Stanmore researchers pioneer long-lasting shoulder replacement
Surgeons and bioengineers in Stanmore are to use cutting edge technology in a bid to produce a shoulder replacement that never wears out.
Researchers at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital have been awarded a grant of more than £142,000 from the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) to improve fixation techniques in shoulder replacement operations, which are carried out increasingly in patients with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Not as commonly performed or as successful as hip and knee replacement surgery, shoulder replacement nevertheless offers relief from pain for many arthritis sufferers, although a full range of movement may never be regained.
Now a team led by Professor Gordon Blunn, head of the biomedical engineering department in the Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculo-Skeletal Science in Brockley Hill, are to carry out an arc project to insert electronic devices into the implants to measure the forces going through the joint.
The device will then transmit the information to the research team via radio waves, in an exciting new technique called telemetry pioneered at Stanmore by Dr Steve Taylor, another member of the team.
“We want to make a shoulder replacement that will last for life, but to achieve long-term stability we need to know more precisely the forces the joint is exposed to – at present we have only limited knowledge of this, “ explained orthopaedic surgeon Ian Bayley. “We need this data to understand better the biomechanics of the joint, so that the design and fixation of shoulder replacement surgery can be improved.”
The team will be using a special form of uncemented shoulder replacement developed at Stanmore by Mr Bayley.
arc has just produced a new booklet on shoulder and elbow joint replacement. For a free copy please call 0870 850 5000.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fourth biggest medical research charity in the UK, and in the past 12 months raised £26m from public donations to find its extensive research programme.
