Wolff’s Law: A Way of Understanding How Bones Change
Wolff’s Law: A Way of Understanding How Bones Change
Wolff’s law is a principle of bone physiology that states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. If loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become less dense and may even atrophy.
Wolff’s law was first proposed in 1892 by the German anatomist Julius Wolff. It has since been extensively studied and confirmed by numerous experiments. Wolff’s law is considered to be one of the fundamental principles of bone biology.
How Wolff’s Law Works
Wolff’s law is based on the concept of piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical charge when they are subjected to mechanical stress. Bone is a piezoelectric material, which means that it generates an electrical charge when it is loaded.
The electrical charge generated by bone loading is thought to stimulate the activity of osteoblasts, which are the cells that build new bone. When osteoblasts are stimulated, they produce new bone matrix, which is the material that makes up bone. Over time, the new bone matrix builds up and the bone becomes stronger.
Clinical Applications of Wolff’s Law
Wolff’s law has a number of clinical applications. For example, it is used to explain why bones become stronger in response to exercise. When a person exercises, the bones in the body are subjected to increased loading. This increased loading stimulates the activity of osteoblasts and leads to the formation of new bone. Over time, the bones become stronger and more resistant to fracture.
Wolff’s law is also used to explain why bones can become weaker in response to disuse. When a person is immobilized for a long period of time, the bones in the body are subjected to decreased loading. This decreased loading leads to a decrease in the activity of osteoblasts and a loss of bone mass. Over time, the bones become weaker and more susceptible to fracture.
Wolff’s law is a fundamental principle of bone biology that has a number of clinical applications. It is used to explain why bones become stronger in response to exercise and why they can become weaker in response to disuse. Wolff’s law is also used to design treatments for bone diseases such as osteoporosis.