Jump to content

Wolff's law: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Citation bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
5,406,947 edits
Added doi-access. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Headbomb | #UCB_toolbar
 
(166 intermediate revisions by 96 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Law stating that bone adapts to mechanical loading}}
{{Merge from|bone remodeling|date=July 2010}}
{{About|the medical law|the album by The Joy Formidable|Wolf's Law}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2007}}

'''Wolff's law''' is a theory developed by the German Anatomist/Surgeon [[Julius Wolff]] (1836–1902) in the 19th century that states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Anahad O'Connor]] |coauthors= |title=The Claim: After Being Broken, Bones Can Become Even Stronger |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/health/19really.html?ref=science |quote=This concept — that bone adapts to pressure, or a lack of it — is known as Wolff’s law. ... there is no evidence that a bone that breaks will heal to be stronger than it was before.|work=[[New York Times]] |date=October 18, 2010 |accessdate=2010-10-19 }}</ref> If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. The internal architecture of the trabeculae undergoes adaptive changes, followed by secondary changes to the external cortical portion of the bone,<ref>Stedman's Medical Dictionary</ref> perhaps becoming thicker as a result. The converse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become weaker due to turnover, it is less metabolically costly to maintain and there is no stimulus for continued [[bone remodeling|remodeling]] that is required to maintain bone mass.<ref name="Wolff1">Wolff J. "The Law of Bone Remodeling". Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer, 1986 (translation of the German 1892 edition)</ref>
'''Wolff's law''', developed by the German anatomist and surgeon [[Julius Wolff (surgeon)|Julius Wolff]] (1836–1902) in the 19th century, states that bone in a healthy animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed.<ref>{{cite news |author=Anahad O'Connor |title=The Claim: After Being Broken, Bones Can Become Even Stronger . Julius Wolff wrote his treatises on bone after images of bone sections were described by Culmann and von Meyer. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/health/19really.html?ref=science |quote=This concept — that bone adapts to pressure, or a lack of it — is known as Wolff’s law. ... there is no evidence that a bone that breaks will heal to be stronger than it was before.|work=[[New York Times]] |date=October 18, 2010 |access-date=2010-10-19 |author-link=Anahad O'Connor }}</ref> If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading.<ref>{{cite journal |year=1994 |last1=Frost |first1=HM |journal=The Angle Orthodontist |volume=64 |issue=3|pages=175–188 |pmid=8060014 |title=Wolff's Law and bone's structural adaptations to mechanical usage: an overview for clinicians }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ruff|first1=Christopher|last2=Holt|first2=Brigitte|last3=Trinkaus|first3=Erik|title=Who's afraid of the big bad Wolff?: "Wolff's law" and bone functional adaptation|journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology|date=April 2006|volume=129|issue=4|pages=484–498|doi=10.1002/ajpa.20371|pmid=16425178}}</ref> The internal architecture of the [[trabecula]]e undergoes adaptive changes, followed by secondary changes to the external cortical portion of the bone,<ref>[[iarchive:StedmansElectronicMedicalDictionary6thEdition2|Stedman's Medical Dictionary]]

([[Wayback Machine]] [[PDF]])</ref> perhaps becoming thicker as a result. The inverse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become less dense and weaker due to the lack of the stimulus required for continued [[bone remodeling|remodeling]].<ref name="Wolff1">Wolff J. "The Law of Bone Remodeling". Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer, 1986 (translation of the German 1892 edition)</ref> This reduction in bone density ([[osteopenia]]) is known as [[stress shielding]] and can occur as a result of a hip replacement (or other prosthesis).{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}} The normal stress on a bone is shielded from that bone by being placed on a prosthetic implant.

==Mechanotransduction==
The remodeling of bone in response to loading is achieved via [[mechanotransduction]], a process through which forces or other mechanical signals are converted to biochemical signals in cellular signaling.<ref name="Huang 2010">{{cite journal|last=Huang|first=Chenyu|author2=Rei Ogawa |title=Mechanotransduction in bone repair and regeneration|journal=FASEB J.|date=October 2010|volume=24|issue=10|pages=3625–3632|doi=10.1096/fj.10-157370|doi-access=free |pmid=20505115|s2cid=3202736}}</ref> Mechanotransduction leading to bone remodeling involves the steps of mechanocoupling, biochemical coupling, signal transmission, and cell response.<ref name="Duncan 1995 344–358">{{cite journal|last=Duncan|first=RL|author2=CH Turner |title=Mechanotransduction and the functional response of bone to mechanical strain|journal=Calcified Tissue International|date=November 1995|volume=57|issue=5|pages=344–358|doi=10.1007/bf00302070|pmid=8564797|s2cid=8548195}}</ref> The specific effects on bone structure depend on the duration, magnitude, and rate of loading, and it has been found that only cyclic loading can induce bone formation.<ref name="Duncan 1995 344–358"/> When loaded, fluid flows away from areas of high compressive loading in the bone matrix.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Turner|first=CH|author2=MR Forwood |author3=MW Otter |title=Mechanotransduction in bone: do bone cells act as sensors of fluid flow?|journal=FASEB J.|year=1994|volume=8|issue=11|pages=875–878|doi=10.1096/fasebj.8.11.8070637|doi-access=free |pmid=8070637|s2cid=13858592}}</ref> Osteocytes are the most abundant cells in bone and are also the most sensitive to such fluid flow caused by mechanical loading.<ref name="Huang 2010"/> Upon sensing a load, osteocytes regulate bone remodeling by signaling to other cells with signaling molecules or direct contact.<ref name="Chen 2010">{{cite journal|last=Chen|first=Jan-Hung|author2=Chao Liu |author3=Lidan You |author4=Craig A Simmons |title=Boning up on Wolff's Law: Mechanical regulation of the cells that make and maintain bone|journal=Journal of Biomechanics|year=2010|volume=43|issue=1|doi=10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.09.016 |pmid=19818443|pages=108–118}}</ref> Additionally, osteoprogenitor cells, which may differentiate into osteoblasts or osteoclasts, are also mechanosensors and will differentiate depending on the loading condition.<ref name="Chen 2010"/>

Computational models suggest that mechanical feedback loops can stably regulate bone remodeling by reorienting trabeculae in the direction of the mechanical loads.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Huiskes|first1=Rik|last2=Ruimerman|first2=Ronald|last3=van Lenthe|first3=G. Harry|last4=Janssen|first4=Jan D.|title=Effects of mechanical forces on maintenance and adaptation of form in trabecular bone|journal=Nature|date=8 June 2000|volume=405|issue=6787|pages=704–706|doi=10.1038/35015116|pmid=10864330|bibcode=2000Natur.405..704H|s2cid=4391634}}</ref>


==Associated laws==
==Associated laws==
*In relation to soft tissue, [[Davis's Law]] explains how soft tissue remolds itself according to imposed demands.
*In relation to soft tissue, [[Davis' law]] explains how soft tissue remodels itself according to imposed demands.
*Refinement of Wolff's Law: [[Utah-Paradigm of Bone physiology]] ([[Mechanostat]] Theorem) by [[Harold Frost]].
*Refinement of Wolff's Law: [[Utah-Paradigm of Bone physiology]] ([[Mechanostat]] Theorem) by [[Harold Frost]].<ref>{{cite journal |year=2003 |last1=Frost |first1=HM |journal=The Anatomical Record Part A: Discoveries in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology |volume=275 |issue=2|pages=1081–1101 |title=Bone's mechanostat: a 2003 update|pmid=14613308 |doi=10.1002/ar.a.10119|doi-access=free }}</ref>


==Examples==
==Examples==
[[Image:Tim Henman backhand volley Wimbledon 2004.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Tennis]] players often use one arm more than the other]]
[[File:Tim Henman backhand volley Wimbledon 2004.jpg|thumb|[[Tennis]] players often use one arm more than the other]]
*The [[racquet]]-holding arm bones of [[tennis]] players become much stronger than those of the other arm. Their bodies have strengthened the bones in their racquet-holding arm since it is routinely placed under higher than normal stresses.
* The [[racquet]]-holding arm bones of [[tennis]] players become stronger than those of the other arm. Their bodies have strengthened the bones in their racquet-holding arm, since it is routinely placed under higher than normal stresses. The most critical loads on a tennis player's arms occur during the serve. There are four main phases of a tennis serve, and the highest loads occur during external shoulder rotation and ball impact. The combination of high load and arm rotation results in a twisted bone density profile.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The phenomenon of twisted growth: humeral torsion in dominant arms of high performance tennis players.|journal=Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin|author=Taylor RE|author2=Zheng c |author3=Jackson RP |author4=Doll JC |author5=Chen JC |author6=Holzbar KR |author7=Besier T |author8=Kuhl E |pmid=18654877 |doi=10.1080/10255840802178046 |volume=12 |issue=1|pages=83–93|year=2009|s2cid=113868949}}</ref>
* [[Weightlifter]]s often display increases in [[bone density]] in response to their training.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710|title=Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier|author=Mayo Clinic Staff|year=2010|publisher=Mayo Foundation for Education and Medical Research|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922035101/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710|archive-date=September 22, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=19 October 2012}}</ref>
* [[Surfing|Surfers]] who knee-paddle frequently will develop bone bumps, aka exostoses, on the tibial eminence and the dorsal part of the navicular tarsal bone from the pressure of the surfboard's surface. These are often called "surf knots."
* Astronauts often suffer from the reverse: being in a microgravity environment, they tend to lose bone density. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/bone_loss.html|title=Preventing Bone Loss in Space Flight with Prophylactic Use of Bisphosphonate: Health Promotion of the Elderly by Space Medicine Technologies|date=27 May 2015}}</ref>
* [[Astronaut]]s who spend a long time in space will often return to Earth with weaker bones, since gravity hasn't been exerting a load on their bones. Their bodies have reabsorbed much of the mineral that was previously in their bones.
* The deforming effects of [[torticollis]] on craniofacial development in children.<ref name=Oppenheimer-2008>{{cite journal|last=Oppenheimer|first=AJ|author2=Tong, L |author3=Buchman, SR |title=Craniofacial Bone Grafting: Wolff's Law Revisited.|journal=Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction|date=Nov 2008|volume=1|issue=1|pages=49–61|pmid=22110789|doi=10.1055/s-0028-1098963|pmc=3052728}}</ref>
* [[Weightlifter]]s often display increases in [[bone density]] in response to their training.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Wolff1.jpg|thumbnail|Changes in bone density of an amputee. 10 years post amputation of left mid-femur]] -->
* [[Martial artist]]s who punch or kick objects with increasing intensity (or of increasing hardness) to develop striking power to damage opponents, often display increases in bone density in the striking area. This process is known as cortical remodeling.
[[Image:Karate WC Tampere 2006-1.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Karate]] is a martial art that emphasizes striking movements]]


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Julius Wolff]]
* [[Functional matrix hypothesis]]
* [[Functional matrix hypothesis]]
* [[Iron Shirt|Iron Shirt, Wushu/Kungfu bone conditioning]]
* [[Osteogenic loading]]


==References==
==References==
⚫
* ''Das Gesetz der Transformation der Knochen - 1892.'' Reprint: Pro Business, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86805-648-8.
* The Classic: On the Inner Architecture of Bones and its Importance for Bone Growth, Clin Orthop Rel Res. 2010 Apr;468(4):1056-1065
http://www.springerlink.com/content/b6830413653484p3/
* The Classic: On the Theory of Fracture Healing, Clin Orthop Rel Res. 2010 Apr;468(4):1052-1055
http://www.springerlink.com/content/330k683v80ur0j51/
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
⚫
* ''Das Gesetz der Transformation der Knochen - 1892.'' Reprint: Pro Business, Berlin 2010, {{ISBN|978-3-86805-648-8}}.
* {{cite journal | date = Apr 2010 | title = The Classic: On the Inner Architecture of Bones and its Importance for Bone Growth | journal = Clin Orthop Relat Res | volume = 468 | issue = 4| pages = 1056–1065 | doi=10.1007/s11999-010-1239-2| pmid = 20162387 | pmc = 2835576| last1 = Wolff | first1 = J. }}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 33: Line 38:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff's Law}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff's Law}}
[[Category:Musculoskeletal system]]
[[Category:Musculoskeletal system]]
[[Category:Biological defense mechanisms]]

[[de:Wolffsches Gesetz]]
[[el:Νόμος του Wolff]]
[[ko:울프의 법칙]]

Latest revision as of 02:41, 29 March 2024

This article is about the medical law. For the album by The Joy Formidable, see Wolf's Law.

Wolff's law, developed by the German anatomist and surgeon Julius Wolff (1836–1902) in the 19th century, states that bone in a healthy animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed.[1] If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading.[2][3] The internal architecture of the trabeculae undergoes adaptive changes, followed by secondary changes to the external cortical portion of the bone,[4] perhaps becoming thicker as a result. The inverse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become less dense and weaker due to the lack of the stimulus required for continued remodeling.[5] This reduction in bone density (osteopenia) is known as stress shielding and can occur as a result of a hip replacement (or other prosthesis).[citation needed] The normal stress on a bone is shielded from that bone by being placed on a prosthetic implant.

Mechanotransduction

[edit]

The remodeling of bone in response to loading is achieved via mechanotransduction, a process through which forces or other mechanical signals are converted to biochemical signals in cellular signaling.[6] Mechanotransduction leading to bone remodeling involves the steps of mechanocoupling, biochemical coupling, signal transmission, and cell response.[7] The specific effects on bone structure depend on the duration, magnitude, and rate of loading, and it has been found that only cyclic loading can induce bone formation.[7] When loaded, fluid flows away from areas of high compressive loading in the bone matrix.[8] Osteocytes are the most abundant cells in bone and are also the most sensitive to such fluid flow caused by mechanical loading.[6] Upon sensing a load, osteocytes regulate bone remodeling by signaling to other cells with signaling molecules or direct contact.[9] Additionally, osteoprogenitor cells, which may differentiate into osteoblasts or osteoclasts, are also mechanosensors and will differentiate depending on the loading condition.[9]

Computational models suggest that mechanical feedback loops can stably regulate bone remodeling by reorienting trabeculae in the direction of the mechanical loads.[10]

Associated laws

[edit]

Examples

[edit]
Tennis players often use one arm more than the other
  • The racquet-holding arm bones of tennis players become stronger than those of the other arm. Their bodies have strengthened the bones in their racquet-holding arm, since it is routinely placed under higher than normal stresses. The most critical loads on a tennis player's arms occur during the serve. There are four main phases of a tennis serve, and the highest loads occur during external shoulder rotation and ball impact. The combination of high load and arm rotation results in a twisted bone density profile.[12]
  • Weightlifters often display increases in bone density in response to their training.[13]
  • Astronauts often suffer from the reverse: being in a microgravity environment, they tend to lose bone density. [14]
  • The deforming effects of torticollis on craniofacial development in children.[15]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Anahad O'Connor (October 18, 2010). "The Claim: After Being Broken, Bones Can Become Even Stronger . Julius Wolff wrote his treatises on bone after images of bone sections were described by Culmann and von Meyer". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-19. This concept — that bone adapts to pressure, or a lack of it — is known as Wolff's law. ... there is no evidence that a bone that breaks will heal to be stronger than it was before.
  2. ^ Frost, HM (1994). "Wolff's Law and bone's structural adaptations to mechanical usage: an overview for clinicians". The Angle Orthodontist. 64 (3): 175–188. PMID 8060014.
  3. ^ Ruff, Christopher; Holt, Brigitte; Trinkaus, Erik (April 2006). "Who's afraid of the big bad Wolff?: "Wolff's law" and bone functional adaptation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 129 (4): 484–498. doi:10.1002/ajpa.20371. PMID 16425178.
  4. ^ Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Wayback Machine PDF)
  5. ^ Wolff J. "The Law of Bone Remodeling". Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer, 1986 (translation of the German 1892 edition)
  6. ^ a b Huang, Chenyu; Rei Ogawa (October 2010). "Mechanotransduction in bone repair and regeneration". FASEB J. 24 (10): 3625–3632. doi:10.1096/fj.10-157370. PMID 20505115. S2CID 3202736.
  7. ^ a b Duncan, RL; CH Turner (November 1995). "Mechanotransduction and the functional response of bone to mechanical strain". Calcified Tissue International. 57 (5): 344–358. doi:10.1007/bf00302070. PMID 8564797. S2CID 8548195.
  8. ^ Turner, CH; MR Forwood; MW Otter (1994). "Mechanotransduction in bone: do bone cells act as sensors of fluid flow?". FASEB J. 8 (11): 875–878. doi:10.1096/fasebj.8.11.8070637. PMID 8070637. S2CID 13858592.
  9. ^ a b Chen, Jan-Hung; Chao Liu; Lidan You; Craig A Simmons (2010). "Boning up on Wolff's Law: Mechanical regulation of the cells that make and maintain bone". Journal of Biomechanics. 43 (1): 108–118. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.09.016. PMID 19818443.
  10. ^ Huiskes, Rik; Ruimerman, Ronald; van Lenthe, G. Harry; Janssen, Jan D. (8 June 2000). "Effects of mechanical forces on maintenance and adaptation of form in trabecular bone". Nature. 405 (6787): 704–706. Bibcode:2000Natur.405..704H. doi:10.1038/35015116. PMID 10864330. S2CID 4391634.
  11. ^ Frost, HM (2003). "Bone's mechanostat: a 2003 update". The Anatomical Record Part A: Discoveries in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology. 275 (2): 1081–1101. doi:10.1002/ar.a.10119. PMID 14613308.
  12. ^ Taylor RE; Zheng c; Jackson RP; Doll JC; Chen JC; Holzbar KR; Besier T; Kuhl E (2009). "The phenomenon of twisted growth: humeral torsion in dominant arms of high performance tennis players". Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin. 12 (1): 83–93. doi:10.1080/10255840802178046. PMID 18654877. S2CID 113868949.
  13. ^ Mayo Clinic Staff (2010). "Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier". Mayo Foundation for Education and Medical Research. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Preventing Bone Loss in Space Flight with Prophylactic Use of Bisphosphonate: Health Promotion of the Elderly by Space Medicine Technologies". 27 May 2015.
  15. ^ Oppenheimer, AJ; Tong, L; Buchman, SR (Nov 2008). "Craniofacial Bone Grafting: Wolff's Law Revisited". Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction. 1 (1): 49–61. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1098963. PMC 3052728. PMID 22110789.
[edit]
  • Julius Wolff Institut, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, main research areas are the regeneration and biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system and the improvement of joint replacement.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Wolff%27s_law&oldid=1216108013"