Knee distraction device

• US 4,501,266 A
• Filed: 03/04/1983
• Issued: 02/26/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zimmer Technology Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biomet Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: McDaniel, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Frinks, Ronald L.
• Application Number:
  US06/472,160
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 128/69, 128/75, 128/84 R, 128/84 B, 128/84 C, 128/92 R, 128/92 A, 128/92 E, 128/92 H, 128/303 R, 128/774, 128/782, 3/1.911
• US Class Current: 606/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/025 Joint distractors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8847 for removing cement from a bone cavity using surgical bone chisels, drills, mills, rasps, reamers or scrapers A61B17/16; using laser A61B18/20; using ultrasonic surgical instruments A61N7/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0268 for the knee
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/06 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds A61L31/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 61/02 Condensation polymers of aldehydes or ketones only

Abstract

A knee distraction device is provided for facilitating knee arthroplasty. An adjustable force calibration mechanism is disposed in the device to accommodate controlled selection of the ligament-tensioning force to be applied at respective opposite sides of the knee. In preferred embodiments, the tensioning force is provided by a screw-threaded connection with a calibrated compression spring interposed between the tensioning members. According to another preferred embodiment, fluid pressure is applied by means of a calibrated pressure valve to apply the ligament-tensioning force.

Claims

1. A knee distraction device for facilitating knee arthroplasty comprising

a tibia-engaging member engageable with a resected tibial plateau of a patient,

a condyle-engaging member engageable with a distal femoral condyle of the patient,

force-applying means for forcibly moving said tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to one another to tension the patient'"'"'s ligaments,

and adjustable force calibration means operatively connected with the force-applying means for calibrating the degree of ligament tension applied by the distraction device.

2. A knee distraction device according to claim 1 comprising

two of said condyle-engaging members, one for each condyle of the patient'"'"'s knee,

wherein said force-applying means includes means for independently moving each of said condyle-engaging members relative to the tibia-engaging member, and wherein said calibration means includes means for independently calibrating the degree of ligament tension applied by the respective condyle-engaging members.

3. A knee distraction device according to claim 1 comprising slidably interengageable guide means for guiding the relative movement of the tibia- and condyle-engaging members.

4. A knee distraction device according to claim 3 wherein said calibration means includes calibration spring means interposed between the guide means.

5. A knee distraction device according to claim 4 wherein said slidably interengageable guide means includes two linear telescoping guide members fixedly attached respectively to the tibia- and condyle-engaging members, and wherein said calibration spring means is interposed between the telescoping guide members.

6. A knee distraction device according to claim 5 wherein one of said guide members is tubular-shaped and is fixedly attached to the tibia-engaging members and the other of said guide members is fixedly attached to the condyle-engaging member and is configured to slidably move along the inside of the tubular-shaped member,

wherein the force-applying means includes a screw-threaded adjusting member, and wherein the calibration spring means is a compression spring interposed between the threaded adjusting member and the other of said guide members.

7. A knee distraction device according to claim 6 wherein low-friction lining means are provided in said tubular-shaped guide member to minimize the frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the guide members with respect to each other.

8. A knee distraction device according to claim 7 wherein said low-friction lining means includes linear ball bushings.

9. A knee distraction device according to claim 8 further comprising a polyformaldehyde polymer spacer interposed between the calibration spring and the other of said guide members.

10. A knee distraction device according to claim 3 wherein said force-applying means includes means for applying fluid under pressure to move said tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to each other.

11. A knee distraction device according to claim 10 wherein said calibration means includes means for calibrating the fluid pressure applied to forcibly move the tibia- and condyle-engaging members relative to one another.

12. A knee distraction device according to claim 10 wherein one of said guide members is tubular-shaped and is fixedly attached to the tibia-engaging member and the other of said guide members is fixedly attached to the condyle-engaging member and is configured to slidably move along the inside of the tubular-shaped member, said guide members forming a fluid pressure space in said tubular member for the application of the fluid pressure, and

wherein said calibration means includes calibration valve means interposed between the fluid pressure space and a supply of fluid under pressure.

13. A knee distraction device according to claim 12 wherein low-friction lining means are provided in said tubular-shaped guide member to minimize the frictional resistance to relative sliding movement of the guide members with respect to one another.