Bone healing and spinal fusion

Bone is a tissue that constantly undergoes deposition, resorption of stromal matrix, and remodeling. These processes may be altered by a variety of chemical, mechanical, cellular, and pathological mechanisms. Understanding the physiology of bone healing and the mechanisms affecting this process is important not only when evaluating normal skeletal development but also when initiating fracture repair. Because the ultimate success of spinal fusions involves creation of an osseous union, we focus this review on the anatomy and physiology of bone under physiological conditions, normal bone healing and mechanisms that alter it, and available adjuvant therapies that may enhance healing potential in a clinical setting.