All Posts

In modern research, the value p = 0.05 often functions as a magical cliff edge. If a result lands on 0.049, it is celebrated as a discovery; if it lands on 0.051, it is dismissed as noise. This rigid threshold determines funding, publication, and drug approvals. Yet, there is no mathematical derivation that proves 0.05 is the "correct" threshold for truth. It is arguably the most influential number in science, but its dominance is essentially an accident of history—a fossil o

The Parable of the Two Exams In science, we often treat the p-value as a definitive verdict on reality. If a study reports a "significant" result ( p < 0.05 ), we assume the effect is real. If it reports a "non-significant" result ( p > 0.05 ), we assume the effect doesn't exist. However, statistics are not a direct measure of reality; they are a measure of uncertainty . And uncertainty depends entirely on the design of the experiment, not just on the subject's talent. To und

I often hear from colleagues that stainless steel implants are stronger than titanium ones, and from others that the opposite is true. It turns out both are right, depending on what you mean by "strong." I created a chart of the most common implant materials used in traumatology in Granda EduPack, based on the most up-to-date database (2023). The fatigue graphs are from the same source. When we talk about a material being "strong" for an implant, we're often bundling several

My Comments on the Article You can find my letter to the editor here . The authors' reply can be found here . This study demonstrates significant effort by the researchers, whose primary concern was whether the working length of an implant affects its stress/strain. For this, they used constructs with different working lengths and measured the strain at the middle part of the plate. They stated that they chose four-point bending to ensure a constant bending moment along the l

Occasionally, implants do not function as we planned due to technical mistakes. In other instances, it may be because there are usage...

What is the chance that your next TPLO candidate needs a TPA of 5 or 6.5 degrees? Zero! In a previous post , we discussed the function of...

Watch the post on YouTube. Following the example of the previous post , let's say that the mean height in our sample is not 1.43 standard...

Watch the YouTube video of the post. If the town we live in has a population close to 5 million people, we can safely consider our sample...

This post is about what the probability of something happening is. For this, let's assume that we go down the road and measure the height...

Watch the video of the post on our YouTube channel. The TTA is based on the assumption that the force from the femur to the tibia and...

Orthopaedic implants are critical medical devices designed to restore function and alleviate pain for patients with musculoskeletal...

A consensus standard of testing serves as a guide, outlining requirements and methodologies to ensure consistency in test results across...

This is the second post in a series investigating the reasons why the number 5 is so well-embedded in the TPLO literature. Effect of Tibial Plateau Leveling on Stability of the Canine Cranial Cruciate-Deficient Stifle Joint: In Vitro Study Ullrich Reif, Donald A Hulse, Joe G Hauptman The primary objective of the study was to assess the caudal tibial thrust generated after a TPLO procedure, specifically in relation to a tibial plateau angle (TPA) of 5 degrees. The researchers

Effect of Tibial Plateau Leveling on Cranial and Caudal Tibial Thrusts in Canine Cranial Cruciate-Deficient Stifles: An In Vitro Experimental Study. Christine C, Warzee, Loic M. Dejardin, Steven P. Arnoczky, Ruby L. Perry Veterinary Surgery 30:278-286, 2001 The researchers used fifteen pelvic limbs from adult dogs of similar size and body weight (range, 27 to 36 kg), which were euthanised for reasons unrelated to the study. The limbs were mounted on a device with the stifles

The target tibial plateau (TPA) angle of 5 degrees for the TPLO procedure is so inherent to our everyday practice that it has become an unquestionable rule for almost two decades. Although I do not question that this target angle will serve most patients well, I wanted to understand the origin of the 5-degree golden rule and challenge its robustness. The TPLO technique was first published by its inventors in 1993 (1). In this first publication, the authors suggest that levell