Improved friction and wear performance in polymeric components of orthopaedic bearings.

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Nearly 25,000 Canadians and 600,000 worldwide are implanted with an artificial knee each year. These devices are most often designed using specialized components made of metal (cobalt chrome) and plastic (ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene). They are the treatment of choice for severe degenerative joint disease, and they are now being implanted in active patients, some as young as 45. As a result, there is an increased need to improve their durability, particularly with respect to wear in the plastic component. While there have been improvements in the design of polyethylene for use in hips, this has not been the case for highly stressed joints such as the knee.