Intramedullary nail having self-retaining compression slot

A bone fixation system comprising:

• (i) a bone fixation assembly including:
• an intramedullary nail having a nail body that extends substantially along a longitudinal axis, the nail body defining a first portion and a second portion that is spaced substantially longitudinally from the first portion, the nail body defining a compression slot extending into the first portion of the nail body, the compression slot defining at least a pair of longitudinally spaced pockets and an intersection between the pockets, and
• a compression member configured to be moved from one of the pockets across the intersection and to the other of the pockets, the compression member defining a cross-sectional dimension;
• wherein the intersection has a width along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis that is less than a cross-sectional dimension of at least a portion of the compression member along the direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis when the portion of the compression member is received in the compression slot, and the pockets have respective widths substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis that are greater than the width of the intersection;
• and
• (ii) an implant assembly including a compression actuator configured to apply a force to the compression member that biases the portion of the compression member along the longitudinal axis from one of the pockets through the intersection to the other of the pockets.

A bone fixation assembly comprising:

• an intramedullary nail having a nail body that is elongate substantially along a longitudinal direction, the nail body defining a first portion positioned to attach to a first bone segment and a second portion that is spaced from the first portion along the longitudinal direction and positioned to attach to a second bone segment that is separated from the first bone segment by a bone gap, the nail body defining a compression slot extending into the first portion of the nail body, the compression slot defined by a first and second opposed internal surfaces, each of the first and second opposed surfaces defining at least a first and second pocket that are spaced along a longitudinal direction, and an intersection disposed between the first and second pockets along the longitudinal direction,
• wherein the compression slot defines a first width substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction between the intersection of the first internal surface and the intersection of the second internal surface, and the compression slot defines a second width defined by the first and second internal surfaces at one of the pockets along a direction substantially parallel to the first width, such that the second width is greater than the first width;
• and
• at least one relief slot that extends out from the compression slot into the nail body, such that at least one or both of the first and second internal surfaces move away from the other of the first and second internal surfaces about the relief slot.

A method of reducing a bone gap of a long bone, the bone gap separating a first bone segment from a second bone segment that is spaced from the first bone segment along a longitudinal direction, the method comprising the steps of:

• inserting an intramedullary nail into a medullary canal of the long bone such that a portion of the intramedullary nail extends across the bone gap;
• fixing the intramedullary nail to one of the first and second bone segments with respect to longitudinal movement relative to the fixed one of the first and second bone segments;
• inserting a compression member at least into the other of the first and second bone segments and at least into a first pocket of a scalloped compression slot of the intramedullary nail, such that a portion of the compression member resides in the first pocket;
• applying a distal force to the compression member while bracing the intramedullary nail so as to cause the portion of the compression member to travel from the first pocket, through a necked portion that has a cross sectional dimension less than a corresponding cross-sectional dimension of the portion of the compression member along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and into a second pocket that is spaced from the first pocket along the longitudinal direction so as to reduce the bone gap, wherein the necked portion retains the portion of the compression member in the second pocket.