Wolff's Law

"In the 19th century, surgeon Julius Wolff proposed that mechanical stress was responsible for determining the architecture of bone...." (Forwood & Turner, 1995, p. 197).

"Remodeling of bone ... occurs in response to physical stresses - or to the lack of them - in that bone is deposited in sites subjected to stress and is resorbed from sites where there is little stress" (Salter, 1970, p.7).

References

Forwood, M.R., & Turner, C.H. (1995). Skeletal adaptations to mechanical usage. Bone, 17, 197s-205s .

Salter, R.B. (1970). Textbook of disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system (1st ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.

Wolff, J. (1891). Das gesetz der transformation der knochen. Berlin: A Hirschwald.

---

Last updated 3-14-01 ©Dave Thompson PT
return to PHTH 7243 / OCTH 7242 lecture schedule