Patent ID: 7491179

Claim:
An apparatus for providing an in vivo assessment of loads on adjacent bones, said apparatus comprising: a body adapted for insertion between the adjacent bones; a first sensor assembly associated with said body, comprising a first sensor for generating a first output signal in response to and indicative of a load being applied to said body through the adjacent bones and at least one telemetric device operatively coupled with said first sensor, said at least one telemetric device being operable to receive said output signal from said first sensor and to transmit an EMF signal dependent upon said output signal; and a second sensor assembly, located within an interior of said body, comprising a second sensor that generates a second output signal in response to and indicative of at least one characteristic of the interior of said body, the second sensor assembly being operatively connected to the first sensor assembly via at least one wire such that the second output signal can be provided to the at least one telemetric device, and physically connected by a tube, the at least one wire extending through the tube.