Tissue Positioning Device for Shoulder Joint Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for repositioning tissues, such as casts and splints, are inadequate for heavily articulatable joints like the shoulder, leading to pain and impaired function due to tissue displacement.
Innovation Solution
A biocompatible tissue positioning device, either in the form of a spacer or expandable bladder, is placed adjacent to the affected tissue, using materials like silicone rubber and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which can be expanded with filler materials to maintain tissue position and secured with attachment means like sutures or bone anchors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional devices like casts and splints are used for tissue repositioning, then they provide stable positioning, but they are inadequate for heavily articulatable joints like the shoulder and cause pain and impaired function
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into multiple components: a first member attached to the glenoid, a second member attached to the humerus, and a connector member linking them. This segmentation allows independent positioning and adjustment of each component, providing stable tissue repositioning while preserving shoulder joint articulation and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A connector member is introduced as an intermediary element between the first member (on glenoid) and the second member (on humerus). This intermediary allows controlled movement and articulation between the two bone surfaces, maintaining both positioning stability and joint functionality that traditional rigid casts cannot provide.
2Reliability
If invasive surgeries like shoulder replacement are performed, then tissue positioning is corrected, but patient inconvenience and recovery time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The device prepares the joint for future motion by pre-positioning the humerus relative to the glenoid and creating appropriate spacing, but allows the joint to begin moving immediately. This preliminary positioning avoids the need for lengthy immobilization periods required by traditional casts while preventing the extensive surgical intervention and long recovery of shoulder replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from static immobilization (casts) or permanent replacement (arthroplasty) to a dynamic solution that allows controlled motion. The connector member and articulating surfaces enable the joint to move through its range of motion while maintaining proper tissue positioning, significantly reducing recovery time compared to invasive procedures.
3Ease of operation
If the device allows normal activities immediately, then patient convenience increases, but adequate tissue positioning and support must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The device changes the physical parameters of the joint space by introducing controlled spacing between the glenoid and humerus. This parameter modification maintains proper tissue positioning and prevents humeral head migration while allowing normal joint articulation and patient activities, achieving both functionality and reliability simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tissue positioning device comprising a biocompatible member having a size and shape suitable for placement within a space adjacent to a tissue to be positioned and which acts to maintain the tissue in a desired position. The member may be a rigid or flexible spacer having a defined shape, or a bladder capable of receiving and being at least partially expanded by a filler material. The device can made from a variety of materials or a composite of materials as needed, and may include one or more attachment means by which it can be secured to nearby tissues such that it is maintained in a desired spatial location. The filler material can be any of a number of substances, including liquids, gases, a curable liquid such as bone cement or urethane foam, or a spring.