Patent ID: 8734454

Claim:
An orthopaedic surgical instrument comprising: an orthopaedic distraction device comprising: an upper surface shaped to contact a distal end of a patient's femur, a lower surface configured to contact a proximal end of the patient's tibia, and a spacing mechanism including an actuator positioned in the orthopaedic distraction device that is operable to move the upper surface relative to the lower surface, a user-operated control device secured to the orthopaedic distraction device and including a button positioned on the outer surface of the orthopaedic distraction device, wherein the user-operated control device is operable to actuate the spacing mechanism to move the upper surface relative to the lower surface in response to a user pressing the button, a display positioned on an outer surface of the orthopaedic distraction device and configured to provide visual feedback indicative of a force between the patient's tibia and the patient's femur, and a circuit positioned in the orthopaedic distraction device and configured to control the display.