Patent ID: 7780735

Claim:
A method of surgically protecting a knee prosthesis for a knee joint having femur and tibia knee joint end portions with a meniscus disposed therebetween, the method comprising; surgically removing the meniscus and adjacent joint end portions of the femur and tibia; replacing one of the removed joint end portions with a first prosthetic component; temporarily inserting and holding a flexible protector shim by a handle therefor between said first prosthetic component and the other of said joint end portions; replacing the other of said removed joint end portions with a second prosthetic component while said protector shim is maintained in position between said prosthetic components for thereby preventing scarring or scratching of said components and also minimizing movement of said components during a curing phase of cementing the components; and thereafter removing said protector shim and inserting a prosthetic meniscus between said components.