Final answer:
During fracture healing, cartilage is deposited in granulation tissue to form a soft callus, which is then converted into a bony callus of spongy bone over a period of up to two months.
Step-by-step explanation:
During fracture healing, cartilage is deposited in granulation tissue to form a structure known as a soft callus. This soft callus is a temporary repair tissue which consists of both hyaline and fibrocartilage. Within days of the fracture, fibroblasts and osteoblasts begin working on the bone repair process. Fibroblasts produce collagen fibers to connect broken bone ends, and osteoblasts start to form spongy bone. The soft callus eventually transitions into a bony callus of spongy bone, demonstrating the body's remarkable ca
pability for self-repair. This transformation can take up to two months, after which the bony callus is further remodeled into strong, dense bone over several months to years.