Patent ID: 8734523

Claim:
A tibial implant comprising: a baseplate having a bone contacting surface, a proximally facing bearing support surface extending in a plane transverse to a longitudinal axis of a tibia and a proximally extending wall at least partially surrounding the proximally facing bearing support surface; a bearing component slidably mounted with respect to the baseplate bearing support surface, the bearing component having a proximally facing condylar surface and a distally facing surface for contacting the baseplate bearing support surface, the proximally and distally facing bearing component surfaces spaced to define a circumferential side surface therebetween the distally facing surface of the bearing component defining a smaller area than an area of the proximally facing bearing support surface so that a gap exists along the plane of the bearing support surface between an inner surface of the proximally extending wall of the baseplate and the circumferential side surface of the bearing component; and an elastic gasket element having an inner proximally extending wall and an outer proximally extending wall interposed within the gap formed between the baseplate proximally extending wall and the bearing component circumferential side surface, the elastic gasket element outer proximally extending wall adjacent the inner surface of the baseplate proximally extending wall and the elastic gasket element inner wall adjacent the circumferential side surface of the bearing component.