Modular apparatus and method for sculpting the surface of a joint

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first bone implant including a plurality of sub-components for mimicking and replacing the bearing surfaces of a first bone, each of said plurality of subcomponents having an inner surface adapted to be secured to the first bone, each of said plurality of sub-components including a tethering hole;

first bone flexible tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, said attachment end adapted to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of a first of said plurality of first bone sub-components and the receiving end adapted to be receivably coupled to a second of said plurality of first bone sub-components wherein said tethering means are adapted to lock the second and subsequent of said plurality of first bone sub-components to the first of said plurality of first bone sub-components or to a second bone implant.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the attachment end of said tethering means is adapted to be receivably coupled to said tethering hole after said at least one of said plurality of first bone sub-components has been secured to the first bone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment end of said tethering means is adapted to be receivably coupled to said tethering hole outside of a joint cavity.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each remaining first bone subcomponent is adapted to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and passed into the joint cavity.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each remaining first bone subcomponent is adapted to be received onto the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and engaged, aligned and/or oriented to each other outside of the joint cavity.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sub-components of the first bone implant are structured to be engaged, aligned and/or oriented to each other within the confines of the joint cavity by said tethering means.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second bone implant including a plurality of second bone sub-components for mimicking and replacing the bearing surfaces of a second bone that articulates in a predetermined manner with the first bone, at least one of said plurality of said second bone sub-components including a tethering hole; and second bone flexible tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, the attachment end operably coupled to said tethering hole.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of second bone sub-components are structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and passed into the joint cavity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of second bone sub-components are structured to be engaged, aligned and/or oriented to each other within the confines of the joint cavity by said tethering means.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first bone and second bone implants are selected from the group consisting of an ankle implant, a shoulder implant, a knee implant, a hip implant, a spinal implant, and a finger implant.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first bone implant comprises a femoral implant and said second bone implant comprises a tibial bearing insert and a tibial baseplate wherein the attachment end of the tethering means is structured to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of at least one of said plurality of femoral sub-components, said tibial baseplate sub-components, or both.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said tethering means is structured to be coupled to the tethering hole of said at least one of said plurality of femoral sub-components after said at least one of said plurality of femoral sub-components is secured to the femur.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said tethering means is structured to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of at least one of said plurality of said femoral sub-components outside of a joint cavity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein each remaining femoral sub-component is structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and engaged, aligned and/or oriented to each other outside the joint cavity.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said tethering means is structured to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of at least one of said plurality of tibial baseplate sub-components outside of a joint cavity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each remaining tibial baseplate sub-component is structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and engaged, aligned and/or oriented to each other outside the joint cavity.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each femoral and tibial baseplate sub-component is structured to be joined, aligned and/or oriented one to the other within the confines of the joint cavity by said tethering means.

18. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising second bone tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, said attachment end adapted to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of said at least one of said plurality of second bone sub-components.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tethering means are structured to be coupled to each first bone sub-component and remain in a joint cavity after alignment of said first bone subcomponents.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the plurality of bearing-surface femoral sub-components are selected from the group consisting of trochlear, medial femoral condyle and lateral femoral condyle sub-components.

21. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the attachment end of said tethering means is structured to be removably coupled to said tethering hole of at least one of said plurality of femoral sub-components or at least one of said plurality of tibial baseplate sub-components, or both.

22. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the attachment end of said tethering means is structured to be fixedly coupled to said tethering hole of at least one of said plurality of femoral sub-components or at least one of said plurality of tibial baseplate sub-components, or both.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the attachment end and the receiving end of said first bone and/or said second bone tethering means are structured to be removably coupled to said first bone and/or said second bone subcomponents and removed from a joint cavity after engagement, alignment and/or orientation of said first bone sub-components and said second bone sub-components.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the attachment end and the receiving end of said first bone and/or said second bone tethering means are structured to be fixedly coupled to the tethering hole of at least one of said first bone and/or said second bone subcomponents and remain in a joint cavity after engagement, alignment and/or orientation of said first bone sub-components and said second bone sub-components.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible tethering means comprise wires, cables, lines, filaments, sutures, braids, tape, threads, strands, or cords.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a first of said plurality of sub-components is structured to be receivably coupled to said flexible tethering means and adapted to be secured to the first bone, and further wherein each remaining sub-component is structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and passed into the joint cavity.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first bone tethering means comprise a plurality of tethering means.

28. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6 further comprising a tensioner for applying a compressive force to the sub-components to engage said sub-components one to the other.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a first bone implant including a plurality of first bone sub-components for mimicking and replacing the bearing surfaces of the first bone, each of said plurality of first bone sub-components having an inner surface adapted to be secured to the first bone, wherein each of said plurality of first bone sub-components includes a threaded tethering hole; and

first bone flexible tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, said attachment end structured adapted to be coupled to the first bone and said receiving end threadably received by each of said threaded tethering holes adapted to secure each of said plurality of first bone sub-components to said first bone, to a first of said plurality of first bone sub-components, to a second bone or to a second bone implant.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising a second bone implant including a plurality of second bone sub-components for mimicking and replacing the bearing surfaces of a second bone that articulates in a predetermined manner with the first bone, at least one of said plurality of second bone sub-components having a threaded tethering hole; and

second bone flexible tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, said attachment end structured to be coupled to the second bone and said receiving end threadably received by said tethering hole to secure said at least one of said plurality of second bone sub-components to said second bone.

31. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said flexible tethering means comprises wires, cables, lines, filaments, sutures, braids, tapes, threads, strands, or cords.

32. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein a first of said plurality of sub-components is structured to be receivably coupled to said flexible tethering means and adapted to be secured to the first bone, and further wherein each remaining sub-component is structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and passed into the joint cavity.

33. An apparatus for partially replacing the femoral surfaces of a knee joint, the apparatus comprising:

a femoral implant including a plurality of bearing-surface sub-components, each of said plurality of bearing-surface sub-components having an inner surface adapted to be secured to a femur, each of said plurality of femoral sub-components including a tethering hole; and

flexible tethering means having an attachment end and a receiving end, said attachment end structured to be receivably coupled to the tethering hole of a first of said plurality of femoral sub-components outside of a joint cavity,

wherein said first of said plurality of femoral sub-components is structured to be receivably coupled to said flexible tethering means and adapted to be secured to the first bone, and further wherein subsequent femoral sub-components are structured to be receivably coupled to the receiving end of said tethering means in succession and passed into the joint cavity and further wherein said tethering means are adapted to lock each subsequent femoral sub-component to the first of said plurality of femoral sub-components or to a second bone implant.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the femoral sub-components are aligned, engaged and/or oriented to each other within the confines of the joint cavity by said flexible tethering means.