Artificial Joints

Total knee replacement brings pain relief to millions of osteoarthritis sufferers each year. However, today’s patients expect more than just relief from pain – they also want to return to an active lifestyle. Modern knee replacements now need to replicate the behaviour and movements of the natural human knee during both work and play. To test the limits of prospective prostheses, engineers created this simulator which subjects new designs to the stresses and motions experienced in daily life. It acts as a model of the human knee, allowing investigation of forces and pressures within the joint, especially at the less-well understood articulation between the patella and femur [kneecap and thigh bone]. Thanks to the help of this simulator, knee replacements of the future could give patients greater mobility, less pain and a higher quality of life.

Written by Manisha Lalloo

Manisha Lalloo

Writer

Manisha Lalloo is a London-based science writer and communicator. Having studied chemistry, her work has taken her into physics, computing, engineering and beyond. She has a particular fondness for exploring science through craft.

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• Image courtesy of Tim Holsgrove
• Part of the University of Bath's Images of Research Competition 2013
• Copyright University of Bath