Patent ID: 7128763

Claim:
A method for treating a joint formed by opposing bones having first and second mating joint surfaces so that relative slidable joint motion between the bones is permanently maintained comprising the following steps: removing at least a portion of the first joint surface to expose a cancellous bone surface covered by a layer selected from the group consisting of at least one of blood clot and hematoma; selecting an implant made of bioresorbable material only and having a face adapted to face the cancellous bone surface; placing the bioresorbable implant between the second joint surface and the cancellous bone surface so that the face is in slidable contact with the layer covering the cancellous bone surface and the implant initially keeps said exposed cancellous bone surface spaced apart from the second joint surface while permitting unrestricted relative slidable motion between the face and the cancellous bone surface including the layer covering it; using the joint while allowing resorption of the implant and causing unrestricted slidable motions between the face and the layer covering the cancellous bone surface to stimulate the formation of fibroblast from the layer covering the cancellous bone surface so that the fibroblast can progress into fibrocartilage as the implant is resorbed, the fibrocartilage replaces the implant during such resorption, and thereafter relative slidable motion between the bones along the fibrocartilage occurs when using the joint.