Knee prostheses featuring components that more faithfully replicate the
structure and function of the human knee joint in order to provide, among
other benefits: greater flexion of the knee in a more natural way by
promoting or at least accommodating internal tibial rotation in a
controlled way, replication of the natural screw home mechanism, and
controlled articulation of the tibia and femur respective to each other
in a more natural way. In a preferred embodiment, such prostheses include
an insert component disposed between a femoral component and a tibial
component, the insert component preferably featuring among other things a
reversely contoured posterolateral bearing surface that helps impart
internal rotation to the tibia as the knee flexes. Other surfaces can
also be specially shaped to achieve similar results, preferably using
iterative automated techniques that allow testing and iterative design
taking into account a manageable set of major forces acting on the knee
during normal functioning, together with information that is known about
natural knee joint kinetics and kinematics.