Method for coupling an intramedullary nail and associated instruments

A method for connecting a nailing instrument to a bone nail comprising:

• obtaining said bone nail extending along a first longitudinal axis and having a proximal end with an internal bore including at least one slot extending axially parallel to the first longitudinal axis and at least one groove extending generally in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis intersecting said slot;
• obtaining said nailing instrument for coupling to said proximal end of the nail, the nailing instrument having a bore extending along an axis directed towards the nail, the bore of the nailing instrument having an open first end, and a connector at a second end for coupling the instrument to the nail, and an elongated opening extending perpendicular to the axis from an inner surface of the bore to an outer surface of the nailing instrument, the elongated opening located on the outer surface between the open first end and the connector, the connector comprising a spring-biased rotatable coupling element having an end for engaging said bore in said bone nail, the coupling element being in the form of a rotatable sleeve mounted in the bore of the nailing instrument and a spring mounted between the bore and said rotatable sleeve, the spring biases the sleeve towards a first position wherein the sleeve further comprises a radially extending actuating pin for extending through the elongated opening, an end of said coupling element including at least one radially extending locking pin for engaging said at least one groove;
• rotating the sleeve mounted in the bore against spring force by actuating the radially extending actuating pin of the coupling element to a second position where the at least one radially extending locking pin is aligned with the axially parallel slot in the internal bore of said nail;
• inserting the coupling element into the internal bore with the radially extending locking pin sliding down the slot into alignment with the at least one groove in the internal bore;
• and releasing the sleeve so that the radially extending locking pin rotates towards the first position in the at least one groove by the spring.

A method for connecting a nailing instrument to a bone nail comprising:

• obtaining said bone nail having a longitudinal axis and a connection end with a bore including three axially extending slots and three axially spaced grooves extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the nail, each groove intersecting at least one slot;
• obtaining said nailing instrument having an axially extending bore and a rotatable coupling element mounted at a connection end of the nailing instrument, the coupling element including three circumferentially and axially spaced radially extending locking pins, alignable with the slots and grooves in the bone nail, said nailing instrument having an elongated opening extending perpendicular to said axially extending bore from an inner surface of said axially extending bore to an outer surface of the nailing instrument, said coupling element having a radially extending actuating pin for extending through the elongated opening of said nailing instrument;
• the coupling element biased towards a first rotational position with respect to the nailing instrument by a spring element connecting the nailing instrument to the bone nail by inserting the connection end of the nailing instrument into the bore at the connection end of the bone nail and rotating the coupling element against bias of the spring element by actuating said actuating pin to a second position where the three circumferentially and axially spaced locking pins are aligned with the three axially extending slots in the nail;
• and moving the nailing instrument axially towards the bone nail until the radially extending locking pins are each aligned with a groove and thereafter releasing the actuating pin to allow the spring bias to move the radially extending locking pins towards the first rotational position, wherein a means is provided for preventing rotation of the nailing instrument with respect to the bone nail while allowing rotation of the coupling element.