Patent ID: 7097647

Claim:
A joint space distractor comprising: a pair of retractor arms, each arm having a distal end and a pivot end: a first crossmember having a pair of first pivot joint connections respective to the pivot ends of said retractor arms to accommodate arcuate movement of said retractor arms in a substantially common arc plane; an adjustment member having a threaded attachment to said first crossmember between said first pivot joint connections for displacement along an adjustment axis respective to attachment member threads, said adjustment member having a first distal end on one side of said first crossmember and a second distal end on an opposite side of said first crossmember; a second crossmember secured to said first distal end of said adjustment member at a fixed position along said adjustment axis for rotation about said axis; a pair of links, each link having a pivot connection to said second crossmember and to a respective retractor arm at a second pivot joint disposed between said first pivot joint and said retractor arm distal end; guide apertures through respective distal ends of said retractor arms, said guide apertures each having a guide axis disposed transversely of said common arc plane; and, bone pins confined within said guide apertures for translation along respective guide axes, said bone pins each having a bone piercing end for penetration respectively contiguous elements of a bone joint.