Improved hip implants through clinically relevant hip joint testing

Title: Improved hip implants through more clinically relevant hip joint testing

Description: Total hip replacement was described as ‘the operation of the century’ in 2007.  Unfortunately, this was followed by large-scale failures in a subset of artificial hips, known as metal-on-metal hips.  At that time, research in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University was key in identifying and explaining these clinical failures.  Subsequently we have acquired a sophisticated hip joint simulator and, informed by our clinical knowledge and collaborators, we have used the simulator to focus in a key area of artificial hip joints that is associated with failures, namely the junction between the femoral head and the femoral stem, otherwise known as the taper-trunnion junction.  Our latest research continues to investigate the taper-trunnion junction and also to apply more clinically relevant loading conditions than suggested in current international standards.  Our overall aim is to improve designs of artificial hip joints for the ultimate benefit of patients.

Academic staff: Professor Tom Joyce, Dr Simon Smith

Researchers: Connor Thewlis

Contact: Thomas.joyce@ncl.ac.uk

Sponsors: Connor Thewlis is sponsored by a School of Engineering PhD Scholarship

Partners: JRI Orthopaedics, Sheffield, UK have kindly supplied test samples

Start Date: Since 2007

End Date: Ongoing