Method for augmenting, reducing, and repairing bone with thermoplastic materials

A method of fracture reduction in a tissue comprising:

• exposing to gamma radiation a mass of polycaprolactone characterized by a first shape;
• heating the mass of irradiated polycaprolactone to a temperature above its melting temperature;
• introducing the heated mass of polycaprolactone into a tissue annulus in a shape deformed from the first shape;
• and
• allowing the mass of polycaprolactone to return to a shape that approaches the first shape.

A method for augmenting a tissue comprising the steps of:

• adjusting a rate of crystallization of a thermoplastic material by combining the thermoplastic material with a substance having a radiodensity that is greater than the radiodensity of the thermoplastic material;
• introducing into the tissue the adjusted thermoplastic material at a first condition;
• and
• treating the thermoplastic material to achieve a second condition that includes an at least partially crystalline skin.