An orthopedic implant with an inferior portion having a tibia contact surface configured to extend over a tibia; a superior portion opposite to the inferior portion having a tendon contact surface configured to change a position of a patellar tendon by lifting or tilting the patellar tendon when the curved surface of the first portion is engaged with the tibia; and a fixation mechanism adapted to attach the orthopedic implant to the tibia, the orthopedic implant being further configured to change shape from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to a load applied between the tendon contact surface and the tibia contact surface. The invention also addresses corresponding methods.

Disclosed is a medical device having a substrate having an exposed surface and a texture over at least part of the exposed surface. The texture includes a plurality of nanofeatures that inhibit bacterial adhesion on the surface and that also inhibit bacterial growth on the surface and have a size range between about 0.01 nanometers and about 1,000 nanometers. The texture can include a plurality of nanofeatures applied thereto such that the texture has a first particle size at a first location, a second particle size at a second location, and a gradient of particle size from the first particle size to the second particle size between the first location and the second location.

A joint implant system adapted for use in joint surgeries. Among other things, the joint implant has an anterior cutting edge and a rotatable cutter supported by a rotatable shaft.

Systems for distracting a facet joint and positioning a permanent implant in the joint are disclosed. The implants serve to retain a distracted position of the facet joint which is achieved with positioning of the leading end of a distraction tool in the facet joint and then distracting or enlarging the joint a desired amount. The permanent implant could be part of the distraction mechanism which can be separated from the delivery tool once the joint has been distracted or an auxiliary implant may be positioned before the distraction mechanism is removed from the distracted joint. The permanent implants can be solid, mechanical devices that may have fixation means thereon to hold them in place or injected fluids such as hydrogels or fluids confined within balloons.

Systems and methods are described for correcting sagittal imbalance in a spine including instruments for performing the controlled release of the anterior longitudinal ligament through a lateral access corridor and hyper-lordotic lateral implants.

A unique, universal Zero-Profile Expandable Intervertebral Spacer (ZP-EIS) device for fusion and distraction throughout the entire spine is provided which can be inserted via anterior, anterolateral, lateral, far lateral or posterior surgical approaches dependent on the need and preference. Multiple ZP-EIS embodiments each with unique mechanisms of calibrated expansion are provided. Two of these embodiments incorporate bi-directional fixating transvertebral (BDFT) screws and five other embodiments do not incorporate BDFT screws. A tool for implantation into the intervertebral device and calibrated device expansion is also disclosed.

An expandable implant system is disclosed in which the system comprises an implant with: (1) top and bottom plates, (2) ramp surfaces formed on inner surfaces of the plates, and (3) an expansion member situated between the plates. An actuator also forms part of the system, the actuator being removable from between the top and bottom plates after implantation of the implant. The expansion member has a set of angled surfaces for mating with the ramp surfaces of the plates and, upon movement of the expansion member along a longitudinal axis of the implant, the top and bottom plates expand from a first dimension to a second greater dimension. The top and bottom plates are also securable at varying angles to one another depending on the amount of movement of the expansion member along the ramp surfaces.

A spinal implant apparatus that is an expandable spacer including features to minimize or eliminate spacer cant or offset during and after completing the expansion process. The spacer includes a top component, a base component in engagement with the top component, and an expansion mechanism arranged to change the top component's position with respect to the base component. The mechanism for causing expansion may be a screw, a cam, a wedge or other form of distracting device. In one embodiment, the expandable spacer includes a base component with a set of towers and a top component with a set of corresponding silos, where the towers and silos are configured to minimize or eliminate tilt of the top component as it extends upwardly from the base component.

An adjustable spinal fusion intervertebral implant including upper and lower body portions each having proximal and distal surfaces at proximal and distal ends thereof. The implant can include a proximal wedge member disposed at the proximal ends of the respective ones of the upper and lower body portions, and a distal wedge member disposed at the distal ends of the respective ones of the upper and lower body portions. First and second linkages can connect the upper and lower body portions. Rotation of an actuator shaft can cause the distal and proximal wedge members to be drawn together such that longitudinal movement of the distal wedge member against the distal surfaces and the longitudinal movement of the proximal wedge member against the proximal surfaces causes separation of the upper and lower body portions.

In some aspects, the present invention is a medical implant with an independent endplate structure that can stimulate bone or tissue growth in or around the implant. When used as a scaffold for bone growth, the inventive structure can increase the strength of new bone growth. The independent endplate structures generally include implants with endplates positioned on opposite sides of the implant and capable of at least some movement relative to one another. In most examples, the endplates have a higher elastic modulus than that of the bulk of the implant to allow the use of an implant with a low elastic modulus, without risk of damage from the patient's bone. A method of designing independent endplate implants is also disclosed, including ranges of elastic moduli for the endplates and bulk of the implant for given implant parameters. Implants with elastic moduli within the ranges disclosed herein can optimize the loading of new bone growth to provide increased bone strength.