Development of techniques to improve mechanical analyses of the reconstructed shoulder joint

肩关节炎是一种常见的慢性疾病，也是引起疼痛、残疾和卫生保健服务利用的重要原因。肩关节炎的发病率随着年龄的增长而增加，因此，这种疾病的患病率和负担正在迅速增加。用金属和/或塑料植入物替换患病的肩关节提供了最成功和最可预测的关节关节炎疼痛缓解方法。不稳定和植入物过早松动会使肩关节置换术复杂化，这也是重建失败的主要原因。虽然现在已经有了多种植入系统，但从工程学的角度来看，这些设计的力学含义，特别是关节运动和加载方面，仍有许多需要了解。优化这些关节的功能需要在实验室进行基于工程的生物力学研究。因此，这项研究的长期目标是进行一系列全面的调查，旨在研究肩部植入物的生物力学，特别是为外科医生、工程师和治疗师提供新的知识，以加强植入物的设计，改进现有的外科技术，并开发最佳的治疗方案。在这项工作的5年时间里，建议开发肩部测试系统来研究植入物重建肩关节的生物力学。此外，还将开发能够量化肩部稳定性的技术，以供最终在手术室临床使用。这些研究很可能会导致最先进的测试计划的发展，从而允许广泛的基于研究的研究。还预计，建立植入物测试系统将成为植入物制造商的流行方法，因为他们的设计最终可以在该系统中被跟踪以评估新的。最终，这些研究将改善患者肩部植入物的机械性能。

Shoulder arthritis is a common chronic disease and a significant cause of pain, disability and utilization of health care services. The incidence of shoulder arthritis increases with age and, as a result, the prevalence and burden of this disorder is increasing rapidly. Replacement of the diseased shoulder with metal and/or plastic implants provides the most successful and predictable relief of pain for arthritis of this joint. Instability and premature implant loosening can complicate shoulder replacement, and is a major cause of failure of this reconstruction. Although a variety of implant systems are now available, much remains to be understood regarding the mechanical implications of these designs from an engineering perspective, particularly with regard to joint motion and loading. Optimizing the function of these joints necessitates engineering based biomechanical studies in the laboratory. Hence, the long-term goal of this research is to conduct a comprehensive series of investigations, aimed at the study of the biomechanics of shoulder implants, with special interest in arming the surgeon, engineer, and therapist with new knowledge that will enhance the design of implants, improve current surgical techniques, and develop optimal therapy protocols. Over the 5-year tenure of this work, it is proposed to develop shoulder-testing systems to investigate the biomechanics of implant reconstructed shoulder joints. Also, techniques that permit the quantification of shoulder stability for eventual clinical use in the operating room will be developed. It is likely that these studies will result in the evolution of a state of the art testing program that will permit a wide range of research-based studies. It is also anticipated that the establishment of the implant testing system will become a popular approach for implant manufacturers, as their designs can eventually be trailed in this system to assess new. Ultimately, these studies will improve the mechanical performance of shoulder implants in the patient.