Body Produces “Industrial” Lubricant for Metal Hip Implants

Graphic of hip showing metal-on-metal implant.

A lubricating layer made of graphitic carbon naturally forms in the joints of metal-on-metal hip implants, a new study shows. This solid layer, produced within the body, is more like an industrial lubricant than joint fluid. The finding may help researchers design longer-lasting metal-on-metal hips for treating arthritis and other joint disorders.

X-ray of the hip region with a metal-on-metal implant superimposed.

Arthritis is a painful condition often characterized by inflammation of the joints. It's a common cause of disability in people as they age. The inflammation in an arthritic joint can damage tissue and bone, eventually making the joint extremely painful. To treat the condition, surgeons resurface or replace the joint with an implant.

The most common hip implants are made of metal and polyethylene, a form of plastic. Over time, however, metal and plastic joints wear down, and broken-off bits can damage the remaining bone and tissue of the hip. Over the last 10 years, all-metal joints have become increasingly popular, as they are generally more stable and durable. In some cases, however, metal-on-metal implants can still shed damaging metal debris through wear and corrosion.


 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

Metal-on-metal joints aren't designed with lubrication but, with use, a thin layer appears in the joint between the ball and socket. This layer, which forms between the 2 rubbing metal faces, is known as a tribological layer. Researchers initially thought that it was made of proteins and other biological material, like the lubrication in a normal joint.

Dr. Joshua Jacobs of Rush University Medical Center and Dr. Laurence Marks of Northwestern University organized a research team to investigate the makeup of the tribological layer.

The researchers examined the tribological layer on 7 all-metal joints that had been removed from patients. They scraped off a bit of the layer and analyzed it by electron energy loss spectroscopy, a method that reveals the type of atoms present in a material. To their surprise, they discovered that the layer was made up in large part of graphitic carbon, with very little, if any, protein.

Knowing that the structure is graphitic carbon really opens up the possibility that we may be able to manipulate the system,” says coauthor Dr. Alfons Fisher of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. We now have a target for how we can improve the performance of these devices.

With these insights, researchers can aim to create safer, longer-lasting hip implants by encouraging graphitic carbon to stick to the metal of the implant.


  • http://www. niams. nih. gov/Health_Info/Hip_Replacement/default.

  • http://www. niams. nih. gov/Health_Info/Arthritis/default.

  • http://www. fda. gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241762.

Read more http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/january2012/01232012hip.htm

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES

English Afrikaans Arabic Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Danish Dutch Filipino Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Malay Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

follow InnerSelf on

facebook icontwitter iconyoutube iconinstagram iconpintrest iconrss icon

 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

Thursday, 01 April 2021 16:24

  Flamenco dancing is a delight to watch. A good flamenco dancer exudes an exuberant self-confidence that we, the audience, absorb. The whole dance has a quality of proud self-assurance and...

Tuesday, 04 May 2021 08:32

Cognitive motor training helps in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia, according to new research.

Thursday, 27 July 2023 20:13

How to train your body for hot weather if you are active or work outdoors Heat exposure is inevitable for those who work or are active outdoors. (Shutterstock) Global warming is making outdoor...

Sunday, 16 May 2021 14:24

The human body is an amazing thing, full of systems, organs, nerves, and vessels that work together in harmony. You’ve seen the body described as a machine, as a city, or even as a factory....

Sunday, 23 May 2021 08:15

We sometimes need to use antibiotics to treat sick animals, but taking advantage of opportunities to reduce antibiotics use could benefit everyone

Wednesday, 28 April 2021 08:51

Insects are attracted to landscapes where flowering plants of the same species are grouped together and create big blocks of color, according to new research.

New Attitudes - New Possibilities

InnerSelf.comClimateImpactNews.com | InnerPower.net
MightyNatural.com | WholisticPolitics.com | InnerSelf Market
Copyright ©1985 - 2021 InnerSelf Publications. All Rights Reserved.