Why People are in Pain Following a Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implant

The Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant was recalled this past July after it was discovered that there was the potential for corrosion at the neck juncture. Corrosion is generally defined as the gradual destruction of materials in this case, human tissue by a chemical reaction within its environment. This corrosion could lead to tiny metal particles shearing away from the implant and lodging in the surrounding tissues or even the bloodstream. Adverse reports began coming in from recipients of the Rejuvenate who were experiencing pain, inflammation and other symptoms related to metal toxicity.

Most metal-on-metal hip implants create metal ion shear between the acetabular cup and the ball on the top of the femoral head. The Rejuvenate, however, is constructed a bit differently from the all-metal hip implant. The ball of the Rejuvenate is constructed of ceramic, with a cobalt and chromium neck, a titanium-coated stem and a plastic-lined socket. Because the Rejuvenate has no metal ball, the manufacturers believed there were no metal surfaces to rub against one another resulting in metal ions shearing away and causing health problems. Unfortunately, designers of the Stryker Rejuvenate neglected to take into account the neck juncture where corrosion can occur and the metal trundles which are installed on either side of the neck piece of the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant.

These trundles are essentially diverts which allow the neck portion to slip into the stem on one side and into the ball on the other side. The Rejuvenate stem is placed into the femur, the stem connects to the neck portion by popping into place using the trundles, the neck connects to the ball in the same way then the ball fits into the acetabular cup. Body fluids can become trapped inside the trundles, leading to the same type of corrosion found at the neck juncture. Because of the different construction of the Rejuvenate, when recipients of the implant begin experiencing pain, their physician—after running tests such as a bone scan, MRI and X-rays—often dismiss the complaints as being related to something other than the implant.

The reason for this is because the trundles where the corrosion occur are in a different location than the “normal” all-metal hip implant and physicians are unaware they should be looking in this area for problems. A test to assess the level of metals in the body may not show extremely high levels of cobalt and chromium in the bloodstream, however the inflammation at the trundle spots will likely cause significant levels of pain for the recipient. In some cases when patients have repeatedly complained of pain from the implant they have even undergone revision surgery—with another Rejuvenate. [In these cases, a surgeon may likely look at the ball and cup where the inflammation typically exists in an all-metal hip implant and, seeing nothing untoward, believes there is no problem with the Rejuvenate and actually re-installs the same type of device.]

The pain is coming from the trundle region, and once that pain begins, it will never get better and, in some cases, will continue to worsen. This means that recipients of the Stryker Rejuvenate could be suffering significant pain from their implant, yet their doctor is chalking it up to age, overall health, or other physical issues or even subjecting the patient to one revision surgery after another. Pain experienced from corrosion at the trundles is not a solvable issue without complete removal of the device. If you have received a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant and are experiencing pain, it is important to speak with your physician.