Hydraulic fracture stimulation, or fracking as it’s commonly known, is a method used by the oil and gas industry to extract oil from low permeability rock formations. The technique involves pumping fluid into a well at pressures that exceed the fracture pressure of the rock formation to cause it to crack and flow. The process can be carried out in a variety of ways and is crucial for the industry to remain viable, as it allows companies to exploit reserves that would otherwise be uneconomical. This process also creates jobs and contributes to our nation’s energy security. For more information on optimizing hydraulic fracture stimulation and production testing techniques, you can http://amirarticles.com/discover-the-finest-production-testing-in-northern-alberta/.
Fracture Stimulation and the Mechanobiological Mechanisms of Bone Healing
The mechanotransduction of mechanical stimuli has been shown to influence multiple aspects of skeletal healing. It impacts biological responses at the organ, tissue and cellular level leading to a cascade of physiologic events including recruitment of mesenchymal cells during the early phases of healing, formation of callus during repair and remodelling and reconstitution of the original bone during maturation.
This physiologic response to mechanical stimulation is controlled by mechanosensitive receptors within the bone. These receptors are triggered by mechanical deformation, in particular the application of compression or tension. Depending on the type and magnitude of strain, biological responses are either promoted or inhibited. For example, moderate compression induced by external forces has been shown to promote bone healing while compression greater than this has been shown to inhibit fracture healing.
Another important mechanism of healing is the generation of mesenchymal stem cells at the site of a fracture. These stem cells help the healing process by forming new bone, restoring blood supply to the area and activating other important biological pathways. Mechanical stimulation can increase the number of mesenchymal stem cells and improve healing by increasing cell proliferation and activating the mesenchymal differentiation gene, fibroblast growth factor and osteocalcin gene, all of which play critical roles in determining bone strength.
Many different types of bone growth stimulators exist and range in intensity and technology. Some involve placing electrodes on the surface of your skin, like a TENS unit, and some require you to lie down while they work. The best is the Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) device which sends a painless mechanical force through your body and into the bone, speeding up the healing process. It’s portable and only requires 20 minutes a day to get results.
In addition to a bone growth stimulator, it’s also important to get plenty of rest and exercise and eat a healthy diet that’s rich in vitamin D and calcium. These are simple steps that can be taken long before considering a bone stimulator and can help speed up the recovery process.
The use of an electrical stimulation device to stimulate the healing process has been shown to accelerate the formation of new bone in both experimental and clinical settings. However, it has yet to become a mainstream clinical treatment. We wanted to understand why this was the case and conducted a literature review and survey of orthopedic surgeons worldwide.