I have seen a lot of works that talk about computational modeling, and seen examples that support the idea that trabecular bone grows according to function, but I haven´t seen any paper that says: "Yes, Wolff's law is real, and this is why."
Hi Antonio,
There was some research done quite a long time ago that showed the place of Wolff's law in bone remodelling:
Chamay, A., & Tschantz, P. (1972). Mechanical influences in bone remodeling. Experimental research on Wolff's law. Journal of biomechanics, 5(2), 173-180.
Woo, S. L., Kuei, S. C., Amiel, D., Gomez, M. A., Hayes, W. C., White, F. C., & Akeson, W. H. (1981). The effect of prolonged physical training on the properties of long bone: a study of Wolff's Law. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume, 63(5), 780-787.
To see what has happened since these earlier pieces of research, here are a couple of reviews by one person (Frost), which show what was known in 1994 and 2004. The reference lists from these reviews will give you plenty of research evidence for the accuracy of Wolff's Law, and ideas for some contexts where it does not predict bone response fully. The 10-year gap gives a good idea of how much the research changes the evidence over time.
Frost, H. M. (2004). A 2003 update of bone physiology and Wolff's Law for clinicians. The Angle Orthodontist, 74(1), 3-15.
Frost, H. M. (1994). Wolff's Law and bone's structural adaptations to mechanical usage: an overview for clinicians. The Angle Orthodontist, 64(3), 175-188.
Regards,
Jeremy
Hi Antonio.
I would recommend the following two journal articles in regards to Wolff's law:
- Ruff, C., Holt, B., & Trinkaus, E. (2006). Who's afraid of the big bad Wolff?:“Wolff's law” and bone functional adaptation. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 129(4), 484-498.
- Iolascon, G., Resmini, G., & Tarantino, U. (2013). Mechanobiology of bone. Aging clinical and experimental research, 25(1), 3-7.
The first address some misconceptions about the context of Wolff's Law and the second shows a nice history from the work of Von Meyer in 1867 through Julius Wolff’s work to Frosts refinement in the 2000s.
In regards to Davis' Law, there are several text which discuss the adaptation of Wolff's Law to soft tissue but I have yet to find any solid support for this specific law in journal literature. Hopefully a fellow contributor may provide further insights.
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