Method for providing a barrier to the advancement of wear debris in an orthopaedic implant assembly

A method of providing a barrier to the advancement of wear debris in an orthopaedic implant assembly comprising the following steps:

• a) first locating a base member having at least one hole therein against a bone surface;
• b) then inserting a securing member through the at least one hole to secure the base member to the bone and sealing the at least one hole;
• and
• c) subsequently positioning an additional member onto the base member such that the additional member covers the at least one hole;
• whereby the step of sealing the at least one hole provides a barrier to the advancement of wear debris from passing through the at least one hole, and wherein the step of sealing the at least one hole is achieved by providing the securing member with an enlarged head for seating against a complementary head receiving surface in the at least one hole and providing a sealing washer between the head and the complementary head receiving surface to seal the at least one hole, and wherein the method further includes the step of providing the head of the securing member with an arcuate undersurface and further providing the complementary head receiving surface with an arcuate surface, wherein the securing member can be inserted in a selectively variable angled orientation with respect to the at least one hole while still maintaining the sealing of the at least one hole.

A method of providing a barrier to the advancement of wear debris in an orthopaedic implant assembly comprising the following steps:

• a) first locating a base member having at least one hole therein against a bone surface;
• b) then inserting a securing member through the at least one hole in a selectively angled orientation with respect to the at least one hole and directly into the bone surface to secure the base member to the bone and sealing the at least one hole;
• and
• c) subsequently positioning an additional member onto the base member such that the additional member covers the at least one hole;
• whereby the step of sealing the at least one hole provides a barrier to the advancement of wear debris from passing through the at least one hole, and wherein the at least one hole includes an opening between the inserted securing member and the additional member, and wherein the step of inserting the securing member and sealing the at least one hole comprises first inserting the securing member to secure the base member and then subsequently sealing the opening of the at least one hole by sealingly covering the opening after the screw has been inserted, and prior to positioning the additional member.