Surgical slap hammer

Abstract

A slap hammer including an adjustable striking member and a releasable retaining mechanism for releasably retaining a sliding weight is disclosed. One described slap hammer comprises a guide rod having a first end and a second end; a striking member coupled to the second end of the guide rod and movable relative to the first end of the guide rod; a sliding weight slidable along the guide rod between the first end of the guide rod and the striking member; a biasing element positioned between the sliding weight and the first end of the guide rod, the biasing element biasing the sliding weight towards the second end of the guide rod; and a releasable retaining mechanism for releasably retaining the sliding weight against the action of the biasing element.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A method for applying a force to an object comprising:
 coupling a guide rod to an object;   sliding a sliding weight along the guide rod in the direction of the object and against the bias of a biasing element;   mechanically retaining the sliding weight against the biasing element; and   mechanically releasing the sliding weight to cause the sliding weight to slide along the guide rod in a direction away from the object and deliver an impact to the striking member.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to claim  0  wherein the guide rod is threadedly coupled to the object with a threaded screw. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to claim  0  wherein the guide rod is clamped to the object with a pair of pliers. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to claim  0  wherein the object the guide rod is coupled to comprises a surgical instrument attached to an orthopedic device. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to claim  0  further comprising controlling a force applied to the object. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to claim  0  wherein controlling the force applied to the object comprises adjusting the position of a striking member coupled to the guide rod. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein the step of adjusting the position of a striking member coupled to the guide rod occurs after the step of mechanically retaining the sliding weight against the biasing element. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to claim  0  wherein the biasing element comprises a compression spring. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to claim  0  wherein the step of mechanically releasing the sliding weight to cause the sliding weight to slide along the guide rod in a direction away from the object and deliver an impact to the striking member comprises activating a triggering mechanism to mechanically release the sliding weight from a releasable retaining mechanism.