Prosthetic joints having reduced area bearing surfaces and application thereof to a range of sizes of prosthetic joints

A prosthetic joint comprising:

• a bearing component;
• and
• a corresponding component;
• said bearing component having an articular surface area adapted to receive said corresponding component;
• said articular surface area having a bearing surface area defined by interruptions and adapted to be contacted by said corresponding component;
• and
• said interruptions range from 0.3% to 83.2% relative to an otherwise uninterrupted bearing surface area, and from 0.01% to 31.88% relative to said articular surface area.

A method of making a prosthetic joint having a first component with a first articular surface and a second component with a second articular surface, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a clearance distance between the first articular surface and the second articular surface;
• determining a contact surface area value for the first articular surface and the second articular surface based on the determined clearance distance;
• and
• forming interruptions in one of the first and second articular surfaces such that a bearing surface area is defined, the bearing surface area equals to the contact surface area value.

A method of making a prosthetic joint comprising a first component of a first material and a second component of a second material, the first component having a first articular surface, and the second component having a second articular surface, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a clearance distance between the first and second articular surfaces;
• deriving a baseline contact area value for the first and second articular surfaces;
• and
• providing interruptions in an articular surface of one of the first and second articular surfaces based on the baseline contact area value, the interruptions providing an optimum contact area between the first and second articular surfaces that is constant for a range of prosthetic joint sizes.