Medial column fusion plates

1. A medial column bone plate, comprising:

a first portion which, when the plate is positioned along a medial column of a foot in a desired position, extends along a navicular, the first portion including at least two first variable angle holes extending therethrough, each of the first variable angle holes configured to receive a bone fixation element therethrough at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof;

a second portion extending distally from the first portion so that when the plate is in the desired position, the second portion extends along a medial cuneiform, the second portion including at least one second variable angle hole configured to receive a bone fixation element therein at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof and a first compression slot extending therethrough; and

a third portion extending distally from the second portion so that the third portion extends along a first metatarsal of the medial column in the desired position, the third portion including a third variable angle hole configured to receive a bone fixation element therein at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof and a second compression slot extending therethrough, wherein the third portion extends along a curve in a plane extending through a longitudinal axis of the plate and substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the third variable angle hole, the curve of the third portion substantially corresponding to a natural curvature of the medial column.

2. The plate of claim 1 , wherein a distance between longitudinal edges of the first portion is larger than a distance between longitudinal edges of a remaining length of the plate.

3. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the first portion includes three variable angle holes, each of the holes aligned along an axis extending substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the plate.

4. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the second portion includes two second variable angle holes.

5. The plate of claim 4 , wherein the two second variable angle holes are offset from one another along a length of the plate and from a longitudinal axis of the plate.

6. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the third portion includes a first third variable angle hole through a proximal portion thereof and a second third variable angle hole through a distal portion thereof.

7. A medial column bone plate, comprising:

a first portion which, when the plate is positioned along a medial column of a foot in a desired position, extends along a navicular, the first portion including at least two first variable angle holes extending therethrough, each of the first variable angle holes configured to receive a bone fixation element therethrough at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof;

a second portion extending distally from the first portion so that when the plate is in the desired position, the second portion extends along a medial cuneiform, the second portion including at least one second variable angle hole configured to receive a bone fixation element therein at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof and a first compression slot extending therethrough;

a third portion extending distally from the second portion so that the third portion extends along a first metatarsal of the medial column in the desired position, the third portion including a third variable angle hole configured to receive a bone fixation element therein at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof and a second compression slot extending therethrough; and

a fourth portion extending proximally from the first portion so that, when the plate is in the desired position along the medial column, the fourth portion extends along a talus of the medial column, the fourth portion including two fourth variable angle holes each of which are configured to receive a bone fixation element therethrough at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof.

8. The plate of claim 7 , wherein a distance between longitudinal edges of the fourth portion is larger than a distance between longitudinal edges of a remaining length of the plate.

9. The plate of claim 7 , wherein the fourth portion comprises a third compression slot between the two fourth variable angle holes.

10. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the plate is contoured to be positioned along the medial column from a dorsomedial side of the foot.

11. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the plate is contoured to be positioned along the medial column from a plantar side of the foot.

12. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the first portion extends laterally away from a longitudinal axis of the plate toward a lateral side of the foot when the plate is positioned in the desired position along the medial column.

13. A method for treating a medial column of a foot, comprising:

positioning a plate along a medial column of a bone such that a first portion of the plate extends along a navicular, a second portion extends along a medial cuneiform and a third portion extends along a first metatarsal;

inserting a bone fixation element through a first opening extending through the first portion to fix the first portion to the navicular;

inserting a first compression element through a second opening extending through the first portion of the plate;

inserting a second compression element through a distal end of a first compression slot extending through the second portion of the plate;

compressing a naviculocuneiform joint between the navicular and medial cuneiform by drawing the first and second compression elements toward one another; and

fixing the second portion of the plate to the medial cuneiform by inserting a bone fixation element through an opening extending through the second portion of the plate,

wherein the third portion extends along a curve in a plane extending through a longitudinal axis of the plate and substantially perpendicular to an opening extending through the third portion, the curve substantially corresponding to a natural curvature of the medial column.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

removing the second compression element and inserting a third compression element into a distal end of a second compression slot extending through the third portion of the plate;

compressing a tarsometatarsal joint between the medial cuneiform and the first metatarsal by drawing the first and third compression elements toward one another; and

fixing the third portion to the first metatarsal by inserting a bone fixation element through the opening extending through the third portion.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

removing the third compression element and inserting a fourth compression element into a proximal end of a third compression slot extending through a fourth portion of the plate extending proximally from the first portion to extend over a talus of the medial column;

compressing a talonavicular joint between the talus and the navicular by drawing the first and fourth compression elements toward one another; and

fixing the fourth portion to the talus by inserting a bone fixation element through an opening extending through the fourth portion.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the openings extending through the first, second, third and fourth portions of the plate are variable angle holes, each of which is configured to receive a bone fixation element therein at a user-selected angle relative to a central axis thereof within a permitted range of angulation.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plate is positioned along a dorsomedial side of the medial column of the foot.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plate is positioned along a plantar side of the medial column of the foot.