Rod coupling assembly and methods for bone fixation

1. An assembly for securing an elongate member to the spine, the assembly comprising:

an anchor member having a head portion;

an insert member with a lower portion having a plurality of flexible walls forming a cavity for receiving the anchor head portion;

an outer member having an inner surface defining an inner space for receiving the insert member, the inner surface having at least a portion configured to shift the insert member walls against the anchor member head in order to fix the anchor member head at an angular position with respect to the insert member;

upright, arcuate side walls of the outer member extending upwardly along a central vertical axis of the outer member and having upper ends thereof, the upright side walls forming a rod reception recess having a transverse axis extending orthogonal to the central, vertical axis;

a pair of upstanding, resiliently flexible arm portions of the insert member arranged such that when the insert member is received in the outer member inner space, the insert member arm portions are on either side of the rod reception recess and form gaps with the adjacent upright, arcuate side walls of the outer member, the upstanding arm portions having upper ends thereof;

a first pair of retention tabs adjacent the upper end of a first one of the outer member side walls and being arranged so that with the insert member received in the outer member inner space, the first pair of retention tabs are spaced from each other along the transverse axis, and a second pair of retention tabs adjacent the upper end of a second one of the outer member side walls and being arranged so that with the insert member received in the outer member inner space, the second pair of retention tabs are spaced from each other along the transverse axis so as to be aligned with corresponding ones of the first pair of retention tabs across the outer member inner space;

a first pair of retention tabs adjacent the upper end of a first one of the insert member arm portions and being arranged so that with the insert member received in the outer member space, the first pair of retention tabs are spaced from each other along the transverse axis, and a second pair of retention tabs adjacent the upper end of a second one of the insert member arm portions and being arranged so that with the insert member received in the outer member inner space, the second pair of retention tabs are spaced from each other along the transverse axis so as to be aligned with corresponding ones of the first pair of retention tabs across the outer member inner space, the outer member retention tabs and the inner member retention tabs being configured to provide a snap-fit of the insert member in the outer member inner space and to resist back-out of insert member received in the outer member inner space; and

a rod lock member having a pair of depending leg portions configured and sized to allow a first one of the leg portions to be linearly advanced between the spaced first pairs of retention tabs of the outer member and the insert member and into the gap between the outer member first side wall and the insert member first resilient arm portion and to allow a second one of the leg portions to be linearly advanced between the spaced second pairs of retention tabs of the outer member and the insert member and into the gap between the outer member second side wall and the insert member second resilient arm portion for causing the insert member resiliently flexible arm portions to tightly grip an elongate member received therebetween.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the outer member retention tabs each have a ramped portion extending at an incline to the central, vertical axis and a flat portion extending orthogonal to the central, vertical axis and the insert member retention tabs each have a ramped portion extending at an incline to the central, vertical axis and a flat portion extending orthogonal to the central vertical axis;

wherein the ramped portion of each of the insert member retention tabs is configured to engage the ramped portion of the corresponding outer member retention tab when the insert member arm portions are linearly inserted into the inner space of the outer member so that the ramped surfaces slide past one another; and

wherein the flat portion of each of the insert member retention tabs is configured to engage the flat portion of the corresponding outer member retention tab to keep the insert member in the outer member inner space.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the outer member inner surface comprises:

a surface contour configured to shift the flexible walls of the insert member toward one another to prevent the anchor head from exiting the insert member cavity when the insert member is shifted to a first retention position within the inner space of the outer member with the corresponding retention tabs of the outer member and the insert member closely adjacent one another, the surface contour further configured to shift the flexible walls of the insert member toward one another to frictionally lock the anchor head therebetween so that a shank portion of the anchor member is at a fixed angle when the insert member is linearly shifted to a second lock position in the outer member inner space with the corresponding retention tabs of the outer member and the insert member shifted further apart from one another.

4. A coupling assembly for securing an elongate member to the spine, the coupling assembly comprising:

an anchor member having an anchoring portion and a head portion, the head portion having a predetermined configuration including a height, a first head width, and a second head width in a direction orthogonal to the first head width, the first head width greater than the second head width;

an anchor receiving member having an annular wall extending about an internal space for receiving the head portion of the anchor member, the internal space having a complimentary configuration to that of the anchor member head portion including a first width thereacross, and a second width thereacross in a direction orthogonal to the first width, the first width being greater than the second width;

slots in the annular wall so that the annular wall is resiliently flexible;

an opening in the bottom of the anchor receiving member configured to removably receive the anchor member head portion by a snap-fit therethrough with the anchor member head portion first width aligned with the internal space first width and the anchor second width aligned with the internal space second width, the anchor member head portion being rotatable in the internal space to a retention position so that the head portion first and second widths are misaligned from the internal space first and second widths, respectively, to increase gripping force of the annular wall on the anchor member head.

5. The coupling assembly of claim 4 including an outer member having an internal space, and wherein the anchor receiving member is an insert member configured for linear insertion into the internal space of the outer member.

6. The coupling assembly of claim 5 , wherein the elongate member is received in an upper portion of the insert member.

7. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the outer member has an inner surface extending about the internal space with the inner surface being configured to deflect annular wall portions between the slots toward one another to lock the anchor head portion in the insert member internal space to fix the anchoring portion at an angular position with respect to the insert member when the insert member is linearly inserted to a predetermined depth into the internal space of the outer member.

8. The coupling assembly of claim 4 wherein the annular wall slots comprise a pair of diametrically opposed long slots aligned with the internal space first width and a pair of diametrically opposed short slots aligned with the internal space second width such that when rotated to the retention position, the anchor member head portion is spaced from portions of the annular wall adjacent the short slots.