A system and method for sharing and absorbing energy between body parts. In one particular aspect, the system facilitates absorbing energy between members forming a joint such as between articulating bones. In an exemplary embodiment, a coil spring or elastic member is positioned around a piston, and together act to transfer load around a joint during a portion of its range of motion.

A system and method for sharing and absorbing energy between body parts. In one particular aspect, the system facilitates absorbing energy between members forming a joint such as between articulating bones.

The present invention relates to a method of treating a hip joint of a human patient, the hip joint comprising an acetabulum, the acetabulum being a part of the pelvic bone, and a caput femur, the caput femur being the proximal part of the femoral bone, said method comprising the steps of: cutting the skin of the human patient, dissecting an area of the pelvic bone on the opposite side from the acetabulum, creating a hole in said dissected area, said hole passing through the pelvic bone and into the hip joint of the human patient, and performing an action in the hip joint, through said hole in the pelvic bone.

A spinal implant device for placement between vertebral bodies includes a housing, at least one screw member in the housing, and at least one drive shaft operably engageable with the screw member. The housing includes a first shell member and a second shell member. At least the first shell member has step tracking comprising a plurality of individual riser members for receiving the at least one screw member. The height of the plurality of individual riser members may change along the step tracking. The drive shaft may be operable to rotate the at least one screw member, causing the at least one screw member to move on the plurality of individual riser members. The at least one screw member comprises an external helical thread having a thickness configured to fit in the gaps between adjacent individual riser members, and is engageable with the first and second shell members, whereby the first and second shell members move relative to each other in response to the rotation of the at least one screw member to effect an expansion of the housing or a contraction of the housing from the expansion by reversing the rotation of the at least one screw member.

Devices and related methods for the dynamic correction of spinal deformities are disclosed. The devices and methods are particularly useful for correcting an abnormal curvature of the spine. In one exemplary embodiment, a method for correcting deformity via a spinal implant that can include a polymer between or attached to a top and bottom plate, which can exist in a wedge-shaped configuration in order to apply asymmetric forces to the spinal column, is provided. The implant may be inserted between adjacent vertebrae comprising part of the abnormal curvature, thereby restoring the normal curvature of a spine.

An expandable interbody implant is expandable from a contracted configuration to an expanded configuration by moving opposing first and second vertebral-engaging surfaces apart from one another. The implant includes a locking system for restraining contraction of the implant. The locking system may have a locked configuration, in which the first and second surfaces are prevented from moving back towards the contracted configuration, and the locking system may have an unlocked configuration, in which the first and second surfaces are permitted to move back towards the contracted configuration. The locking system may be controlled by rotation of one or more pinions. The pinions may, in turn, be controlled by linear movement of a rack. The rack may be configured so as to bias the locking system towards the locked configuration. The implant may also include a stop for constraining the maximum expansion of the implant.

An expandable intervertebral implant includes a first endplate and a second endplate, a first wedge member and a second wedge member spaced from the first wedge member that couple the first and second endplates together. The first and second wedge members are configured to translate along an actuation member housed between the first and second endplates to cause the implant to expand from a first collapsed configuration into a second expanded configuration. The actuation member has a first threaded section spaced apart from a second threaded section where the first and second threaded sections are at an angle with each other. The actuation member is configured to move the first and second wedge members from the first collapsed configuration into the second expanded configuration so that the first and second endplates separate from each other to contact and engage the endplates of the adjacent vertebral bodies.

An implantable medical device for implantation in a hip joint is provided. The medical device comprises: at least one artificial hip joint surface adapted to replace at least the surface of at least one of the caput femur and acetabulum. At least one artificial hip joint surface comprises: a positioning hole with at least one opening in said at least one artificial hip joint surface. The hole is adapted to be placed and dimensioned such that the medical device is adapted to be fitted using a positioning shaft and at least partly surround the shaft, for positioning the at least one artificial hip joint surface in a desired position in the hip joint. The hole is adapted to be fitted using the positioning shaft, when the shaft is stabilized and placed in at least one of the femoral bone and the pelvic bone for positioning said medical device inside the hip joint.

A knee trial which is coupled to identify the mobility of an implant before the implant is implanted by total knee arthroplasty, and more particularly, a detachable knee trial which includes a plate trial, an insert trial, and an adapter for easy attachment and detachment of the two trials, wherein the adapter includes an elastic member on one side thereof to firmly couple the two trials by pressing the plate trial and the insert trial with opposite ends of the elastic member and to alleviate the burdens of an operator and a patient by allowing the adapter to be attached and detached even only with a simple operation of pressing the adapter and compressing the elastic member by a hand and promptly and precisely performing an operation of selecting an implant of a suitable size while applying various trials in the total knee arthroplasty process and shortening surgery time, alleviating the burdens of a surgeon and a patient, and wherein one side of the adapter is formed of plastic, making it possible to couple the plate trial and the plate implant without leaving a flaw and the like in the plate trial and the plate implant.

A prosthetic intervertebral disc and methods for using the same are provided. The subject prosthetic discs are characterized by including top and bottom endplates separated by a fibrous compressible element that includes an annular region and a nuclear region. The two plates are held together at least one fiber wound around at least one region of the top endplate and at least one region of the bottom endplate. The subject discs may be employed with separate vertebral body fixation elements, or they may include integrated vertebral body fixation elements. Also provided are kits and systems that include the subject prosthetic discs.