Redesign of the total wrist prosthesis to address wrist rotation

The human wrist is a vital joint in daily life, and it is subject to injuries and disease. Currently, severe wrist disease is normally treated with wrist arthrodesis, which is normally reliable but results in a fixed wrist incapable of allowing wrist motion. Another method of treating a nonfunctional or severely painful wrist is wrist arthroplasty where the wrist joint is replaced with an implant that allows wrist movement. As of yet, a suitable wrist implant has not been developed, especially for the case of the post-traumatic, young male wrist, and most current wrist implants fail from failure of the bone-implant interface. Through simulation and literature review, it is concluded that implants that restrict axial rotation are bound to fail overtime. With this conclusion, a new wrist implant prototype is designed that incorporates state of the art materials, fluid film lubrication, proper kinematics, a suitable range of motion, and more. This implant contributes several improvements to the field of wrist arthroplasty.