Debulking of the Femoral Stem in a Primary Total Hip Joint Replacement: A Novel Method to Reduce Stress Shielding.

In current-generation designs of total primary hip joint replacement, the prostheses are fabricated from alloys. The modulus of elasticity of the alloy is substantially higher than that of the surrounding bone. This discrepancy plays a role in a phenomenon known as stress shielding, in which the bone bears a reduced proportion of the applied load.