Challenge

Even when the orthopedic science has carried out an incredible evolution from its beginnings, there are still many areas of opportunity for design improvement especially in those implants trying to reproduce natural movements of some structural parts within our body. The column is the anatomical structure supporting a wide range of movements of the whole body, the vertebras and intervertebral discs are the individual units providing the spinal motions to a specific position. The current prosthesis for intervertebral discs are mainly providing structural support for the spine excluding the reproduction of the natural movement of the anatomical unit.

Solution

The deep research on the effects of all the movements in the spine during the execution of daily activities provided the constrains and the operation limits to analyze a proper performance of the device. We carried out design iterations as well as finite element analysis that allowed us to find a geometry capable of making a greater range of natural movements. Additionally, the intervertebral disc was designed in such a way that the compression loads were distributed homogeneously in the core of the geometry, avoiding the wear caused by its contact with the clamping plates.

Results

The resulting design provided doctors an easy implantation with minimal invasion to the patient. It provided the patient with a solution for maintaining a normal structural stability and at the same time able to reproduce the spine natural movements.

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