Challenges to Creating Replacements That Work

As long ago as the early 1800s, doctors thought it ought to be possible to replace damaged and diseased joints with man-made ones.

It wasn't until the second half of the 1900s, however, that the problems that stood in the way of success were solved, and joint replacements became one of the most common surgical procedures.

These are a few of the challenges that had to be overcome before joint replacement could become a reality: