With the increasing success of hip joint replacements, the average age of patients has decreased, patients have become more active and their expectations of the implant durability have risen. Thus, pre-clinical endurance tests on hip implants require defining realistic in vivo loads from younger and more active patients. These loads require simplifications to be applicable for simulator tests and numerical analyses. Here, the contact forces in the joint were measured with instrumented hip implants in ten subjects during nine of the most physically demanding and frequent activities of daily living. Typical levels and directions of average and high joint loads were extracted from the intra- and inter-individually widely varying individual data. These data can also be used to analyse bone remodelling at the implant-bone interface, evaluate tissue straining in finite element studies or validate analytical loading predictions, among other uses. The current ISO standards for endurance tests of implant stems and necks are based on historic analytical data from the 1970s. Comparisons of these test forces with in vivo loads unveiled that their unidirectional orientations deviate from the time-dependent in vivo directions during walking and most other activities. The ISO force for testing the stem is substantially too low while the ISO force for the neck better matches typical in vivo magnitudes. Because the magnitudes and orientations of peak forces substantially vary among the activities, load scenarios that reflect a collection of time-dependent high forces should be applied rather than using unidirectional forces. Based on data from ten patients, proposals for the most demanding activities, the time courses of the contact forces and the required cycle numbers for testing are given here. Friction moments in the joint were measured in addition to the contact forces. The moment data were also standardized and can be applied to wear tests of the implant. It was shown that friction only very slightly influences the stresses in the implant neck and shaft.

A new instrumented hip joint prosthesis was developed which allows the in vivo measurement of the complete contact loads in the joint, i.e. 3 force and 3 moment components. A clinically proven standard implant was modified. Inside the hollow neck, 6 semiconductor strain gauges are applied to measure the deformation of the neck. Also integrated are a small coil for the inductive power supply and a 9-channel telemetry transmitter. The neck cavity is closed by a titanium plate and hermetically sealed by electron beam welding. The sensor signals are pulse interval modulated (PIM) with a sampling rate of about 120 Hz. The pulses are transmitted at radio frequencies via a small antenna loop inside the ceramic head, which is connected to the electronic circuit by a two-pin feedthrough. Inductive power supply, calculation of the loads from the measured deformations and real time load display are carried out by the external equipment. The maximum error of the load components is 2% including crosstalk.

Friction-induced moments and subsequent cup loosening can be the reason for total hip joint replacement failure. The aim of this study was to measure the in vivo contact forces and friction moments during walking. Instrumented hip implants with Al₂O₃ ceramic head and an XPE inlay were used. In vivo measurements were taken 3 months post operatively in 8 subjects. The coefficient of friction was calculated in 3D throughout the whole gait cycle, and average values of the friction-induced power dissipation in the joint were determined. On average, peak contact forces of 248% of the bodyweight and peak friction moments of 0.26% bodyweight times meter were determined. However, contact forces and friction moments varied greatly between individuals. The friction moment increased during the extension phase of the joint. The average coefficient of friction also increased during this period, from 0.04 (0.03 to 0.06) at contralateral toe off to 0.06 (0.04 to 0.08) at contralateral heel strike. During the flexion phase, the coefficient of friction increased further to 0.14 (0.09 to 0.23) at toe off. The average friction-induced power throughout the whole gait cycle was 2.3 W (1.4 W to 3.8 W). Although more parameters than only the synovia determine the friction, the wide ranges of friction coefficients and power dissipation indicate that the lubricating properties of synovia are individually very different. However, such differences may also exist in natural joints and may influence the progression of arthrosis. Furthermore, subjects with very high power dissipation may be at risk of thermally induced implant loosening. The large increase of the friction coefficient during each step could be caused by the synovia being squeezed out under load.

Loosening of the artificial cup and inlay is the most common reasons for total hip replacement failures. Polyethylene wear and aseptic loosening are frequent reasons. Furthermore, over the past few decades, the population of patients receiving total hip replacements has become younger and more active. Hence, a higher level of activity may include an increased risk of implant loosening as a result of friction-induced wear. In this study, an instrumented hip implant was used to measure the contact forces and friction moments in vivo during walking. Subsequently, the three-dimensional coefficient of friction in vivo was calculated over the whole gait cycle. Measurements were collected from ten subjects at several time points between three and twelve months postoperative. No significant change in the average resultant contact force was observed between three and twelve months postoperative. In contrast, a significant decrease of up to 47% was observed in the friction moment. The coefficient of friction also decreased over postoperative time on average. These changes may be caused by ‘running-in’ effects of the gliding components or by the improved lubricating properties of the synovia. Because the walking velocity and contact forces were found to be nearly constant during the observed period, the decrease in friction moment suggests an increase in fluid viscosity. The peak values of the contact force individually varied by 32%-44%. The friction moment individually differed much more, by 110%-129% at three and up to 451% at twelve months postoperative. The maximum coefficient of friction showed the highest individual variability, about 100% at three and up to 914% at twelve months after surgery. These individual variations in the friction parameters were most likely due to different ‘running-in’ effects that were influenced by the individual activity levels and synovia properties.