cartilage of the knee wears out and no longer plays its role of shock absorber. In France, 80,000 to 90,000 knee prostheses are implanted each year. However, these metal prostheses have a limited lifespan (maximum 20 years) and often lead to a decrease in mobility. For several years, researchers have therefore been trying to develop hydrogels able to replace the joint. A difficult goal, because the gel must both be strong enough to bear body weight and flexible enough and slippery to serve as a shock absorber. It is precisely these qualities a priori opposites that researchers at Duke University in North Carolina (United States) have managed to combine. “data-reactid =” 12 “> Any sportsman knows: the knee is one of the most stressed joints of the body. Consider that each impact with the ground during the race, the stress exerted on the knee is equal to three to eight times the weight of the body! But after repeated trauma, overweight or age, cartilage of the knee wears out and no longer plays its role of shock absorber. In France, 80,000 to 90,000 knee prostheses are implanted each year. However, these metal prostheses have a limited lifespan (maximum 20 years) and often lead to a decrease in mobility. For several years, researchers have therefore been trying to develop hydrogels able to replace the joint. A difficult goal, because the gel must both be strong enough to bear body weight and flexible enough and slippery to serve as a shock absorber. It is precisely these qualities a priori opposites that researchers at Duke University in North Carolina (United States) have managed to combine.
–
The surface of the bones that form the knee joint is covered with cartilage, an elastic tissue that allows the bones to “slide” between them, absorb shock and support the weight of the body. Osteoarthritis of the knee, which results from age, repeated stress, obesity or genetic factors, causes irreversible degradation of the cartilage, which then becomes thin and irregular. Friction of the bones against each other causes pain, loss of flexibility and risk of bone deformation. © Reineg, Adobe Stock
Stretched 100,000 times without warping or tearing
Advanced Functional Materials. During tests, the disc could be stretched 100,000 times without deforming or tearing, a mechanical resistance comparable to that of prostheses in … “data-reactid =” 25 “>” A disc the size of a coin, although composed of 60% water, is capable of supporting a weight of 45 kilos “, Assures Feichen Yang and his colleagues, in their article published in Advanced Functional Materials. During tests, the disc could be stretched 100,000 times without deforming or tearing, a mechanical resistance comparable to that of prostheses in …
> Read more on Futura” data-reactid=”26″>> Read more on Futura
