Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins University are developing a biodegradable material to promote healing in broken hips, legs and other bones, the Arthritis Foundation says.
The material is fashioned into a plate and implanted at the site of the fracture, where it gradually dissolves while the bone mends, according to Arthritis Today.Researchers say this may be superior to the current method of supporting the bone with metal pins and plates, because when removed, the pins and plates leave behind a bone that may be unprepared to handle normal stress and thus more prone to refracture.
With the new method, the natural bone progressively assumes more weight as the artificial material wears away, until the bone is able to support all the weight on its own. Also, because the implant completely dissolves, a second surgery is not needed to remove it.