Stress Shielding
Stress shielding occurs when highly stiff metal implants take greater mechanical load than the surrounding bone, leading to bone thinning and subsequent fractures that limit future treatment options.
Early studies demonstrate that titanium implants with high porosity, such as implants with an open space lattice design, facilitates bone growth within and on the implant allowing for load sharing, thus alleviating stress-shielding risks. This study compared two custom 3D-printed titanium implants, a solid plate with high stiffness and an open space latticed plate with high flexibility, where results demonstrated that the lattice implant produced denser, less porous bone and showed some bone in-growth into the lattice pores. Findings corroborated with earlier studies, suggesting that incorporating load-bearing open space lattices within metal implants may improve long-term bone health and implant stability.