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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model
Published on: April 18, 2011
The stumble-from pipe cleaner to bone builder
Arthur L M Swislocki1, Jason A Wexler
1Medical Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, California 94553, USA.
Objective:
To review the history of the transition of bisphosphonate use from bench chemistry to clinical applications.
Methods:
Pertinent medical literature, including limited-distribution as well as peer-reviewed publications, was reviewed.
Results:
Bisphosphonates were originally developed to interfere with calcium deposition. An expanded understanding of bone physiology, as well as a growing appreciation of bisphosphonate chemistry, allowed a broadening range of clinical applications.
Conclusion:
The use of bisphosphonates in clinical medicine depended on a series of fortuitous events that, at the time, were "stumbles," not unlike the discoveries of Fleming and Newton. The logical sequence is more apparent in retrospect.
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