The mechanobiology of osteoarthritis

Abstract

In combining biomechanical investigations with microanatomical studies, the authors have found new evidence suggesting a mechanobiological link between the altered microstructural response of degenerate cartilage to load, and the way in which structural changes develop in the early osteoarthritic joint. This paper presents the data and background for a new hypothesis exploring the initiation and progression of mechanically-driven osteoarthritic processes. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.