Influence of ultrasound and physical activity on bone healing

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ultrasound treatment of experimental bone fractures and the effects of physical exercise on the speed of bone consolidation. Osteotomy was performed on the upper third of the right tibia of rats. Physical training consisted of swimming 1 h per d with a load of 5% body weight and therapy with medium-intensity ultrasound was applied for 5 min daily. Young adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (1) osteotomized sedentary animals with no ultrasound treatment (OSnUS); (2) trained with no ultrasound treatment (OTnUS); (3) sedentary with ultrasound treatment (OSwUS); and (4) trained with ultrasound treatment (OTwUS). The animals were sacrificed for the following analyses: muscle glycogen and serum alkaline phosphatase on the 5(th), 10(th), 20(th) and 30(th) days and histological slices of the bone on the 5(th) and 20(th) days. The results show that ultrasound is better in the initial phases of the process of bone tissue repair and physical exercise at the end of bone consolidation. These facts suggest that the treatments herein used prove favorable to the bone regenerative process, as the overall ossification process has been accelerated.