Importance

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Abstract

A controlled stiffness elongated implant for use in the hip or other appropriate body joint. In the instance of the hip, a ball member fixed to the femur is rotatably engaged with a cup-shaped socket member fixed to the acetabulum of the pelvic bone. The ball member is mounted on one end of a femoral component which has an elongated stem receivable in the intramedullary canal of the femur. The stem has a longitudinal channel therein which lies generally in the coronal plane when the stem is in the implanted condition. The thickness of the stem laterally of the channel is variable between the proximal and distal ends so as to affect the moment of inertia at any given location along the length of said stem to thereby achieve stem flexibility which substantially correlates to the flexibility of the bone.

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First Claim