Applications

Better Rotator Cuff Treatment Thanks to 3D Printing

It is no secret that tendon injuries are some of the most painful and difficult to heal. Even minor ones can result in up to 12 weeks of recovery. But for the most severe, for example rotator cuff injuries, treatment…

Better Rotator Cuff Treatment Thanks to 3D Printing
3Dnatives

It is no secret that tendon injuries are some of the most painful and difficult to heal. Even minor ones can result in up to 12 weeks of recovery. But for the most severe, for example rotator cuff injuries, treatment is challenging and even in ideal situations take at least 6 months to recover. This is where a team of researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine) has come in. Knowing that more tailored and effective rotator cuff treatment was necessary, they have developed a new 3D-printable bioactive material for the repair of severe tears of the shoulder tendons.

The rotator cuff is the sheaf of tendons and ligaments that supports the arm at the shoulder joint. When torn, the injury is incredibly painful, preventing the performance of basic tasks involving arms or even sleeping, and requires surgery in almost all cases. Furthermore, with rotator cuff injuries expected to rise in the coming years due to aging populations in many countries, and with statistics showing that already at least 22% of the adult population has had one full-thickness rotator cuff tear, it has become critical to find more agile and effective solutions for treatment. This 3D-printable bioactive material could be the solution.

The team developing the materials including (starting from the left) Mr. Wang Chen-yang, Professor Elmer Ker, Dr. Zhang Xu and Dr. Li Ke (photo credits: CUHK)

Using a 3D-Printable Bioactive Material to Repair Rotator Cuffs

The key for the team at CUHK was in a polythiourethane elastomer, or PHT polymer, that when implemented in the body, could replace the torn tendons. Created using “click chemistry,” or chemical synthesis to join two molecular entities of choice, known for its ability to create almost exact copies of natural molecules, the material is able to mimic natural tendon. Indeed, testing has shown that in addition to its highly robust mechanical properties, the material can be stretched at least 10,000 times without failing.