And that's just counting humans, not all the pets that will benefit from this

Aug 28, 2014 08:59 GMT  ·  By

Joint injuries are some of the most painful, and they are also the most potentially crippling, not counting head and spine fractures. Maybe it's time to see how much 3D printing technology can help this particular field of medicine.

You might be tempted to say that we've already seen how 3D printing technology can help. After all, we've covered quite a few 3D printed implants, bones, joints, and prosthetics.

Nevertheless, despite the significant number of surgical interventions that have been aided by 3D printing technology, most people aren't likely to get the same benefits. At least for now.

This will change dramatically over the course of the next three or four years, however, according to newer reports.

Said reports state that 3D printed knee transplants will number 3-4 million a year by 2030, and this is only counting those performed on humans.

All the while, veterinarians will be performing similar implants in cats, dogs and other vertebrates, as long as they aren't too small for the procedure to work.

Total knee replacement surgery is a nasty business, and one that isn't likely to restore full range of motion. And we won't even get into comfort and balance. That's one can of worms best left closed.

You see, replacement knees come in different sizes, but they're ultimately not truly tailored to your exact specifications, so to speak. And we all know that general size categories aren't truly satisfying even when it comes to clothes.

3D printing technology can make sure that the replacement knees about to be implanted are good matches to the patients' anatomy. Also, they will allow you to take a lot less bone of the femur and tibia than you otherwise would.

Moreover, 3D printed implants allow patients to spend less time in the hospital recovering, all the while causing less pain, and of course, providing greater range of movement after the surgery. All this thanks to the ability of 3D printers to create proper substitutes based on CAT scans.

In all honesty, it was about time something helped this field of surgical medicine. Right now, knee replacement surgeries still rely on more or less the same techniques developed back in the 1950s.

Things should move quicker now that insurance companies are expanding their coverage to include 3D printed joints.

As for the animal kingdom, the first cat to get a 3D printed knee replacement is named Cyrano. Without the new technology, the cat would have had to have its leg amputated. Surgeons at North Carolina State University in conjunction with Materialise’s Mimics Innovation Suite made it possible.