• Hip Pain
  • Understanding Hip Pain
  • Stryker Treatment Options
  • Take Control
  • Real Stories from Hip Recipients
• Knee Pain
  • Understanding Knee Pain
  • Stryker Treatment Options
  • Take Control
  • Real Stories from Knee Recipients
• Shoulder Pain
  • Understanding Shoulder Pain
  • Understanding Your Treatment Options
  • Take Control
  • Real Stories from Shoulder Recipients
• Self-Assessment
• Surgeon Locator
• About Us
  • About Stryker
  • A Company of Firsts
  • Visit Stryker.com
  • Visit Stryker Orthopaedics
• Home

Change Text Size

Share this page

Hip Pain

• Understanding Hip Pain
  
  
• Stryker Treatment Options
  • X3® Advanced Bearing Technology
  • Ceramic Hip Replacements
  • MIS Hip Replacement
  • Computer-Assisted Surgery
  • Hip Replacement Surgery FAQs
  • What to Expect from Surgery
  • Hip Resurfacing
  • Sarcoma Treatment Options
  
  
• Take Control
  
  
• Real Stories from Hip Replacement Recipients
  
  

Ceramic Hip Replacements

Hip Guide / Alumina Ceramics in Total Hip Replacement

What is alumina ceramic?

The type of ceramic used in total hip replacement today is aluminum oxide, also known as alumina. Ceramic-on-ceramic implant surfaces are not a new concept in hip replacement. The orthopaedic industry has long recognized the potential benefits of these lower wear implants. Alumina ceramic is extremely biocompatible. The clinical use of ceramic as a bearing surface dates back to the early 1970's. It was developed to reduce wear in the hip joint, however, early designs did not perform well clinically due to poor fixation to bone, implant positioning and material quality.

In 1995, an improved alumina ceramic was developed which had increased purity and increased strength over the previous material. Alumina is an excellent bearing surface for hips due to its material characteristics, which are both hard (second only to diamonds) and extremely smooth. In addition, today's hip designs have also been advanced to significantly improve implant-to-bone fixation.

Find an Orthopaedic Doctor Search for Orthopedic Doctors in your area. Receive the names and addresses of Orthopedic Doctors who have used or are familiar with Stryker products.

Benefits of alumina ceramics in total hip replacement

Conventional total hip systems use an insert made of plastic and a head made of metal or an insert made of metal and a head made of metal. As total hip replacement becomes more common in younger and more active patients, and as patient life expectancies continue to increase, the orthopaedic industry is being challenged to extend the lifespan of total hip replacement components. While the conventional plastic (polyethylene) and metal systems have been shown to have excellent results, it has been realized that polyethylene can degrade over time, and that polyethylene may wear out. In recent years, it has been reported that particles from the breakdown of the polyethylene inserts may contribute to bone loss and loosening in the artificial hip joint.

Tident® Acetabular Cup and Accolade® TMZF® Femoral Stem

Ceramic-on-ceramic surfaces have demonstrated significantly lower wear versus conventional plastic-on-metal and metal-on-metal hip systems in the laboratory. Lower wear rates are desirable since wear of these implants can reduce the service life of the implant. The extreme hardness of alumina ceramic is second only to diamond and it offers greater scratch resistance than the metal or polyethylene implants used in conventional hip replacements.

The goals of artificial hip replacement include relief of pain, restoration of function, and correction of deformity. Ceramic-on-ceramic, however, demonstrates significantly lower wear versus conventional metal-on-plastic or metal-on-metal systems in laboratory testing. Therefore, it is anticipated that these improved wear characteristics will result in a longer lasting implant.