removal of typical stress from the bone by an implant (for instance, the femoral component of a
hip prosthesis). This is because by
Wolff's law, bone in a healthy person or animal remodels in response to the loads it is placed under.
Porous
implantation is one typical alleviation method.
References
Orthopedic surgical procedures
Skeletal disorders
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