Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of the Biomechanics of External Skeletal Fixation in Comminuted Long Bone Fractures in Nigerian Veterinary Patients

External skeletal fixation is a widely employed fracture management technique in Nigerian veterinary practice, yet the biomechanical principles governing construct design and their clinical implications for comminuted fracture outcomes remain theoretically underdeveloped in the Nigerian veterinary literature. This doctoral study undertakes a combined theoretical biomechanical analysis and clinical empirical investigation of external skeletal fixation in comminuted long bone fractures in dogs and cattle at veterinary teaching hospitals in Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa States, North Central Nigeria, between 2021 and 2024. The theoretical component employed finite element modeling to predict strain distribution across seven external fixator configurations under simulated physiological loading conditions representing Nigerian patient weight categories. The empirical component prospectively enrolled 68 animals with comminuted fractures managed by external skeletal fixation, with radiographic and force plate gait analysis at biweekly intervals for 12 weeks. Finite element modeling demonstrated that hybrid fixator configurations combining Type I and Type II frames provided significantly more uniform interfragmentary strain within the optimal bone healing range of 2 to 10% compared to Type I frames alone. Empirical findings confirmed superior time to radiographic union in hybrid fixator cases at a mean of 9.4 weeks versus 12.8 weeks for Type I alone. This integration of theoretical biomechanical modeling with clinical data constitutes an original methodological contribution to veterinary orthopedic research in Nigeria, providing evidence-based fixator design recommendations for comminuted fracture management under the resource conditions of North Central Nigerian teaching hospitals. Keywords: external skeletal fixation, biomechanics, comminuted fracture, finite element modeling, veterinary orthopedics.