Changing relationship between bones

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in a portion of the patient's body to expose the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, moving the second bone relative to the first bone, said step of moving the second bone relative to the first bone includes expanding at least a portion of the joint interconnecting the first and second bones by applying force against the first and second bones with a wedge member and pivoting the first bone about an axis which extends through the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, closing the opening in the patient's body with at least a portion of the wedge member disposed between the first and second bones at the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, and, thereafter, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member to maintain the joint in the expanded condition.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected for pivotal movement about a first axis at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in a portion of the patient's body to expose the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, moving the second bone relative to the first bone, said step of moving the second bone relative to the first bone includes expanding at least a portion of the joint interconnecting the first and second bones by applying force against the first and second bones with a wedge member, said step of applying force against the first and second bones with the wedge member includes moving the wedge member into the joint in a direction extending along the first axis, closing the opening in the patient's body with at least a portion of the wedge member disposed between the first and second bones at the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, and, thereafter, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member to maintain the joint in the expanded condition.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in a portion of the patient's body to expose the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, moving the second bone relative to the first bone without removing the tissue from between the first and second bones, said step of moving the second bone relative to the first bone includes expanding at least a portion of the joint interconnecting the first and second bones by applying force against the first and second bones with a wedge member, closing the opening in the patient's body with at least a portion of the wedge member disposed between the first and second bones at the joint interconnecting the first and second bones and with any tissue connected to the first and second bones upon initiation of said step of forming an opening in the patient's body still connected to at lest one of the first and second bones, and, thereafter, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member to maintain the joint in the expanded condition.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of moving a wedge member into the joint between the first and second bones without rotating the wedge member and with a thin end portion of the wedge member leading and a thick end portion of the wedge member trailing, applying force against the first and second bones with the wedge member as the wedge member is moved into the joint to move the second bone from a first orientation relative to the first bone to a second orientation relative to the first bone, fixedly connecting the wedge member to at least one of the first and second bones with a fastener member, and transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member while the second bone is in the second orientation relative to the first bone.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of moving a wedge member into the joint between the first and second bones to move the second bone from a first orientation relative to the first bone to a second orientation relative to the first bone under the influence of force applied against the second bone by the wedge member as the wedge member moves into the joint between the first and second bones, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member while the second bone is in the second orientation relative to the first bone, and, thereafter, moving the second bone relative to the first bone under the influence of force applied against the second bone by the patient to change the orientation of the second bone relative to the first bone from the second orientation to a third orientation.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are pressed together at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in a portion of the patient's body to expose the joint at which the first and second bones are pressed together, moving the second bone relative to the first bone, said step of moving the second bone relative to the first bone includes expanding at least a portion of the joint by moving a wedge member into the joint while the first and second bones are being pressed together and applying force against the first and second bones with the wedge member at a portion of the joint where the first and second bones are pressed together upon initiation of said step of moving the wedge member into the joint, closing the opening in the patient's body with at least a portion of the wedge member disposed between the first and second bones at the joint interconnecting the first and second bones, and, thereafter, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member to maintain the joint in the expanded condition.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of moving a wedge member into the joint between the first and second bones with a thin end portion of the wedge member leading and a thick end portion of the wedge member trailing, moving the second bone from a first orientation relative to the first bone to a second orientation relative to the first bone under the influence of force transmitted from the wedge member to the second bone during movement of the wedge member into the joint between the first and second bones, connecting the wedge member to the second bone, transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member while the second bone is in the second orientation relative to the first bone and, thereafter, moving the second bone from the second orientation to a third orientation relative to the first bone under the influence of force transmitted from the patient to the second bone.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are pressed together at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of initiating movement of a wedge member into the joint between end portions of the first and second bones while the end portions of the first and second bones are being pressed together and force is being transmitted between the end portions of the first and second bones, and, thereafter, rotating the wedge member from a first orientation in which first and second surface areas on the wedge member are in engagement with the end portions of the first and second bones to a second orientation in which third and fourth surface areas on the wedge member are in engagement with the end portions of the first and second bones, the third and fourth surface areas on the wedge member being spaced further apart than the first and second surface areas on the wedge member.

An apparatus for use in changing the spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said apparatus comprising a wedge member which is movable into the joint between the first and second bones, said wedge member having a thin end portion, a thick end portion, a first major side surface which extends from said thin end portion to said thick end portion, a second major side surface which intersects said first major side surface to form an edge at said thin end portion and extends from said thin end portion to said thick end portion, and a minor side surface which extends between said first and second major side surfaces and tapers from said thick end portion to said thin end portion, said wedge member having a plurality of passages which extend between said first and second major side surfaces for enabling bone to grow through said wedge member.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones having longitudinal axes which extend through a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of moving a wedge member into the joint, said step of moving the wedge member into the joint includes moving a leading end portion of the wedge member through the longitudinal central axis of the first bone and through the longitudinal central axis of the second bone, and moving the second bone relative to the first bone under the influence of force transmitted from the wedge member as the wedge member moves into the joint to change an angular relationship between the longitudinal central axes of the first and second bones from a first angular relationship in which the longitudinal central axes of the first and second bones extend through the joint and are spaced from the wedge member to a second angular relationship in which the longitudinal central axes of the first and second bones extend through both the joint and the wedge member, said step of moving the second bone relative to the first bone includes applying force against a surface area on the first bone and against a surface area on the second bone with the wedge member as the wedge member moves into the joint.

A method of changing a spatial relationship between first and second bones which are interconnected at a joint in a patient's body, said method comprising the steps of moving a wedge member into the joint between the first and second bones to move the second bone from a first orientation relative to the first bone to a second orientation relative to the first bone, a first surface area on said first bone is in engagement with a first surface area on said second bone when the first and second bones are in the first orientation prior to performance of said step of moving the wedge member into the joint, said step of moving the wedge member into the joint includes sliding a first surface area on the wedge member along the first surface area on the first bone and sliding a second surface area on the wedge member along the first surface area on the second bone to move the first surface area on the second bone out of engagement with the first surface area on the first bone under the influence of force applied against the first surface area on the second bone by the wedge member, and transmitting force between the first and second bones through the wedge member while the second bone is in the second orientation relative to the first bone.