Flexible bone fixation device
View Patent ↗A bone fixation device comprises a beam including plurality of stacked flexible members. At least one locking member is provided in engagement with the plurality of stacked flexible members. The at least one locking member is configured to retain the plurality of stacked flexible members together in either a locked relationship or an unlocked relationship. In the locked relationship, the at least one locking member compress the plurality of stacked flexible members together. The plurality of stacked flexible members are configured to bend when a threshold force is applied to the beam, provided the plurality of stacked flexible members are in an unlocked relationship. When the plurality of stacked flexible members are in an unlocked relationship, the threshold force is insufficient to bend the plurality of stacked flexible members.
1. A bone fixation device comprising:
a) a beam comprising plurality of flexible members, wherein the plurality of flexible members are configured to bend when a threshold force is applied to the beam and the plurality of flexible members are in an unlocked relationship; and
b) a plurality of locking members configured to compress the plurality of flexible members together and into a locked relationship, wherein the threshold force applied to the beam is insufficient to bend the plurality of flexible members in the locked relationship;
wherein each locking member in the plurality includes a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion and the bottom portion of each locking member cooperating to define a first channel and a second channel;
wherein the plurality of locking members are arranged end to end such that the first channels of each locking member are aligned to form a first passage and the second channels of each locking member are aligned to form a second passage;
wherein the plurality of flexible members of the beam comprise filaments arranged in a first stacked grouping and a second stacked grouping, the first stacked grouping being positioned in the first passage and the second stacked grouping being positioned in the second passage;
wherein the top portion and the bottom portion of each locking member are configured to move between a first relative position and a second relative position with respect to each;
wherein, in the first relative position, the top portion and the bottom portion are spaced apart from each other a distance so that the filaments of the first stacked grouping and the second stacked grouping are in an unlocked relationship in which the filaments of the first stacked grouping are able to move with respect to each other in the first channel and the filaments of the second stacked grouping to move with respect to each other in the second channel, respectively;
wherein, in the second relative position, the top portion and the bottom portion of the locking members are positioned with respect to each other to compress the filaments of the first stacked grouping together in the first channel and into the locked relationship and to compress the filaments of the second stacked grouping together in the second channel and into the locked relationship such that the filaments of the first stacked grouping and the second stacked grouping are prevented from moving with respect to each other.
2. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flexible members have a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
3. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flexible members have a rounded cross-sectional shape.
4. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the at least one locking member comprises a first portion configured to engage a first side of the first stacked grouping and a first side of the second stacked grouping and a second portion configured to engage a second side of the first stacked grouping and a second side of the second stacked grouping, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured clamp the first stacked grouping and the second stacked grouping.
5. The bone fixation device of claim 4 wherein each locking member in the plurality of locking members includes a hole extending through the first portion and the second portion, wherein the hole is configured to receive a bone screw.
6. The bone fixation device of claim 5 wherein the hole of each locking member in the plurality includes a clearance hole extending through the first portion and a threaded hole extending through the second portion, the clearance hole configured to freely pass a bone screw and the threaded hole configured to threadedly engage the bone screw, wherein tightening the bone screw in the hole draws the first portion and the second portion together to compress the plurality of flexible members.
7. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flexible members comprises at least three flexible members.
8. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the beam defines a curvilinear axis for the bone fixation device, and wherein application of the threshold force bends the beam in an up-and-down direction relative to the curvilinear axis when the flexible members are in the unlocked relationship.
9. The bone fixation device of claim 1 wherein the beam defines a curvilinear axis for the bone fixation device, and wherein application of the threshold force bends the beam about the curvilinear axis when the flexible members are in the unlocked relationship.