I've heard of people getting bits of bone taken from one part of the body and used in another part. How does this work?

Sometimes, people need bone to help heal a problem or to replace lost bone. This lost bone could be due to surgery (removing a tumor and part of bone), an accident, or deterioration of a bone. Grafting can be done with other materials, but over the years, doctors and researchers have learned that in many cases, bone from the patient him or herself is often the best material to use.

To get this bone, the usual place is in the pelvis, from an area called the iliac crest. The surgeon removes a bit of the bone that he or she needs and then places it in the destination site. The bone is then grafted, or attached, and the body begins to heal itself.

In the meantime, the iliac crest area will also have to be cared for so it may heal as well.