Through their collaborative research efforts and clinical trials, surgeons at the Duke Total Joint Center are testing and developing new procedures and new prostheses to make joint replacements work better and last longer.

Among these advances are:

• A technique for rejuvenating deteriorating hip joints in younger patients with avascular necrosis
• Hip ball resurfacing, in which the worn ball of a hip is resurfaced rather than replaced
• Promising new ankle prostheses.
• Unicompartmental knee replacement
• New materials in hip replacement including ceramic and improvements in polyethylene

The Duke team is also seeking ways to reduce the number of replacements needed by rejuvenating cartilage and preventing cartilage loss in the first place.