The Relationship between Contact Pressure, Insert Thickness, and Mild Wear in Total Knee Replacements
Y. Bei1, B.J. Fregly1, W.G. Sawyer1, S.A. Banks1,2, N.H. Kim1
CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 145-152, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2004.006.145
Abstract Mild wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene tibial inserts continues to affect the longevity of total knee replacements (TKRs). Using static finite element and elasticity analyses, previous studies have hypothesized that polyethylene wear can be reduced by using a thicker tibial insert to decrease contact pressures. To date, no study has taken this hypothesis to the next step by performing dynamic analyses under in vivo functional conditions to quantify the relationship between contact pressures, insert thickness, and mild wear. This study utilizes multibody dynamic simulations incorporating elastic contact to perform such analyses. \textit {In vivo} fluoroscopic… More >