Abstract
Total disc arthroplasty is gaining in popularity as an alternative to spinal fusion. A total disc consists of articulating bearing surfaces with one made from a metal and the other made from either a metal or a polymer. The aim of this study was to determine the contact stresses in lumbar total disc arthroplasty devices. The total disc was modelled as a ball and socket joint and Hertzian contact theory was used to determine the maximum contact stresses. The effect of material combination and implant size on contact stress was investigated. For a typical disc arthroplasty with a ball radius of 14 mm, the contact stresses for metal against polymer and metal against metal material combinations were 3 to 6 MPa and 63-130 MPa, respectively, and were below the fatigue strength of the materials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 169-173 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering |
| Volume | 17 |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Nov 2007 |
Keywords
- cobalt chrome molybdenum alloy
- stress
- ultra high molecular weight polyethylene
- disc arthroplasty
- Hertzian