Why Read?
Let me be crystal clear. The purpose of this article is to "right a clinical wrong".We must: 1/ support the startups bringing anatomic stems back to market, 2/ pressure “Big Ortho” to bring back their anatomic stems.
During an eye-opening BoneChat discussion with Dr. Kurt Biggs and Dr. David Kirwan we pulled back the curtain on a long-standing industry secret: anatomic hip stems are clinically superior for reducing dislocations, yet the "Big Orthos" have systematically abandoned them.
Why "Big Ortho" sacrificed hip stability for generic stems
For decades, the orthopedic industry has been operating under a quiet, profit-driven compromise. If you ask any veteran surgeon about the "golden era" of hip design, they’ll tell you about anatomic stems—implants designed specifically for the right or left femur. They mimic the natural twist and bow of human bone, providing a fit that symmetric stems simply cannot match.
But if you look at the current catalogs of Big Ortho, anatomic stems are an endangered species. They’ve been replaced by "fit-all" symmetric wedges like the Actis or Accolade.
Personally, I remember when Zimmer acquired the Natural Hip (Dr Hofmann) with the Cent...
