Regenerative Rehabilitation of the Musculoskeletal System.

Regenerative Rehabilitation is the convergence and integration of regenerative medicine and physical rehabilitation sciences 1 . Physical therapy (PT) is essential to support the return to function of a damaged or repaired tissue, however, the specific effects of PT down to the cellular level of regeneration are little explored 2 . Conversely, when thinking of regenerative approaches, the mechanical environment that cells and scaffolds must withstand in orthopaedic repair, is often regarded as a challenge that needs to be endured or overcome rather than as an opportunity that can be leveraged. Differently, in tissue engineering, cellular mechanobiology is more often studied to promote the maturation and the three-dimensional organization of engineered constructs, ranging from aligned muscled fibers to the zonal organization of chondrocytes. Regenerative rehabilitation can then be appreciated as an approach to translational mechanobiology, where the mechanical cues driving cell differentiation and function are directed by rehabilitation routines to promote repair and regeneration 3,4 . picture