ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the key facts concerning fracture biomechanics and healing, and bone grafting and banking. Bone can be subjected to compressive, tensile, bending and/or torsional forces. Fractures can be classified according to the nature of their causative force. A single application of force produces a fracture pattern characterized by the nature of the application of force. Cortical bone is stiffer than cancellous bone and tolerates less strain before fracture. Fracture healing shares many similarities with soft-tissue healing, but it is unique in its ability to heal completely without scar formation. To comprehend the stages of fracture healing, Perren's strain theory must first be understood. Bone grafting is the use of any implanted material that alone or in combination with other materials promotes a bone-healing response by providing osteogenic, osteoconductive or osteoinductive activity to a local site. As human bone grafts are available in limited quantities, bone banks have been set up to provide bone to institutions that require it.
