Patent ID: 8221479

Claim:
An insert for receiving a bone screw comprising: a) an elongate sleeve having opposed proximal and distal ends and a wall defined by an outer peripheral surface configured for engaging bone and an inner peripheral surface configured for receiving a bone screw extended therethrough; and b) at least one distal elongate slot formed in the wall of the sleeve extending from the distal end of the sleeve and at least one proximal elongate slot formed in the wall of the sleeve extending from the proximal end of the sleeve for promoting flexure of the insert, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve includes internal threads configured for threaded engagement with threads of an orthopedic screw, wherein a distal portion of the inner peripheral surface is free of internal threads to provide an expansion profile wherein the distal end of the sleeve is expanded more than a portion of the sleeve between the proximal and distal ends when a bone screw is received in the sleeve for engaging a distal section of the outer peripheral surface with cancellous bone; wherein the elongate sleeve has a middle region between the proximal and distal ends thereof, wherein the at least one distal slot extends from the distal end of the sleeve through the middle region toward the proximal end, and wherein the at least one proximal slot extends from the proximal end of the sleeve through the middle region toward the distal end, such that the proximal and distal slots overlap in the middle region of the sleeve.