(Annchristin Andres, M.Sc. Applied Mechanics, Saarland University, 10. June, 2025 )
Understanding the intricate interplay of factors influencing the healing process is paramount to optimizing fracture healing. Our research addresses interfragmentary movement and bone implant stability.
We focus on personalized simulations with a central role of realistic patient-specific boundary conditions via musculoskeletal simulations based on motion-capturing data of patients with lower and upper extremity fractures. We aim to illustrate the complete healing process from the first movements after a surgery to the rehabilitation exercises and daily living. To realize a high degree of individualization in the virtualization process, we use clinical imaging of patients via computed tomography (CT) scans. Our team segments the CT images and generates a corresponding adaptive finite element (FE) mesh for the bone-implant systems. All information from the musculoskeletal simulation was passed as patient-specific boundary conditions to our biomechanical FE simulation process based on the patient specific meshes. The evaluation of this diverse data set through musculoskeletal simulations results in a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to how different movement influences fracture healing.
In addition, the realistic boundary conditions reflect the natural fracture environment without resorting to idealized loads or rigid, unrealistic boundary conditions. The whole process helps unravel the complexity of the healing process, ultimately developing strategies for optimal rehabilitation, improving preoperative planning, and evaluating the ideal conditions for fracture healing.
Presented by:
Annchristin Andres, M.Sc. Applied Mechanics, Saarland University
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