When Roxanne Jamison retired after 22 years as a civilian employee of the U.S. Defense Department, she had no trouble finding things to do. An enthusiastic church volunteer, the 73-year-old retiree taught pre-school, answered phones, visited nursing homes, greeted worshipers at church services, attended Bible study and learned to play the organ. In her spare time, she took up country line dancing and traveling. Roxanne was on a vacation cruise when she fell and severely fractured her elbow.

The injury and subsequent recovery seriously restricted her independence. "It was quite humbling to have to have someone cut my food for me, bathe and shower me, and do all the things I had been accustomed to doing for myself," Roxanne says.

Fortunately, Roxanne was able to undergo complex orthopaedic surgery soon after her accident. Her orthopaedic surgeon, Fred Redfern, MD, performed multiple procedures to reposition the elbow bone, joint and nerve, using fixation devices to hold the bone together. Like many elderly women, Roxanne also had osteoporosis, which increased her risk of poor healing. To prevent inadequate bone healing, Dr. Redfern also did a supplementary bone graft.

Thanks to advanced bone grafting research, Dr. Redfern was able to use commercially available bone grafting material combined with a donor bone instead of having to harvest bone from the patient's own pelvis. Using allograft materials eliminated the need for another incision, reducing the chance of future complications.

Roxanne healed quickly after the surgery and has had few problems since then. She was able to begin physical therapy promptly and regained nearly a full range of motion. She has had little discomfort and has been able to return to her previous selfsufficient, active lifestyle.

Roxanne believes that more research funding to study osteoporosis and fracture healing would benefit the elderly and non-elderly alike. "In my nursing home visits, I can see how more research dollars could be beneficial to others...all nursing home residents are not elderly and the research dollars are urgently needed," she states. In particular, evaluating the performance of different bone graft substitutes will enable surgeons to tailor the choice of materials to each patient, maximizing successful outcomes.