Stryker Hip Lawyer Lowell MA

Stryker Hip Lawyers Lowell MA

Older hip replacements like plastic and metal have a longer track record and a larger body of knowledge of how they fare over time.  But in recent year, ceramic has arisen as a popular new material due to its special properties. Implants that combine advanced plastic and ceramic are thought to combine some of the best qualities of both materials.
Ceramic has been increasingly used in medicine in recent decades.  The ceramic most people are familiar with from dishes and vases is made from clay in the soil; it is mixed with water and other materials and fired in a kiln to harden it. However, the term ceramic refers to materials that are manufactured in a similar way through mixing and heat, not to clay-based materials specifically.                                                                                                                                    
Medical ceramic is made from metallic elements like zirconia. They are powdered and chemically treated; the treatments destroy their metallic qualities, so they do not cause metal toxicity, unlike chromium and cobalt. They are then mixed with other substances and heated to produce a remarkably hard substance.  Ceramic can also be engineered to be very smooth, resulting in a low-friction surface. Ceramic generates a low amount of wear, and the particles that are produced are not very bioreactive, unlike metal particles.                                                                       
Due to these traits, metal is sometimes paired with a ceramic cup component.  However, this material has some drawbacks.  Although ceramic is not as brittle as a ceramic dish, it is still somewhat brittle compared to metal and plastic, and there is some risk that it will develop cracks over time.  This is a severe complication requiring revision surgery. This problem mostly occurs with ceramic on ceramic implants, and is less common with ceramic on plastic. However, the plastic cups do produce wear, and the accumulated plastic particles can result in irritation and bone loss.   Ceramic balls are relatively large compared to metal balls because the material is less hard. The larger the components, the larger the incision will have to be, so this is a consideration for people interested in minimally invasive surgery.  This material is also more expensive than others.  Patients should talk to their doctors about what model is best for them and what the doctor’s clinical experience has been.  Over time, it is possible that ceramic on plastic hip systems will improve as even more advanced versions of the material are developed.  Researchers will also accumulate more evidence over how they perform in the long term, leading to more definitive answers as to whether they outperform other types of implant.