US Patent 8162951 Femoral tibial spreader with tensor measurement

A femoral tibial spreader (100) for spreading adjacent bones includes a radial measurement gauge (111) for providing incidia corresponding to an amount of force being applied to the forward ends (105,106) of the femoral tibial spreader (100). The femoral tibial spreader (100) may be used, for example, to separate the femur (301) and tibia (302) during knee surgery. The radial measurement gauge (111) may be used to determine an amount of force being applied to the femur (301) and tibia (302), for example, by the medial and arterial ligaments. Two handle members (104,109) are squeezed together, which causes the forward ends (105,106) to open. A biasing member (110) allows a measurement extension (108) to pivot towards a handle member under tension, thereby providing a measurement of force applied by the ligaments.