Accelerated fracture healing

Abstract

Acceleration of the fracture healing process would have farreaching benefits for both civilians and military personnel. Decreasing the time to return to complete function would reduce medical costs, enhance quality of life by decreasing pain and increasing mobility, accelerate the return of professional athletes to their sport, and decrease the time for military recruits to enter active duty after injuries incurred in basic training. Moreover, augmenting the healing process may prevent the long-term disability caused by fracture nonunion. Currently available pharmaceutical agents may allow us to realize this goal. However, these agents need to be tested in prospective randomized clinical trials. Copyright 2006 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons