APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING KNEE GEOMETRY

A method of evaluating a human knee joint which includes a femur bone, a tibia bone, a patella bone, a patellar tendon, and ligaments, wherein the ligaments and patellar tendon are under anatomical tension to connect the femur and tibia together, creating a load-bearing articulating joint, the method including: inserting into the knee joint a gap balancer that includes a tibial interface surface, an opposed femoral interface surface, and at least one force sensor, the method including: providing an electronic receiving device; moving the knee joint through at least a portion of its range of motion; while moving the knee joint, using the electronic receiving device to collect data from the at least one force sensor; processing the collected data to produce a digital geometric model of at least a portion of the knee joint; and storing the digital geometric model for further use.