Bone and joint surgery--looking ahead

Looking ahead, one envisions an era of remarkable progress in the study of the healing of bone and cartilage. The physical, biochemical, and biomechanical factors governing bone and cartilage healing will be defined and manipulated to accelerate the healing process. Joint stiffness, the undesirable sequela of many simple fractures of the hand as a result of prolonged immobilization, will be obviated. For cases of limited joint damage, techniques for joint reconstruction will be refined. For non-salvageable bone and joint destruction, microvascular allogenic transplantation of skeletal units will become a reality. Silastic implants in the wrist will become historical oddities.