Methods and systems for ligament balancing

A system for determining one or more ligament properties in a joint of a patient, the system comprising:

• a tool, having a proximal end and a distal end, comprising:
• a first tracking array disposed on the proximal end,
• a second tracking array disposed on the distal end, and
• a flexible portion, between the proximal and distal ends, having a modulus of elasticity and a moment of inertia;
• and
• a tracking system comprising one or more tracking sensors operatively coupled to a processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the system to:
• obtain one or more positions and one or more orientations of the joint of the patient through a range of motion,
• generate, based on the one or more positions and the one or more orientations, a virtual model of the joint comprising one or more elements,
• obtain additional tracking information associated with a force applied to the tool, and
• determine one or more values for one or more parameters related to the applied force.

A system for determining one or more ligament properties in a joint of a patient, the system comprising:

• a tool, having a proximal end and a distal end, comprising:
• a first tracking array disposed on the proximal end,
• a second tracking array disposed on the distal end, and
• a flexible portion, between the proximal and distal ends, having a modulus of elasticity and a moment of inertia;
• and
• a tracking system comprising one or more tracking sensors operatively coupled to a processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the system to:
• receive one or more patient-specific parameters,
• obtain one or more positions and one or more orientations of the joint of the patient through a range of motion,
• generate, based on the one or more positions and the one or more orientations, a virtual model of the joint comprising one or more elements,
• obtain additional tracking information associated with a force applied to the tool, and
• determine one or more values for one or more parameters related to the applied force, wherein determining the one or more values is based on the one or more patient-specific parameters.