Patent ID: 7819881
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of separating two articulating surfaces of a joint of a hip having a femoral head and an acetabulum in part with a distractor comprising: distracting externally the femoral head from the acetabulum a first space; inserting the distractor in the first space between the femoral head and the acetabulum; contacting the femoral head and the acetabulum with a fixed size member of the distractor; moving the distractor in the first space to sequentially contact the femoral head and the acetabulum with a plurality of fixed size members having a serially increasing fixed size; distracting internally the femoral head from the acetabulum to create a second dimension in the first space; performing a medical procedure in the first space; decreasing the internally distracted dimension between the femoral head and the acetabulum; and removing the distractor from the joint.