Femoral reference tibial cut guide

A method comprising the steps of:

• positioning a knee joint comprising a tibia and a femur in a desired alignment and spacing;
• positioning a tibial cut guide adjacent to the proximal tibia, the tibial cut guide including a probe;
• contacting the femur with the probe to space the tibial cut guide a known distance from the femur;
• and
• guiding a cutter with the tibial cut guide to cut the tibia at the level determined by contacting the femur.

A method comprising the steps of:

• positioning a knee joint comprising a tibia and a femur at a first angle of flexion;
• positioning a tibial cut guide adjacent to the proximal tibia, the tibial cut guide including a probe, the probe including a reference surface and a plurality of indicia indicating a linear distance from the reference surface to the tibial cut guide, the reference surface being adjustable between the plurality of indicia;
• contacting the femur with the reference surface in a first position;
• fixing the position of the tibial cut guide;
• noting which of the indicia corresponds to the reference surface first position;
• repositioning the knee joint to a second angle of flexion;
• contacting the femur with the reference surface in a second position;
• noting which of the indicia corresponds to the reference surface second position;
• and
• comparing the indicia corresponding to the reference surface first and second positions to determine the difference in the spacing between the femur and tibia in the two flexion positions.