A Methodology for Biomechanical Assessment of Proximal Humerus Fractures Using an Integrated Experimental and Computational Framework

Fractures of proximal humerus are currently the third most common fractures in patients over the age of 65 years. An integrated experimental and computational framework is proposed for the development of novel proximal humerus plates with enhanced biomechanical and clinical performance. It involves in vitro mechanical testing of leading proximal humerus plates using 3D laser scanners as an assessment modality to allow 3D comparison of different plate-humerus constructs during tests. This paper presents the methodology and shows the preliminary work from the 3D scanning to be used for computational modelling.