Mechanical loads exerted on the skeleton during activities such as walking are important regulators of bone repair, but dynamic biomechanical signals are difficult to measure inside the body. The inability to measure the mechanical environment in injured tissues is a significant barrier to developing integrative regenerative and rehabilitative strategies that can accelerate recovery from fracture, segmental bone loss, and spinal fusion. Here we engineered an implantable strain sensor platform and longitudinally measured strain across a bone defect in real-time throughout rehabilitation. The results showed that load-sharing permitted by a load-sharing fixator initially delivered a two-fold increase in deformation magnitude, subsequently increased mineralized bridging by nearly three-fold, and increased bone formation by over 60%. These data implicate a critical role for early mechanical cues on the long term healing response as strain cycle magnitude at 1 week (before appreciable healing occurred) had a significant positive correlation with the long-term bone regeneration outcomes. Furthermore, we found that sensor readings correlated with the status of healing, suggesting a role for strain sensing as an X-ray-free healing assessment platform. Therefore, non-invasive strain measurements may possess diagnostic potential to evaluate bone repair and reduce clinical reliance on current radiation-emitting imaging methods. Together, this study demonstrates a promising framework to quantitatively develop and exploit mechanical rehabilitation strategies that enhance bone repair.

中文翻译：

---

无线传感器可在康复过程中对再生生态位力学进行纵向监测，从而增强骨骼修复

在步行等活动中施加在骨骼上的机械载荷是骨骼修复的重要调节器，但动态生物力学信号很难在体内测量。无法测量受伤组织中的机械环境是开发综合再生和康复策略的重大障碍，这些策略可以加速骨折、节段性骨丢失和脊柱融合的恢复。在这里，我们设计了一个可植入的应变传感器平台，并在整个康复过程中实时纵向测量整个骨缺损处的应变。结果表明，负载共享固定器允许的负载共享最初使变形量增加了两倍，随后矿化桥接增加了近三倍，骨形成增加了 60% 以上。这些数据暗示早期机械线索对长期愈合反应的关键作用，因为第 1 周（在发生明显愈合之前）的应变周期幅度与长期骨再生结果呈显着正相关。此外，我们发现传感器读数与愈合状态相关，表明应变传感作为无 X 射线愈合评估平台的作用。因此，非侵入性应变测量可能具有评估骨修复和减少临床对当前辐射发射成像方法的依赖的诊断潜力。总之，这项研究展示了一个有前景的框架，可以定量开发和利用增强骨骼修复的机械康复策略。