Methods of manipulating cancellous bone within a vertebral body

1. A method of manipulating cancellous bone within a vertebral body with a system including an access cannula, a steerable assembly including a deformable conduit and steerable instrument removably disposed within the deformable conduit, wherein the steerable instrument includes a control element, a deflectable portion operatively connected to the control element, and a handle defining a control surface coupled to the control element, said method comprising the steps of:

positioning a distal end of the access cannula within the vertebral body near the cancellous bone to be manipulated;

directing the steerable assembly through the access cannula such that the deflectable portion of the steerable assembly protrudes from the distal end of the access cannula to within the vertebral body;

with the deflectable portion in a curved configuration and the deformable conduit in a deformed position, manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from an operating tension mode in which a tension is placed on the control element of the steering instrument to a slack tension mode in which the tension on the control element is released;

with the steering instrument in the slack tension mode and with the steering assembly positioned within the vertebral body, moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula; and

thereafter, further manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the slack tension mode to the operating tension mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises rotating the steering assembly relative to the access cannula.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises partially retracting the steering assembly relative to the access cannula without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the steerable instrument from the deformable conduit without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the system further includes an expandable member configured to displace tissue, said method further comprising:

directing the expandable member through the deformable conduit to within the vertebral body;

expanding the expandable member to displace the cancellous bone;

collapsing the expandable member; and

removing the expandable member from the deformable conduit.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the system further includes a hub including an axial controller coupled to the deformable conduit, said method further comprising actuating the axial controller to move the deformable conduit in a proximal direction relative to the expandable member to expose the expandable member within the vertebral body.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising manipulating the control surface to cause the deflectable portion of the steerable instrument to move between a substantially straight configuration in which the deflectable portion is substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the access cannula, and the curved configuration in which the deflectable portion is not substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the access cannula.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deflectable portion of the steerable instrument is configured to exert substantially zero lateral force on the deformable conduit in the slack tension mode as the steering assembly is moved relative to the access cannula.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a tension retaining mechanism coupled to the control element, said method further comprising actuating the tension retaining mechanism to selectively retain the steerable instrument in one of a plurality of tension modes with each of the plurality of tension modes corresponding to a different angle of curvature of the deflectable portion of the steering instrument in the curved configuration.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of further manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the slack tension mode to the operating tension mode moves the deflectable portion to another curved configuration having a different angle of curvature than the deflectable portion of the steering instrument in the curved configuration.

11. A method of manipulating cancellous bone within a vertebral body with a system including an access cannula, a steerable assembly including a deformable conduit and steerable instrument removably disposed within the deformable conduit, wherein the steerable instrument includes a control element, a deflectable portion operatively connected to the control element, and a handle defining a control surface coupled to the control element, said method comprising the steps of:

positioning a distal end of the access cannula within the vertebral body near the cancellous bone to be manipulated;

directing the steerable assembly through the access cannula such that the deflectable portion of the steerable assembly protrudes from the distal end of the access cannula to within the vertebral body;

manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from a slack tension mode in which the steerable instrument exerts substantially zero lateral force on the deformable conduit to an operating tension mode in which a tension is placed on the control element of the steering instrument such that the deflectable portion is deflected to a curved configuration and the deformable conduit is deflected to a deformed position within the vertebral body;

further manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the operating tension mode to the slack tension mode;

with the steering assembly in the slack tension mode, moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula; and

thereafter, still further manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the slack tension mode to the operating tension mode.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises rotating the steering assembly relative to the access cannula.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises partially retracting the steerable instrument within the deformable conduit without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising removing the steerable instrument from the deformable conduit without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the handle comprises a trigger defining the control surface, said method further comprising pulling the trigger to cause the deflectable portion of the steerable instrument to move between the slack tension mode and the operating tension mode.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the system further includes a tension retaining mechanism coupled to the control element and the control surface, said method further comprising actuating the tension retaining mechanism to selectively retain the steerable instrument in one of a plurality of tension modes with each of the plurality of tension modes corresponding to a different angle of curvature of the deflectable portion of the steering instrument.

17. A method of manipulating cancellous bone within a vertebral body with a system including an access cannula, a steerable assembly including a deformable conduit, and steerable instrument removably disposed within the deformable conduit, wherein the steerable instrument includes a control element, a deflectable portion operatively connected to the control element, and a handle defining a control surface coupled to the control element said method comprising the steps of:

positioning a distal end of the access cannula within the vertebral body near the cancellous bone to be manipulated;

directing the steerable assembly through the access cannula such that the deflectable portion of the steerable assembly protrudes from the distal end of the access cannula to within the vertebral body;

with the steering instrument in a slack tension mode in which the steerable instrument exerts substantially zero lateral force on the deformable conduit and with the steering assembly positioned within the vertebral body, moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula; and

manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the slack tension mode to an operating tension mode in which a tension is placed on the control element of the steering instrument and the deflectable portion is deflected to a curved configuration in which in which the deflectable portion is not substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the access cannula, wherein lateral forces on the deformable conduit from the steering instrument in the operating tension mode move the deformable conduit to a deformed position within the vertebral body.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises rotating the steering assembly relative to the access cannula.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of moving the steering assembly relative to the access cannula further comprises partially retracting the steerable assembly relative to the access cannula without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

manipulating the control surface to move the steering instrument from the operating tension mode to the slack tension mode; and

removing the steerable instrument from the deformable conduit without laterally displacing the deformable conduit.