Expandable suture anchor

Apparatus comprising

• a suture anchor that includes
• an outer member and an inner member, one of which has a suture mount,
• said outer member having an opening therein and said members each including a locking element for securing said inner member to said outer member in a selected one of a plurality of positions in said opening, each of the plurality of positions causing an expansion of said outer member by a differing amount such that when secured together said outer member expands by an amount that corresponds to the selected position;
• and
• a driver configured to engage said inner member and insert said inner member into said opening and secure said inner member at said selected position.

A suture anchor comprising

• a pair of members one of which includes a suture mount,
• said members being configured to be secured together in a selected one of a plurality of relative axial positions to cause a first one of said members to expand by an amount that corresponds to the selected axial position,
• said first one of said members comprising an outer member having an opening therein, a second one of said members comprising an inner member progressively axially insertable into said opening to be secured to said outer member in said selected one of said plurality of relative axial positions,
• said outer member including a body configured to be secured to said inner member and an expandable portion configured to be expanded by said inner member, said expandable portion including a plurality of arms which extend axially from said body to a proximal end of said outer member.

A suture anchor comprising

• a pair of members one of which includes a suture mount,
• said members being configured to be secured together in a selected one of a plurality of positions to cause a first one of said members to expand by an amount that corresponds to the selected position,
• said first one of said members including an outer member having an opening therein, a second one of said members including an inner member progressively insertable into said opening to be secured to said outer member in said selected one of said plurality of positions,
• said outer member including a body configured to be secured to said inner member and an expandable portion configured to be expanded by said inner member, said opening being disposed through said expandable portion and said body along a longitudinal axis of said outer member, said expandable portion including a plurality of arms which extend axially from said body to a proximal end of said outer member, said arms being arranged around a periphery of said outer member and circumferentially spaced by axially extending slots, each of said slots including an enlarged portion adjacent to a junction between said arms and said body.

A suture anchor comprising

• a pair of members one of which includes a suture mount,
• said members being configured to be secured together in a selected one of a plurality of positions to cause a first one of said members to expand by an amount that corresponds to the selected position,
• said first one of said members including an outer member having an opening therein, a second one of said members including an inner member progressively insertable into said opening to be secured to said outer member in said selected one of said plurality of positions,
• said outer member including a body configured to be secured to said inner member and an expandable portion configured to be expanded by said inner member, said opening being disposed through said expandable portion and said body along a longitudinal axis of said outer member, said expandable portion including a plurality of arms which extend axially from said body to a proximal end of said outer member, said body including a ridge disposed on an exterior surface of said body and oriented along said axis.

A method of inserting a suture anchor into bone, comprising

• providing a suture anchor that includes a pair of members one of which includes a suture mount,
• disposing a first one of said members into the bone, and
• progressively inserting a second one of the members into an opening in said first member and securing said second member by threading said second member into said opening,
• preselecting a threshold amount of force to be exerted on said second member during said inserting,
• measuring said threshold during said inserting of said second member, said inserting stopping when said threshold is reached, and
• securing said second member to said first member in a selected one of a plurality of positions to cause said first member to expand by an amount that corresponds to the selected position.