Stress shielding
Stress shielding refers to the reduction in bone density as a result of removal of typical stress from the bone by an implant. This is because by Wolff's law, bone in a healthy person or animal will remodel in response to the loads it is placed under. Therefore, if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become less dense and weaker because there is no stimulus for continued remodeling that is required to maintain bone mass.
