A bone plate includes a first surface which, when the bone plate is positioned over a bone, faces the bone, and a second surface opposing the first surface, the bone plate comprising an elongate shaft portion extending along a longitudinal axis of the bone plate and including a plurality of through holes extending therethrough from the first surface to the second surface to receive a bone anchor therethrough and a head portion extending from an end of the elongate shaft portion along a length smaller than a length of the elongate shaft portion, a width of the head between lateral walls connecting edges of the first and second surface being greater than a width of the shaft distance between the lateral walls, wherein the second surface includes a cavity extending between a first one of the plurality of through holes situated closest to the head portion and the head portion.
1. A bone plate having a first surface which, when the bone plate is positioned over a bone, faces the bone, and a second surface opposing the first surface, the bone plate comprising:
an elongate shaft portion extending along a longitudinal axis of the bone plate and including a plurality of through holes extending therethrough from the first surface to the second surface configured to threadedly engage a bone screw therethrough;
a head portion extending from an end of the elongate shaft portion along a length smaller than a length of the elongate shaft portion, a width of the head between lateral walls connecting edges of the first and second surface being greater than a width of the shaft between the lateral walls,
wherein the second surface includes a cavity extending between a first one of the plurality of through holes situated closest to the head portion and the head portion, the cavity forming a contiguous concavity into the second surface, and
wherein the bone plate has a thickness defined by a distance between the first and second surfaces of the bone plate, wherein the cavity extends into the second surface to a depth of no more than 30% of the thickness of the bone plate.
2. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity extends into the head portion.
3. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein the second surface includes a depression overlapping the first through hole, the cavity and the depression being open to one another.
4. The bone plate according to claim 3 , wherein a width in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bone plate of a portion of the cavity bordering the depression is equal to a width in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bone plate of a portion of the depression bordering the cavity.
5. The bone plate according claim 1 , wherein a length of the cavity in a longitudinal direction of the bone plate is greater than a width of the cavity in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bone plate.
6. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity is spaced from the side walls of the bone plate.
7. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein an end of the cavity extending toward the head portion is rounded.
8. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity has a curved cross-sectional profile in a direction from the shaft portion to the head portion.
9. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity has a depth that increases continuously in a direction from the shaft portion to the head portion to a deepest point and decreases continuously from the deepest point to an end of the cavity nearest the head portion.
10. The bone plate according to claim 1 , wherein a depth of the cavity tapers in a direction toward the head portion.
11. A bone plate having a first surface which, when the bone plate is positioned over a bone, faces the bone, and a second surface opposing the first surface, the bone plate, comprising:
an elongate shaft portion extending along a longitudinal axis of the bone plate and including two opposing side walls extending longitudinally between the first and second surfaces to connect edges thereof and define a width of the shaft portion;
a plurality of first through holes extending through the bone plate from the first surface to the second surface, each of the first through holes being configured to receive a bone anchor therein; and
a plurality of recesses in the first surface extending from the opposing side walls over a portion of the width of the shaft portion transverse to a longitudinal axis of the shaft portion, each of the first through holes having an identical group of recesses associated therewith, each group of recesses including a first recess and a second recess differing from one another,
wherein each group of recesses includes a third recess, the first, second and third recesses of each group being arranged side by side in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the bone plate, the second recess of each group lying between the first and third recesses and having a dimension smaller than a dimension of the corresponding first and third recesses.
12. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein each group includes a fourth recess interconnecting the second recess with one of the corresponding first and third recesses.
13. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein the groups of recesses are offset from each other on the opposing side walls of the bone plate along a length of the bone plate.
14. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein the groups of recesses extend alternately from the opposing side walls along a length of the bone plate.
15. The bone plate according to claim 14 , wherein a portion of a first group of recesses extending from a first one of the opposing side walls lies directly across the bone plate from a portion of a second group of recesses immediately following the first group along a length of the bone plate.
16. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein the recesses extend from the side walls at most up to a mid point of the bone plate between the opposing side walls.
17. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein the bone plate includes a head portion extending from an end of the shaft portion along a length smaller than a length of the shaft portion, a width of the head portion being greater than a width of the shaft portion, the first through holes and the recesses being arranged in the shaft portion.
18. The bone plate according to claim 17 , wherein a distance between the side walls of the shaft portion and a distance between the first and second surfaces is substantially constant along the shaft portion.
19. The bone plate according to claim 17 , wherein a section modulus of the shaft portion is substantially constant long the longitudinal axis.
20. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein a depth of the recesses is largest along the side walls.
21. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein a depth of at least one of the recesses in each group of recesses decreases from a corresponding side wall toward a center axis of the bone plate extending in the direction of longitudinal extension of the shaft portion.
22. The bone plate according to claim 11 , wherein each of the first through holes is a combination hole including a variable-angle portion having an inner surface with a thread-like structure interrupted by a plurality of gaps and a compression hole overlapping with the variable-angle portion, the compression hole being elongated in along the longitudinal axis and having an unthreaded inner surface tapering toward the first surface.