8.11 Cartilage Mechanics

Wolff’s Law

“Bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under” -Late 1800’s

1960’s

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8.11.1 Mechanotransduction

• Any of various mechanisms by which cells convert mechanical stimulus into electrochemical activity.
• This form of sensory transduction is responsible for a number of senses and physiological processes in the body, including proprioception, touch, balance, and hearing. the basic mechanism of mechanotransduction involves converting mechanical signals into electrical or chemical signals.

(text adapted from wikipedia, 2020)

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according to wolff’s law, a typical bone, e.g. the tibia has a security margin of about 5 to 7 between typical load (2000 to 3000 μStrain) and fracture load (about 15000μStrain).

@Jastifer2010SoftTissue

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8.11.2 Mechanotransduction in soft tissue

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=mechano&part=A1859

• This same effect is seen in Tendons, Ligaments, Muscle, Bone, and to lesser extent Cartilage

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