Non-invasive method and means for (in-vivo) bone-growth stimulation

摘要

An apparatus for preventing osteopenia, promoting bone tissue growth, ingrowth, and healing of bone tissue includes at least one rigid plate (11, 12, 31, 40, 42, 47, 50, 53, 70, 71) to support the living body, a stiffly compliant structure (13, 14, 41, 48, 48', 51, 76) engaged to the at least one plate, a dynamic force transducer (15, 15', 38, 38', 44, 44', 54, 77) engaged to the plate to vertically drive the plate. The stiffly compliant structure having a spring constant such that, in the context of the total of the mass of the plate and the mass of the plated-supported body mass, the total mass and the compliant structure exhibit a naturally resonant frequency in the range of 10 Hz to 100 Hz.