Stress shielding is the reduction in

bone density Bone density, or bone mineral density, is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue. The concept is of mass of mineral per volume of bone (relating to density in the physics sense), although clinically it is measured by proxy according to op ...

(

osteopenia Osteopenia, known as "low bone mass" or "low bone density", is a condition in which bone mineral density Bone density, or bone mineral density, is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue. The concept is of mass of mineral per volume of bone (r ...

) as a result of removal of typical stress from the bone by an implant (for instance, the femoral component of a hip prosthesis). This is because by

Wolff's law Wolff's law, developed by the German anatomist and surgeon Julius Wolff (1836–1902) in the 19th century, states that bone in a healthy animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bon ...

, bone in a healthy person or animal remodels in response to the loads it is placed under. Porous implantation is one typical alleviation method.

References

Orthopedic surgical procedures Skeletal disorders {{musculoskeletal-stub