Thermoelectroelastic solutions for surface bone remodeling under axial and transverse loads.

Abstract

Theoretical prediction of surface bone remodeling in the diaphysis of the long bone under various external loads are made within the framework of adaptive elastic theory. These loads include external lateral pressure, electric and thermal loads. Two solutions are presented for analyzing thermoelectroelastic problems of surface bone remodeling. The analytical solution that gives explicit formulation is capable of modeling homogeneous bone materials, while the semi-analytical solution is suitable for analyzing inhomogeneous cases. Numerical results are presented to verify the proposed formulation and to show the effects of mechanical, thermal and electric loads on surface bone remodeling process.