Method and apparatus for repair of torn rotator cuff tendons

A method of repairing torn rotator cuff tendons, said method comprising the steps of:

• making an incision in a shoulder region of a patient,
• passing a guide wire through the incision to a point of torn rotator cuff tendons,
• feeding a cannula and an orthopedic fastener along the guide wire to the point of the torn rotator cuff tendons, the orthopedic fastener including a screw body having a shaft, said shaft having a tip and a head at opposite ends of the shaft, an O-ring surrounding the shaft and located adjacent to the head, said O-ring moving with the head, and a plurality of vanes pivotally mounted on said O-ring and said O-ring being movable through the cannula with the screw body for penetration of the screw body into the bone, said plurality of vanes extending between said head and said tip and along the shaft of said screw body in a retracted position,
• passing a tool through the cannula to engage the head of the orthopedic fastener,
• rotating the orthopedic fastener and advancing the orthopedic fastener to pass through the tendons and to engage the bone,
• retracting the cannula during continued rotation of the orthopedic fastener,
• moving the plurality of vanes from in the retracted position through a cannula to an extended position extending substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the screw body for engaging and gripping of the tendons to press the tendons against the bone while simultaneously rotating the shaft into the bone as the screw body and the O-ring emerge from the cannula, and
• rotating the orthopedic fastener until the tendons are engaged and pressed against the bone by the plurality of vanes.

An orthopedic fastener for repair of torn rotator cuff tendons by securing the tendons to a bone, said orthopedic fastener comprising:

• a screw body having a shaft, said shaft having a tip and a head at opposite ends of the shaft,
• an O-ring surrounding the shaft and located adjacent to the head, said O-ring moving with the head, and
• a plurality of vanes pivotally mounted on said O-ring and said O-ring being movable through a cannula with the screw body for penetration of the screw body into bone,
• said plurality of vanes extending in a retracted position between said head and said tip and along the shaft of said screw body for passage through a cannula, said plurality of vanes being movable to an extended position extending substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the screw body for engaging and gripping of tendons to press the tendons against the bone while simultaneously the shaft is rotated into the bone as the screw body and the O-ring emerge from the cannula,
• the shaft including spiral screw threads, and
• the screw body including a longitudinally extending opening for passage of the screw body along a guide wire,
• each of said vanes being curved along an axis transverse to a longitudinal axis of each of the vanes.