BACKGROUND:The limitations of computer technology in the study of bone biomechanics and the prediction of bone fixation strength, stability, fatigue damage and life expectancy are more difficult. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the new progress and application of finite element analysis in orthopedics. METHODS:The first author searched PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed) and CNKI China journal ful-text database (http://www.cnki.net/) published til November 2015. Key words were“finite element analysis, orthopedics, biomechanics”. There were 51 references in English and 320 Chinese literatures. According to the inclusion criteria, 40 literatures were selected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Biomechanics of human skeleton is very complex, and most of the mechanical state is a locomotive, non-static process, thus increasing the difficulty of orthopedic biomechanics research. The prediction concerning bone fixation strength, stability, fatigue damage and lifetime is more difficult. However, the finite element analysis technology, which has been widely applied and demonstrated its reliability actual y in engineering fields, can solve these problems effectively. With the rapid development of computer technology, finite element analysis in the field of orthopedic applications has increasingly been used, which also promoted the development of orthopedic technology.