Tiny implantable sensors that can transmit real-time data about how bone injuries are healing could improve recovery, according to a US study in rats.

After injury, resistance training with exercise is an effective form of rehabilitation to aid healing, however it can be difficult to identify the exact type and intensity of exercise that is best suited to each individual.

A team led by the University of Oregon (UO), which developed the sensors, implanted the devices into rats with thigh bone injuries.

As a form of rehabilitation, the rats were then put on to exercise wheels – some on a standard wheel and others a wheel where the level of resistance could be controlled (similar to a treadmill).

After eight weeks, the researchers saw – thanks to data sent by the sensors – that the rats running on the modified wheel showed earlier signs of bone healing than those using the standard wheel, or those that were sedentary.

The resistance-trained rats also had denser tissue, which suggested the exercise enhanced bone healing.

Robert Guldberg at UO said: “We are hopeful this work can one day be translated to clinical settings, where these sensors can capture personalized measurements that account for injury type and severity to best inform rehabilitation decisions.”