Analysis of a femoral hip prosthesis designed to reduce stress shielding

The natural stress distribution in the femur is significantly altered after total hip arthroplasty (THA). When an implant is introduced, it will carry a portion of the load, causing a reduction of stress in some regions of the remaining bone. This phenomenon is commonly known as stress shielding. In response to the changed mechanical environment the shielded bone will remodel according to Wolff's law, resulting in a loss of bone mass through the biological process called resorption. Resorption can, in turn, cause or contribute to loosening of the prosthesis. The problem is particularly common among younger THA recipients. This study explores the hypothesis that through redesign, a total hip prosthesis can be developed to substantially reduce stress shielding. First, we describe the development of a new femoral hip prosthesis designed to alleviate this problem through a new geometry and system of proximal fixation. A numerical comparison with a conventional intramedullary prosthesis as well as another proximally fixed prosthesis, recently developed by Munting and Verhelpen (1995. Journal of Biomechanics 28(8), 949–961) is presented. The results show that the new design produces a more physiological stress state in the proximal femur.