Composights Blog

Innovations Drive Improved Orthopedic Prosthetic Implants

Mobility is one of the fundamental requirements for any human. Accidents can be avoided, but conditions such as inflammatory diseases, degeneration of bones, and the many bone issues that come with aging are inevitable. It is quite clear that in the coming years, the population using prostheses will continue to rise. Orthopedic prosthetic implants are utilized either to replace a damaged body part enabling proper functioning with improved strength, or to make an available fixation point of bone to hold the implant.

The first ever bone plate that was implanted in a human body is reported to be in the 1560s, centuries before the advent of anesthesia. Since then, there has been no looking back in the implants sector, and further upgrades in medical inventions have led the way to the development of orthopedic prosthetic implants. Orthopedic prosthetic implants are utilized either to replace a damaged body part enabling proper functioning with improved strength, or to make an available fixation point of bone to hold the implant. Each year, more than 500,000 patients globally suffer a spinal cord injury for reasons ranging from sports-related trauma and road accidents to increasing incidences of spondylolisthesis and disc degenerative conditions, and more, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. These incidents lead to severe health conditions, and in some cases, a patient can even be confined to a wheelchair. In many cases, orthopedic prosthetic implants can enable such patients to get regain their mobility. Artificial limbs, spinal fusion, joint replacement, and plates and screws are a few orthopedic prosthetic implants in use today. Although these implants don’t create a new life, they surely improve the quality of life, allowing patients to live without the discomfort that chronic pain, deformities, or injuries bring. Types of Prosthetic Implants and their Uses Orthopedic implants can be permanent, such as replacements of knees, ankles, shoulders, and hips, or temporary, such as screws, pins, and plates, which are used for inserting and fixing implants in the correct position of the body. The most common types of orthopedic prosthetic implants are screws, plates, and prostheses. Table 1. The five basic types of orthopedic plates. Screws. They look similar to the ones found at any hardware store and also serve the same purpose. The screws used during implant surgeries tighten the damaged areas, produce compression, and repair a fractured bone. Plates. In the 1880s, orthopedic plates were used to fix long bone fractures, and since then, these plates have been and remain a successful treatment for fractures or reconstruction. Plates should have a proper thickness, width, and length to hold and support both sides of the fractured bones. There are five basic types of orthopedic plates (see Table 1). Prostheses. Artificial body parts that are used to replace affected areas are counted under prostheses. In some cases, prosthetic materials added with a healthy bone are used to replace any spoiled or damaged bone.