Fastener

1. A fastening method for substantially securing an inserted structure within a receiving structure, the fastening method comprising:

Providing a fastener, comprising: an elongate fastener body defining a longitudinal axis substantially central thereto, the fastener body having a continuous outer fastener shell laterally surrounding the longitudinal axis, the fastener shell longitudinally separating a fastener head end and a fastener tip end; a tool-engaging feature on the fastener head end; and a plurality of teeth located on the fastener shell and extending substantially laterally outward from the longitudinally axis; wherein the fastener shell is comprised of at least one undulate face and at least one substantially flat face, the plurality of teeth being located only on the undulate faces, each tooth being longitudinally separated from adjacent teeth along an undulate face; inserting at least a portion of the fastener into a receiving aperture of the receiving structure; inserting at least a portion of the inserted structure into the receiving aperture, laterally adjacent to the fastener; rotating the fastener substantially a quarter turn about a longitudinal axis thereof; penetrating at least one tooth of the fastener laterally into a wall of the receiving aperture; and concurrently with penetration of the at least one tooth into the wall of the receiving aperture, penetrating at least one other tooth of the fastener laterally into the inserted structure.

2. The fastening method of claim 1 , wherein the inserted structure includes a bone block and the receiving structure is a graft tunnel.

3. A method of installing a fastener into a receiving structure, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a fastener, the fastener including:

an elongate fastener body, having longitudinally spaced fastener head and fastener tip ends, the fastener body defining a longitudinal axis, two elongate flat faces, each flat face extending substantially parallel to, and laterally spaced from, the longitudinal axis, the two flat faces being located laterally opposite one another on the fastener body, and

two elongate undulate faces, each undulate face having a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth arranged thereupon, each undulate face extending substantially parallel to, and laterally spaced from, the longitudinal axis, the two undulate faces being located laterally opposite one another on the fastener body, and the two undulate faces being laterally separated from one another by interposed flat faces, wherein a fastener perimeter is defined in a lateral plane by the two flat faces and the two undulate faces, the fastener perimeter entirely laterally surrounding the longitudinal axis;

providing a longitudinally oriented receiving aperture in the receiving structure;

inserting the fastener tip end into the receiving aperture;

penetrating the receiving aperture with the fastener body to a predetermined depth;

maintaining the fastener in the receiving aperture in a first alignment;

rotating the fastener about the longitudinal axis within the receiving aperture into a second alignment;

driving at least one tooth laterally into the receiving structure from the receiving aperture due to rotation of the fastener into the second alignment; and

with the at least one tooth driven laterally into the substrate, maintaining the fastener in the receiving aperture in the second alignment to resist longitudinal movement of the fastener with respect to the receiving aperture.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of rotating the fastener about the longitudinal axis within the receiving aperture into a second alignment includes the step of rotating the fastener substantially ninety degrees about the longitudinal axis within the receiving aperture into the second alignment.

5. The method of claim 3 , including the steps of:

providing an anchored structure within the receiving aperture, laterally adjacent to the fastener in the first alignment; and

driving at least one tooth laterally into the anchored structure due to rotation of the fastener into the second alignment, the at least one tooth driven laterally into the anchored structure being arranged upon a different undulate face than the at least one tooth driven laterally into the receiving structure.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of providing an anchored structure within the receiving aperture includes the steps of:

providing a bone block, the bone block dimensioned for insertion into the receiving aperture;

providing an elongate graft ligament having first and second graft ends;

directly connecting the first graft end to the bone block; and

inserting at least a portion of the bone block, as an anchored structure, into the receiving aperture.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of providing a longitudinally oriented receiving aperture in the receiving structure includes the step of providing a rotationally asymmetrical receiving aperture in the receiving structure, the rotationally asymmetrical receiving aperture having a structure-receiving portion laterally adjacent to a fastener-receiving portion.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of providing a rotationally asymmetrical receiving aperture in the receiving structure includes the steps of:

drilling a substantially cylindrical receiving aperture in the receiving structure;

inserting at least a portion of an elongate guiding rod longitudinally into the cylindrical receiving aperture;

mating a guided chisel with the guiding rod when the guiding rod is at least partially located in the cylindrical receiving aperture;

guiding the guided chisel into the receiving structure laterally adjacent to the cylindrical receiving aperture through sliding engagement between the guided chisel and the guiding rod; and

excavating the receiving structure laterally adjacent to the cylindrical receiving aperture to create the rotationally asymmetrical receiving aperture.

9. The method of claim 3 , including the steps of:

providing each tooth of a selected undulate face with a leading edge apex defined by a concave feature in a laterally oriented profile of the selected undulate face; and

locating the leading edge apex on a portion of the selected undulate face that leads engagement of the tooth with an ambient material when the fastener is being rotated about the longitudinal axis.

10. The method of claim 3 , including the step of transmitting rotary force from a manipulation tool to the fastener body via a tool-engaging feature on the fastener head end.