Effects of Physiological Loading from Patient-Derived Activities of Daily Living on the Wear of Metal-on-Polymer Total Hip Replacements

Abstract

The current pre-clinical testing standards for total hip replacements (THRs), ISO standards, use simplified loading waveforms that do not fully replicate real-world biomechanics. These standards provide a benchmark of data that may not accurately predict in vivo wear, necessitating the evaluation of physiologically relevant loading conditions. Previous studies have incorporated activities of daily living (ADLs) such as walking, jogging and stair negotiation into wear simulations. However, these studies primarily used simplified adaptations that increased axial forces and applied accelerated sinusoidal waveforms, rather than fully replicating the complex kinematics experienced by THR patients. To address this gap, this study applied patient-derived ADL profiles-jogging and stair negotiation-using a three-station hip simulator, obtained through 3D motion analysis of total hip arthroplasty patients, processed via a musculoskeletal multibody modelling approach to derive realistic hip contact forces (HCFs). The results indicate that jogging significantly increased wear rates compared to the ISO walking gait waveform, with wear increasing from 15.24 ± 0.55 to 28.68 ± 0.87 mm³/Mc. Additionally, wear was highly sensitive to changes in lubricant protein concentration, with an increase from 17 g/L to 30 g/L reducing wear by over 60%. Contrary to predictive models, stair descent resulted in higher volumetric wear (8.62 ± 0.43 mm³/0.5 Mc) compared to stair ascent (4.15 ± 0.31 mm³/0.5 Mc), despite both profiles having similar peak torques. These findings underscore the limitations of current ISO standards in replicating physiologically relevant wear patterns. The application of patient-specific loading profiles highlights the need to integrate ADLs into pre-clinical testing protocols, ensuring a more accurate assessment of implant performance and longevity.

Keywords: activities of daily living; joint simulator testing; physiological loading; total hip replacement.

Figure 1

A three-station Prosim Hip wear simulator (Simulation Solutions, UK) combined with a load soak.

Figure 2

Comparison of hip simulator input profiles for (A) axial force, (B) adduction–abduction, (C) flexion–extension, and (D) internal/external rotation–flexion.

Figure 3

Friction torque data taken from stable points within each profile: (A) ISO14242; (B) jog; (C) jog and dwell, 1st jog in series; (D) jog and dwell, 10th jog in series; (E) stair descent; (F) stair ascent.

Figure 4

Wear comparison trends of (A) a continuously run ISO 14242 gait, using 17 g/L FBS for 4 Mc, and (B) 2 Mc activities of daily living, jog, and jog and dwell following 2 Mc of ISO 14242 gait, totalling 4 Mc using 30 g/L BCS.

Figure 5

Volumetric wear rate of activities of daily living of 0.5 Mc descending and 0.5 Mc ascending stairs, completed over the last 1 Mc of the 5 Mc test. Stair descent from 4.0 to 4.5 Mc and ascent from 4.5 to 5.0 Mc using BCS at a 30 g/L concentration.