Electro-Mechanical Behavior of Wet Bone—Part I: Theory

Abstract

The remodeling properties of bones due to various stimuli have been of substantial interest to the scientists. Examination of electro-mechanical properties of bone and their relation to remodeling and osteogenesis have been investigated mainly by experimental means. In this study, by using continuum physics, it is shown that the remodeling of bones can be formulated theoretically in terms of electrical and mechanical effects. The interactions among the constituents of bone (bone matrix, bone salts, electrolytes and hydrogen ions) and effects of various stimuli (mechnical, electrical and chemical) on the remodeling mechanism of bone tissue are interpreted with this model. Moreover, the stimulation of osteogenesis by electrical means is predicted.