A surgical instrument body has a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a joint between the proximal and distal instrument body portions. A drive element housing extends through the proximal and distal instrument body portions and through the joint. A force to actuate a component at the distal end of the instrument body is applied to the drive element. A second force in the opposite direction is applied to the drive element housing, and this second force is also applied to the component. The opposite direction forces stabilize the component so that when the distal component is actuated, the actuation does not significantly affect the joint position.
