This 2001 current concepts review by Rubin et al. synthesizes animal, in vitro, and clinical data on low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) at 30 mW/cm² for 20 min/day as a noninvasive method to accelerate fracture healing, asking whether biophysical stimulation can meaningfully shorten healing time and reduce nonunion rates across a range of fractures and patient risk factors.
When you see a high-risk fracture—smoker, diabetic, elderly patient, or a site prone to nonunion (scaphoid, Jones fracture, tibial diaphysis)—LIPUS at 30 mW/cm² for 20 min/day is an FDA-approved adjunct that can meaningfully reduce healing time and nonunion risk; it does not appear to benefit fractures already rigidly fixed with reamed intramedullary nails, so patient selection matters.
This 2001 current concepts review by Rubin et al. synthesizes animal, in vitro, and clinical data on low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) at 30 mW/cm² for 20 min/day as a noninvasive method to accelerate fracture healing, asking whether biophysical stimulation can meaningfully shorten healing time and reduce nonunion rates across a range of fractures and patient risk factors.
When you see a high-risk fracture—smoker, diabetic, elderly patient, or a site prone to nonunion (scaphoid, Jones fracture, tibial diaphysis)—LIPUS at 30 mW/cm² for 20 min/day is an FDA-approved adjunct that can meaningfully reduce healing time and nonunion risk; it does not appear to benefit fractures already rigidly fixed with reamed intramedullary nails, so patient selection matters.