Mechanical effects of a cushioned plate on bone fixation.

In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to study mechanical effects of the cushioned plate fixation in which a cushion was placed between a metal plate and bone. The cushioned plate fixation was found to be flexible in the physiological stress range and to reduce the stick slip between bone and the plate. A blood-soaked compression test indicated that the cushion moderates the stress shielding effect which occurs in the vicinity of the rigid plate, this being consistent with the result of in vivo experiments.