Introduction to Biomechanics and Orthopedic Device Testing

Lab research involving new implantable biomaterials often ends up in research publications. Such publications regularly report the fabrication of test samples with regular geometric shapes together with material property measurements and biocompatibility assessments. In spite of continued research on new biomedical materials spanning the last few decades, efforts to develop patient-specific prototypes of such biomaterial devices are rather scarce. This is due to the lack of a translational research initiative across the biomedical scientific community. Also limited is our knowledge of a range of testing of biomedical devices and their components in a closely-simulated physiological environment. In this context, this chapter first discusses the biomechanical aspects of various human anatomical joints of relevance to orthopaedic surgery. In particular, the clinical terms related to joint movement and gait cycle have been introduced. This is followed by a brief description of standard biomechanical testing methodologies of orthopaedic devices, with some emphasis on hip joint simulator experiments. It is envisaged that this chapter will provide a platform for researchers to realise the extensive efforts that one needs to make while developing biomedical device prototypes.