Orthopedic guide and method

1. A bone drill guide useable near a metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint of a human foot to guide the formation of a hole in a bone that intersects a ligament boney attachment adjacent the joint, the MTP joint including a metatarsal bone having a longitudinal axis and a head with an articular surface, and a phalangeal bone having a head with an articular surface, the bone drill guide comprising:

a body having a first reference portion engageable with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint and a first drill guiding portion, the first drill guiding portion being oriented relative to the first reference portion based on human anatomy relating the location of a first ligament boney attachment to at least one articular surface of the MTP joint, the guide being operable to engage the first reference portion with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint to position the first drill guiding portion in alignment with the boney attachment of the first ligament, wherein the first reference portion comprises a member extending away from the body and having a concave surface engageable with the metatarsal head.

2. The bone drill guide of claim 1 wherein the concave surface is spherical and engageable with the metatarsal head, the spherical engagement operable to constrain the guide in three translational degrees of freedom.

3. The bone drill guide of claim 2 wherein the body comprises a guide longitudinal axis and a planar portion, the guide being operable, while the concave surface is engaged with the metatarsal head, to align the guide longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the metatarsal bone to eliminate two degrees of rotational freedom and to align the planar portion parallel to the transverse plane of the foot to eliminate a third degree of rotational freedom.

4. The bone drill guide of claim 1 wherein the concave surface is cylindrical and engageable with the metatarsal head, the cylindrical engagement operable to constrain the guide in two translational degrees of freedom.

5. The bone drill guide of claim 4 wherein the body comprises a guide longitudinal axis and a planar portion, the guide being operable, while the concave surface is engaged with the metatarsal head, to align the guide longitudinal axis with the longitudinal axis of the metatarsal bone to eliminate one degree of translational freedom and two degrees of rotational freedom and to align the planar portion parallel to the transverse plane of the foot to eliminate a third degree of rotational freedom.

6. A bone drill guide useable near a metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint of a human foot to guide the formation of a hole in a bone that intersects a ligament boney attachment adjacent the joint, the MTP joint including a metatarsal bone having a longitudinal axis and a head with an articular surface, and a phalangeal bone having a head with an articular surface, the bone drill guide comprising:

a body having a first reference portion engageable with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint and a first drill guiding portion, the first drill guiding portion being oriented relative to the first reference portion based on human anatomy relating the location of a first ligament boney attachment to at least one articular surface of the MTP joint, the guide being operable to engage the first reference portion with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint to position the first drill guiding portion in alignment with the boney attachment of the first ligament, wherein the body comprises first and second rigid members joined together at a hinge in relative rotating relationship and the first drill guiding portion includes a hole defining a first drill guiding axis through the first rigid member alignable with the boney attachment of a ligament to the metatarsal bone.

7. The bone drill guide of claim 6 wherein the second rigid member includes a second drill guiding portion having a hole defining a second drill guiding axis simultaneously alignable with the boney attachment of a ligament to the phalangeal bone.

8. The bone drill guide of claim 7 wherein the first and second rigid members further include holes for receiving fixation members to attach the rigid members to the metatarsal and phalangeal bones.

9. A method of drilling a tunnel in a bone of a metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint of a human foot that intersects a ligament boney attachment adjacent the joint, the MTP joint including a metatarsal bone having a longitudinal axis and a head with an articular surface, and a phalangeal bone having a head with an articular surface, the method comprising:

positioning a drill guide adjacent the MTP joint, the drill guide comprising a body having a first reference portion engageable with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint and a first drill guiding portion;

engaging the first reference portion with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint to position the first drill guiding portion in alignment with the first ligament boney attachment; guiding a drill with the first drill guiding portion to form a bone tunnel, wherein the first reference portion comprises a member extending outwardly from the body and having a concave surface and engaging the first reference portion comprises engaging the concave surface with the metatarsal head.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the concave surface is spherical and engaging the concave surface with the metatarsal head constrains the guide in three translational degrees of freedom.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the body further comprises a guide longitudinal axis and a planar portion, the method further comprising:

aligning the guide longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the metatarsal bone to eliminate two degrees of rotational freedom; and

aligning the planar portion parallel to the transverse plane of the foot to eliminate a third degree of rotational freedom.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the concave surface is cylindrical and engaging the concave surface with the metatarsal head constrains the guide in two translational degrees of freedom.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the body further comprises a guide longitudinal axis and a planar portion, the method further comprising:

aligning the guide longitudinal axis with the longitudinal axis of the metatarsal bone to eliminate one degree of translational freedom and two degrees of rotational freedom; and

aligning the planar portion parallel to the transverse plane of the foot to eliminate a third degree of rotational freedom.

14. A method of drilling a tunnel in a bone of a metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint of a human foot that intersects a ligament boney attachment adjacent the joint, the MTP joint including a metatarsal bone having a longitudinal axis and a head with an articular surface, and a phalangeal bone having a head with an articular surface, the method comprising:

positioning a drill guide adjacent the MTP joint, the drill guide comprising a body having a first reference portion engageable with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint and a first drill guiding portion;

engaging the first reference portion with at least one articular surface of the MTP joint to position the first drill guiding portion in alignment with the first ligament boney attachment; guiding a drill with the first drill guiding portion to form a bone tunnel, wherein the body comprises first and second rigid members joined together at a hinge in relative rotating relationship and the first rigid member includes the first drill guiding portion having a hole defining a first drill guiding axis and the second rigid member includes a second drill guiding portion having a hole defining a second drill guiding axis; further wherein the steps of positioning the drill guide adjacent the joint and engaging the first reference portion with the MTP joint are accomplished with the second rigid member overlying the first rigid member, the method further comprising;

positioning the first and second rigid members over the phalangeal bone of the MTP joint;

rotating the first rigid member relative to the second rigid member to position the first rigid member over the metatarsal bone of the MTP joint;

securing the first rigid member to the metatarsal bone; and

securing the second rigid member to the phalangeal bone.