Implant Relies on Spiralock Fastener to Gear Up for Baby Boomer Generation
As the first of the baby boomer generation turns 65 this year and promises to live longer and more actively than previous generations, implants and their components—including the fasteners that hold them together—must be built to last longer than ever before.
To handle the demands of tomorrow’s dynamic baby boomer population, for whom jogging, tennis, and golf have been generational pursuits, some medical device companies are going beyond what’s currently required. For instance, some are specifying self locking fasteners in implants of the upper extremities that go way beyond 100,000 load cycles to withstand up to one-million load cycles without loosening or backing out.
“Patients are living longer and more vigorously than past generations, and that’s only going to increase as baby boomers demand more from their muscular-skeletal systems well past traditional ‘retirement age,’” says Tom Norman, Vice President of Engineering at Miami, Fla.-based Skeletal Dynamics, a designer and marketer of innovative orthopedic devices.
To keep up with active baby boomers, Skeletal Dynamics recently developed its Align™ Radial Head System, an artificial elbow joint designed to restore the natural function of the native radial head.
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