Title:Alterations of the Subchondral Bone in Osteoarthritis: Complying with
Wolff’s Law
Volume: 18
Issue: 3
Author(s): Ran Ding, Nianfei Zhang*, Qi Wang and Weiguo Wang
Affiliation:
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No. 2 Yinghua East Road, Chaoyang District, 100029, Beijing, P.R. China
Keywords:
Osteoarthritis, subchondral bone, poroelasticity, boussinesq’s pressure bulb, wolff’s law, bone optimal design principles.
Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a whole joint disease that is significantly related to abnormal mechanical
loads. Subchondral bone alterations, during the evolution course of OA, are considered a
reflection of the adaptation of the bone tissue to mechanical loads. However, some of these alterations
are taken as a detriment and paradoxical. What are these structure, composition, and mechanical
property alterations or mechanical functions for are not quite clear. In this review, we discuss
the possibility that these alterations are used for maintaining the joint function. With taking excessive
load as a risk factor and under conditions of articular cartilage gradually lose its thickness and
its function of evenly distributing the load on the subchondral bone plate, and applying Poroelasticity
to bone mechanics; moreover, Boussinesq’s pressure bulb theory and bone optimal design principles
are utilized. We found that each subchondral bone alteration has its unique mechanical function
in resisting loads and maintaining the joint function, and these alterations comply with both bone
optimal design principles and Wolff’s law within a proper range.
