Resonance of the human tibia. Method, reproducibility and effect of transection

Driving point impedance technique was used for in vivo determination of the lowest frequency of resonance (Fa) in the human tibia. Optimum conditions for measurement were investigated. The precision of the method was 4.7 per cent and the greatest source of variation was the positioning of the leg and muscular tension. Fa was investigatyed during transection of the human tibia post-mortem and was found to decrease as stiffness was reduced by the transection. Accordingly Fa was decreased in four patients with crural fractures. The experiments indicate that the method can be used for the determination of fracture healing.