SPORTS ACTIVITY AND HIP, KNEE, SHOULDER AND INTERVERTEBRAL DISC ARTHROPLASTIES

ABSTRACT The success of joint replacement surgery has been responsible for raising patients' expectations regarding the procedure. Many of these procedures are currently designed not only to relive the pain caused by arthrosis, but also to enable patients to achieve functional recovery and to engage in some degree of physical activity and sports. However, as physical exercise causes an increase in forces exercised through the articular prosthesis, it can be an important risk factor for its early failure. Scientific literature on sports after arthroplasty is limited to small-scale retrospective studies with short-term follow-up, which are mostly insufficient to evaluate articular prosthesis durability. This article presents a review of the literature on sports in the context of hip, knee, shoulder and intervertebral disc arthroplasty, and puts forward general recommendations based on the current scientific evidence. Systematic Review, Level of Evidence III.

A Method for Prediction of Femoral Component of Hip Prosthesis Durability due to Aseptic Loosening by Using Coffin/Manson Fatigue Model

The purpose of this work is to develop a new model estimate of the fatigue life of a hip prosthesis due to aseptic loosening as a multifactorial phenomenon. The formula developed here is a three-parameter model based on Basquin’s law for fatigue, eccentric compression formula for the compressive stress and torsion in the prosthesis due to the horizontal components of the contact force. With our model, we can accurately predict the durability of a hip prosthesis due to the following four parameters: body weight, femoral offset, duration, and intensity of daily physical activities of a patient. The agreement of the prediction with the real life of the prosthesis, observed on 15 patients, is found to be adequate. Based on the formula derived for a particular implant, there was a high degree of concurrence between the model-predicted and actual values of aseptic loosening (durability) proved by the Mann–Whitney U test. By virtue of the validated model, it is possible to predict, quantitatively, the influence of various factors on the hip life. For example, we can conclude that a 10% decrease of a patient’s body mass, with all other conditions being the same, causes 5% increase of the hip fatigue life.

An Insight into Methods and Practices in Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has improved the quality of life of patients with hip arthritis. Orthopedic community is striving for excellence to improve surgical techniques and postoperative care. Despite these efforts, patients continue facing postoperative complications. In particular, patients with rheumatoid arthritis display a higher risk of certain complications such as dislocation, periprosthetic infection, and shorter prosthesis durability. In this review we present the current knowledge of hip arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with more insight into common practices and interventions directed at enhancing recovery of these patients and current shortfalls.