Patent ID: 7615052

Claim:
A method of strengthening two spaced apart portions of bone comprising: a) inserting an instrument having two fixed-shape, recess-producing elements into a space between the two spaced apart portions of the bone, the fixed-shape, recess-producing elements having fixed-shape, recess-forming surfaces shaped to compress bone to form a recess therein; b) producing a recess in the two spaced apart portions of bone and increasing the density of the two spaced apart portions of the bone by applying a sufficiently strong displacing and compressing force to produce a recess with each of the two fixed-shape, recess-producing elements to one of the two spaced apart portions of bone, to improve subsequent repair thereof; c) subsequently repairing the two spaced apart portions of the bone by performing one or both of: i) filling at least some of the space between the two spaced apart portions of the bone with autograft bone, allograft bone, bone graft substitute, biocompatible material, or synthetic material, and ii) inserting an element between the two spaced apart portions of the bone; and d) strengthening the two spaced apart portions of the bone in the recess-producing step by applying a sufficient force for a sufficient amount of time with the two fixed-shape, recess-producing elements to strengthen the two spaced apart portions of the bone sufficiently so that after the repairing operation, the strength of the two spaced apart portions of the bone is above the strength the two spaced apart portions of the bone would possess after the repairing operation if the two fixed-shape, recess-producing elements did not apply the displacing and compressing force to the two spaced apart portions of the bone.