Patent ID: 7713292

Claim:
A method for using a bone anchoring element for anchoring an external device in a bone, the method comprising: providing a bone anchoring element comprising: a head section that can be connected to the external device; and a shaft, which can be anchored in the bone and is connected to the head section, having a longitudinal axis; the shaft comprising: a bone thread on a predetermined section of the shaft, the bone thread having a crest and a first end and a second end spaced apart longitudinally along the shaft, and at least one bone thread-free surface that extends along the direction of the shaft axis from the first end to the second end of the bone thread, wherein the bone anchoring element comprises a first cross-sectional shape; forming a hole in the bone having a second cross-section with a shape corresponding to that of the first cross-section and with dimensions equal to or slightly less than the dimensions of the first cross-sectional shape; inserting the bone anchoring element into the hole without screwing the bone anchoring element into the hole; and rotating the bone anchoring element around its longitudinal axis to a predetermined angle to engage the bone thread in the bone.