Patent ID: 7857814

Claim:
A method for implanting an orthopedic prosthesis during a knee arthroplasty surgery comprising: providing a cutting tool having a cutting profile defined along a longitudinal axis and presenting an effective width of the cutting profile transverse to the longitudinal axis, the cutting tool further having a single offset handle arm extending along an arm axis generally transverse to the longitudinal axis and presenting an effective width transverse to the arm axis, such that both the effective width of the cutting profile and the effective width of the handle arm are less than an effective length of the cutting profile along the longitudinal axis; creating an opening in tissue proximate a bone on which a resected surface is to be created during the knee arthroplasty surgery, the opening having a maximum dimension generally equal to or greater than the effective width of the handle arm and the effective width of the cutting profile and less than the effective length of the cutting profile; utilizing the handle arm to manipulate the cutting tool into the opening such that the cutting profile is positioned to create the resected surface; creating at least a portion of the resected surface by relative movement of the cutting tool and the bone; utilizing the handle arm to removing the cutting tool from the opening; and operably attaching a corresponding surface of the orthopedic prosthesis to the resected surface.