Emulating natural knee kinematics in a knee prosthesis

摘要

A knee prosthesis and method for emulating movements, during flexion, of a natural knee joint replaced by the knee prosthesis, by enabling engagement and relative movement between the femoral component and the tibial component of the knee prosthesis along arcuate tracks, including rotational movement about a longitudinal axis of rotation, during flexion about a transverse axis of rotation, and maintaining the transverse axis of rotation essentially in a generally medial-lateral longitudinal plane maintained in close proximity with a generally coronal plane passing through the centers of curvature of the arcuate tracks during flexion within at least a prescribed range of flexion extending from about 0° of flexion to a predetermined degree of flexion, preferably about 60° of flexion. A stabilizing mechanism couples the femoral component with the tibial component within a portion of the prescribed range of flexion, the portion being between about 45° of flexion and about 60° of flexion, for providing stability and for assisting in maintaining the transverse axis of rotation essentially in the longitudinal plane, and the longitudinal plane in close proximity with the coronal plane as the longitudinal plane is rotated about the longitudinal axis of rotation.