Rotatable Collar for Shoulder Prosthesis Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoulder prostheses face inflexibility in attaching bone fragments and soft tissues, leading to reduced mobility in the repaired joint due to fixed attachment points.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable collar is designed to couple with a prosthetic component, featuring a neck hole for rotation and multiple attachment points for bone fragments and soft tissues, allowing for adjustable positioning and locking to ensure proper alignment and tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed attachment points are used on conventional shoulder prostheses, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the mobility of the repaired joint is reduced due to inflexibility in positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is designed to rotate about the neck portion of the prosthesis, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one. This rotation capability allows the attachment points to be positioned optimally for each patient's anatomy and fracture pattern, thereby improving joint mobility without requiring multiple different prosthesis designs
Solution Approach 2:
The collar is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently positioned and rotated relative to the prosthesis stem. This segmentation allows the attachment points to be oriented independently from the stem orientation, providing versatility in soft tissue reattachment while keeping the overall device structure manageable
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple attachment points are provided for bone fragments and soft tissues, then the versatility of the prosthesis is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collar serves multiple functions: it provides attachment points for soft tissues, supports bone fragments, and enables rotational adjustment for optimal positioning. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single collar component rather than requiring separate elements for each function, the design achieves high attachment flexibility without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
3Ease of operation
If the collar is made rotatable for precise positioning, then the access to suture points is enhanced, but the risk of improper positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is designed with pre-marked rotational positions and alignment features that guide the surgeon to the correct orientation. These preliminary markings and guides are built into the collar structure itself, ensuring that even though the collar is rotatable, it can be accurately positioned without requiring complex external alignment tools or advanced surgical skills
Data Source
AI summary
A collar arranged to couple to a prosthetic component for implantation at the end of a long bone, the prosthetic component having a distal portion arranged to couple to the bone and a proximal neck portion arranged to couple to an articulation component. The collar comprises a plate including a neck hole to receive a neck portion, such that the collar can rotate about the neck portion. The collar further comprises a plurality of attachment portions for coupling the plate to bone fragments or soft tissues. The collar is lockable to the neck portion to prevent further rotation. A prosthesis comprising a combination of a collar, a prosthetic component and an articulation component, and a surgical method of using the collar are also disclosed.