Orthobiologics: a survey of materials and techniques

The modern study of the regenerative capabilities of skeletal tissues began in 1964, when Marshall Urist discovered that bone devoid of inorganic content and dried into a powder could be implanted into the muscle of a rabbit with resultant ectopic bone formation. Use of this technology is now commonplace, and a plethora of orthobiologic materials are available to the foot and ankle surgeon. The science has even become advanced to the point that custom bone replacements can be fabricated in vitro. This points toward an exciting future for the use of this technology by foot and ankle surgeons.