Joints

Taking inspiration from some of the unique attributes of dragonfly wings, scientists at Germany’s Kiel University have developed a new type of splint for injured joints that offers support in all the right places.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University studying an approved anti-depressant drug have found it can interfere in the chain of events leading to osteoarthritis, halting its progress and even promoting the regeneration of cartilage.

Human knees are notoriously vulnerable to injury or wearing out with age, often culminating in the need for surgery. Now researchers have created new hybrid bioinks that can be used to 3D print structures to replace damaged cartilage in the knee.

Like most machines, the human body tends to wear out faster at the points of articulation, where decades of stress are focused. Now, researchers at Stanford have found a way to induce cartilage tissue to regenerate in joints by tweaking the stem cells there.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common ailments of an aging population. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute have found that a combination of two experimental drugs appears to reverse the symptoms of the disorder in rats and in human cells.

Ordinarily, people who are receiving new joints are placed on intravenous antibiotics before and after the operation. There might be a better method of reducing the chances of infection, however. An orthopedic surgeon has created antibiotic beads that are implanted with the joint.

Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have designed an implant consisting of a simple pulley system that would more effectively transfer mechanical forces and allow more natural grasping function with less effort for those suffering reduced hand function.

Depending on the part of the body and the nature of the injury, cartilage either doesn’t grow back at all, or does so very slowly. Now, however, researchers are reporting that cartilage cells harvested from a patient’s own nose can be used to grow replacement cartilage for their knee.

People suffering from joint problems tend to take a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs, even though such medications affect their whole body. Now, scientists are developing an alternative. It's a hydrogel that can be injected into the joint, and it releases medication whenever the joint is used.

When we're on a bike, our feet are at least somewhat held in place against the pedals. This can damage our leg joints, if they're forced to move in a stressful fashion. Germany's BioConform is now offering what it claims is a solution, in the form of its adaptable BIUS1 pedals.

Scientists have created the world's first biodegradable joint implant, which causes the body to regrow injured joint tissue.

A new discovery regarding a naturally-occurring lubricating layer on artificial hip joints could lead to longer-lasting prosthetic hips.