Dr. Hoenecke led a research team the developed a three-dimensional computer-animated shoulder stimulator to measure how much stress is put on muscles during various motions. The technology showed that people couldn’t predict where the force would be occurring in the shoulder or how an implant would hold up over time by just looking at the bones.
The technology also allows physicians to perform virtual surgeries to preplan a procedure and examine factors such as accelerations, forces, displacements impingements, muscle tension and muscle wrapping.
The technology allowed the researchers to develop expertise in positioning shoulder implants. Dr. Hoenecke and his team at the Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education also established the first clear indication that human scapula is not a single bone, but a modular structure of multiple pieces that come together.
Read the Scripps Clinic release about the technology to further shoulder surgery.
Read other coverage about shoulder surgery:
– 8 Trends for Shoulder Surgeons to Know for 2011
