Prosthetic Design
The main objectives of the prosthetic design for ankle joint replacements are:
- to replicate original joint function, by restoring an appropriate kinematics at the replaced joint;
- to permit a good fixation of the components, which would involve an appropriate load transfer to the bone and minimum risk of loosening;
- to guarantee longevity of the implant, which is mainly related to wear resistance;
- feasibility of implantation, because of the small dimensions of the joint.
As with other joint replacements, the traditional dilemma between mobility and congruency must be addressed. Unconstrained or semiconstrained designs allow the necessary mobility but require incongruent contact, thereby giving rise to large contact stresses and potentially high wear rates. Conversely, congruent designs produce large contact areas with low contact stresses but transmit undesirable constraint forces that can overload the fixation system at the bone-component interface.
Read more about this topic: Ankle Replacement
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