Load-Adaptive Patellar Tendon Realignment Implant
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical techniques for realigning the patella to treat patella-femoral joint issues are invasive and result in prolonged recovery times, and existing patellar tendon realignment implants do not adapt to changing loads on the patellar tendon.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic implant with a tibia contact surface and a tendon contact surface that can change shape in response to applied loads, featuring flexible materials and a fixation mechanism to attach to the tibia, allowing for temporary deformation and reconfiguration to reduce tension or compression on the patellar tendon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional surgical techniques are used to realign the patella, then patella-femoral joint problems can be treated, but the surgery is invasive and results in prolonged recovery times
Solution Approach 1:
The implant changes its physical state from rigid to flexible in response to load parameters. Under compression loads (kneeling, impacts), the implant becomes flexible to temporarily reduce the distance between tendon and tibia, while maintaining rigidity during normal activities to provide stable realignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure that adapts its flexibility based on loading conditions. This allows the implant to provide different mechanical responses for different activities, reducing recovery time while maintaining treatment efficacy.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid implant structure is used, then stable support is provided, but the implant cannot adapt to changing loads on the patellar tendon
Solution Approach 1:
The implant's mechanical properties change in response to load parameters. The material transitions between rigid and flexible states based on the magnitude and type of applied load, enabling both structural stability during normal use and adaptability during high-stress activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant incorporates dynamic characteristics that allow it to adjust its stiffness dynamically. This enables the implant to maintain stability for routine activities while adapting to accommodate extreme loads without permanent deformation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the implant maintains a fixed shape, then manufacturing is simpler, but the implant cannot reduce tension or compression on the patellar tendon during specific activities
Solution Approach 1:
The implant uses materials or structures that change their physical parameters (flexibility, shape) in response to environmental conditions (load). This allows a relatively simple manufacturing process to produce an implant with complex adaptive behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant automatically adjusts its shape and flexibility in response to loading conditions without external control. The material or structure inherently responds to compression loads by becoming more flexible, eliminating the need for complex control systems while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implant effectively reduces the distance between the tendon and tibia contact surfaces by up to 75% during load application, providing relief and returning to the original configuration when the load is removed, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing recovery time.
Implementation Method 1
the orthopedic implant being further configured to change shape from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to a load applied between the tendon contact surface and the tibia contact surface
Data Source
AI summary
An orthopedic implant with an inferior portion having a tibia contact surface configured to extend over a tibia; a superior portion opposite to the inferior portion having a tendon contact surface configured to change a position of a patellar tendon by lifting or tilting the patellar tendon when the curved surface of the first portion is engaged with the tibia; and a fixation mechanism adapted to attach the orthopedic implant to the tibia, the orthopedic implant being further configured to change shape from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to a load applied between the tendon contact surface and the tibia contact surface. The invention also addresses corresponding methods.