Department of Biomechanics

In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, HSS surgeons began exploring existing methods for restoring joints with metal and plastic parts. Realizing that existing solutions were unsatisfactory, they began exploring new designs and innovative surgical techniques for advancing joint replacement. The reimagining of the Biomechanics Department in later that decade set the stage for the advent of the first modern knee replacement that not only eliminated crippling joint pain, but also provided functionality and durability.

1976

1977

1978

HSS deepens its research ties with Cornell University, creating the Cornell-HSS Program in Biomechanical Engineering. The one-of-a-kind training program for Cornell master's and doctoral students emphasizes translational and applied research into clinical problems through direct encounters with orthopedic surgeons in the OR and other clinical settings.

1979

Jim Otis, PhD, from the Biomechanics Department, and Leon Root, MD, develop the first gait analysis capabilities at HSS within the rehabilitation department. The effort expands into the current Leon Root, MD, Motion Analysis Laboratory for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of human movement data.

Dr. Burstein and John Insall, MD, develop and patent concepts for the first posterior-stabilized knee replacement. The device has a significant, immediate impact on patients' quality of life, as patients can easily climb stairs and get in and out of a chair without assistance — tasks that were difficult to impossible with predecessor devices. The device finds large-scale clinical and commercial success.

Computational power begins to transform the field, evolving implant design and taking the process from pen and paper to CAD/CAM. Fundamental insights into polyethylene components set the stage for an accelerated program of materials research in the 1990s.

1984

A second-generation posterior-stabilized knee comes to fruition when Drs. Insall and Burstein join forces with Don Bartel, PhD, of Cornell University. The introduction of computer modeling as well as advancements in radiographic imaging and retrieval analyses enable enhanced designs that afford improved wear resistance and provide greater range of motion and improved stability.

1985

Dr. Wright and colleagues show that antibiotics can be added to bone cement at the time of surgery to help eradicate infection without adversely affecting fixation of the implant. This multidisciplinary research that integrates engineering with orthopaedic surgery and infectious diseases, assured commercial interests that they could commercially introduce cements with prepackaged antibiotics.

1989

Research and development lead to further perfection of total knee replacement. Tim Wright takes the reigns of the department. New avenues of biomechanics research open up in areas such as mechanobiology further enhancing collaboration between HSS and Cornell bioengineers.

1991

1992

Dr. Wright is named Director of the Biomechanics Department at HSS, while also stepping into the role of President of the Orthopaedic Research Society. The Society has existed as the leading international forum for musculoskeletal research. During that time, six members of the HSS staff have served as President, more than any other institution in the Society’s history.

1993

Steve Li, PhD, advances the department's ongoing research into polyethylene degradation and develops intellectual property aimed at improving wear resistance through pressure/thermal treatments.

1994

Drs. Rimnac and Wright collaborate with surgeon Mathias Bostrom, MD, to elucidate the natural history of polyethylene degradation in knee replacement components, from the time of manufacturing to implantation. This research was only possible at HSS, an institution that manufactured implants from raw polyethylene materials, implanted the devices into patients, and then recovered retrieved implants that had failed so that the degradation process could be studied from beginning to end. The work results in a Knee Society Award.

1996

1999

Dr. Wright receives an NIH P30 grant to establish the Center for Musculoskeletal Integrity at HSS, one of only two original centers for musculoskeletal research in the nation. The grant results in the formation of three new multidisciplinary cores in Analytical Microscopy, Infrared Imaging, and Mechanical Testing.

The emphasis on the biological side of the bone-implant system continues with the emphasis on further improving the longevity of joint replacements. Simultaneously, the Department’s research efforts extend into joint restoration, applying the principles in hip and knee joint replacement maintaining healthy cartilage and to reconstructing damaged ligaments.

2000

2008

The Optetrak Logic knee, the next generation of knee design, is developed by Drs. Bartel and Wright, Joe Lipman and surgeon collaborators Thomas Sculco, MD, and Geoffrey Westrich, MD. The design incorporates modifications to the anterior surfaces of the posterior stabilizing mechanism, while also providing an efficient, bone-preserving surgical technique and improved kinematics.

2009

Insights into cartilage repair result in the first spin-off technology to come out of HSS. Lessons learned in the hip and knee are applied to other joints like the ankle and elbow. And the team tackles a series of problems related to corrosion of modular hip components and the resulting catastrophic tissue destruction. Team-based science blossoms as researchers, clinicians and other scientists reach out to the Biomechanics Department to tackle multi-disciplinary problems.

2011

The Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service and the Biomechanics Department organize the first combined Chinese Orthopaedic Association-HSS Symposium on Total Knee Arthroplasty at the COA meeting in Beijing. The symposium sets the stage for educational and collaborative efforts that have continued to develop between HSS and leading academic and clinical centers in China.

2014

Dr. Maher and Russell Warren, MD, establish AGelity Biomechanics, a medical device company with the imperative to develop a mechanical solution for articular cartilage damage. It is the first spin-off technology from HSS. The company will go on to receive a BioAccelerate NYC Prize, a citywide competition to provide funding for biomedical research with significant commercial promise. The company will also receive both Phase I and Phase II funding from the NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

2015

The AIM Laboratory for Foot and Ankle Research is established with the help of Jonathan Deland, MD, and a grateful benefactor. The laboratory is centered around a “six degrees of freedom” robotic platform that moves a force plate about the tibia while linear actuators apply prescribed loading profiles to the tendons of the foot and ankle. The robot can simulate activities like walking and stair climbing.

George Triantafyllopoulos, MD, and his colleagues win the Otto Aufranc Award from the Hip Society for his research showing that head size does not affect fretting and corrosion damage at the head-neck taper of metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasties.

An immersion term is initiated for engineering students from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Developed by Drs. Maher and Wright in collaboration with Lt. Col. Matthew Posner, MD, the summer term allows two cadets to spend a month in the department’s laboratories gaining firsthand experience in musculoskeletal research. He becomes the principal investigator on the NIH-funded SBIR phase I & II grants awarded to AGelity Biomechanics.

2018

Joey Romero, MD, and his colleagues win the Otto Aufranc Award for outstanding research from the Hip Society for work examining the clinical and tribocorrosion aspects of malseating in modular dual-mobility liners. 

Niv Marom, MD, is awarded the 2020 Cabaud Memorial Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for his work showing that lateral extra-articular tenodesis reduces anterior cruciate ligament graft force and anterior tibial translation in response to applied pivoting and anterior drawer loads.

2021

HSS partners with Italian device manufacturer LimaCorporate to open the first on-site additive manufacturing 3D printing facility. This collaboration sets the stage to substantially increase the availability and speed of personalized orthopedic care for patients with complex orthopedic conditions in the United States.

2023

The Department’s future is focused on integrating the research and development efforts that have been the keys to its success over the past four decades. Combining emerging technologies like 3D printing, computational modeling, and advances biomaterials will provide revolutionary advancements in the development and patient-specific application of precision surgical solutions to patients suffering from joint problems. Adding to this approach continuing advancements in imaging, immunology, surgery, and genetics will allow multidisciplinary, team-science efforts to provide holistic advancements in musculoskeletal care. 

• Enhanced computer modeling techniques will provide exquisitely detailed information about an individual patient’s joint. In combination with radiographic data and robotic surgical techniques, this technology will enable an unprecedented degree of precision, both in design and implantation of orthopedic devices. 
• Increasingly sophisticated statistical modeling including artificial intelligence tools will allow teams to predict which patients are at high risk for implant failure and other complications, so that more effective treatment strategies can be offered. 
• Advances in additive manufacturing and 3D printing will grow our ability to design cementless implant components for the knee, thumb, and ankle.  
• Biomaterials research will reshape the outlook for people with sports medicine injuries, allowing for more-effective early interventions, which will in turn delay or preempt the need for more-invasive procedures later on.