Patent ID: 8361113

Claim:
A method of surgically repairing a tear in soft tissue comprising: forming a first aperture in a first soft tissue; forming a second aperture in a second soft tissue; passing an end of a suture through passages defined by first and second collapsible tubes; positioning the first collapsible tube through the first aperture; positioning the second collapsible tube through the second aperture, wherein first and second ends of the respective first and second collapsible tubes are passed through the respective first and second apertures; and applying a tensile load to a portion of the suture to compress the first and second collapsible tubes to form a pair of anchoring masses about an outer surface of the respective first and second soft tissue, the anchoring masses having locking profiles and pulling the first and second soft tissue together at the location of the tear, the locking profiles operative to prevent the anchoring masses from being drawn into the apertures upon applying the tensile load.