Abstract
Wear of the polyethylene acetabular component is the most serious threat to the long-term success of total hip replacements (THRs). Greatly reduced wear rates have been reported for unidirectional, compared to multidirectional, articulation in vitro. This study considers the multidirectional motions experienced at the hip joint as described by movement loci of points on the femoral head for individual THR patients. A three-dimensional computer program determined the movement loci of selected points on the femoral head for THR patients and normal subjects using kinematic data obtained from gait analysis. The sizes and shapes of these loci were quantified by their sliding distances and aspect ratios with substantial differences exhibited between individual THR patients. The average sliding distances ranged from 10.0 to 18.1 mm and the average aspect ratios of the loci ranged from 2.5 to 9.2 for the THR patients. Positive correlations were found between wear rate and average sliding distance, the inverse of the average aspect ratio of the loci and the product of the average sliding distance and the inverse of the average aspect ratio of the loci. Patients with a normal hip joint range of motion produce multidirectional motion loci and tend to experience more wear than patients with more unidirectional motion loci. Differing patterns of multidirectional motion at the hip joint for individual THR patients may explain widely differing wear rates in vivo.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 393-402 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine |
Volume | 216 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 Jun 2002 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biomedical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
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Impact: Economic Impact, Health Impact