Device and method for displaying joint force data

#Cross-reference is made to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/415,172 entitled “DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FORCE OF A KNEE JOINT” by Jason Sherman, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2009; to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/415,290 entitled “METHOD FOR PERFORMING AN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGICAL PROCEDURE” by Mick Rock, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2009; to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/415,350 entitled “DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FORCES OF A PATIENT'S JOINT” by Jason Sherman, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2009; and to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/415,365 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING JOINT FORCE DATA” by Jason Sherman, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2009; the entirety of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

#The present disclosure relates generally to orthopaedic surgical instruments and, more particularly, to systems, devices, and methods for determining and displaying joint force data.

#Orthopaedic prostheses are implanted in patients by orthopaedic surgeons to, for example, correct or otherwise alleviate bone and/or soft tissue loss, trauma damage, and/or deformation of the bone(s) of the patients. Orthopaedic prostheses may replace a portion or the complete joint of a patient. For example, the orthopaedic prosthesis may replace the patient's knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, or other joint. In the case of a knee replacement, the orthopaedic knee prosthesis may include a tibial tray, a femoral component, and a polymer insert or bearing positioned between the tibial tray and the femoral component. In some cases, the knee prosthesis may also include a prosthetic patella component, which is secured to a posterior side of the patient's surgically-prepared patella.

#The detailed description particularly refers to the following figures, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of one embodiment of a system for measuring and displaying joint force data of a patient's joint;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a sensor module of the system of FIG. 1;

#While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

#Terms representing anatomical references, such as anterior, posterior, medial, lateral, superior, inferior, etcetera, may be used throughout this disclosure in reference to both the orthopaedic implants described herein and a patient's natural anatomy. Such terms have well-understood meanings in both the study of anatomy and the field of orthopaedics. Use of such anatomical reference terms in the specification and claims is intended to be consistent with their well-understood meanings unless noted otherwise.

#Referring now to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, a system 10 for determining and displaying joint forces of a patient's joint during an orthopaedic surgical procedure includes a sensor module 12, a hand-held display module 14, and a joint distractor 16. The system 10 may also includes a computer assisted surgery system (CAOS) system 18 in some embodiments. As discussed in more detail below, the sensor module 12 is configured to be inserted into a patient's joint and provide a visual indication of the joint forces to an orthopaedic surgeon. For example, in one illustrative embodiment, the sensor module 12 provides a visual indication of the relative or balance of the medial-lateral joint forces of a patient's knee joint. The sensor module 12 may also be configured to transmit joint force data to the hand-held display module 14 via a wireless communication link 20 and/or the computer assisted surgery system 18 via a wireless communication link 22. In response, the display module 14 and/or computer assisted surgery system 18 are configured to display the joint force data, or data derived therefrom, to an orthopaedic surgeon. Additionally, during the performance of an orthopaedic surgical procedure, such as a total or partial knee arthroplasty procedure, the sensor module 12 may be coupled to the joint distractor 16 to provide visual indication of the joint forces of the patient's joint during distraction thereof as discussed below.