Patent ID: 8685060

Claim:
A method for attaching soft tissue to bone comprising: inserting a suture anchor into a bone tunnel, said suture anchor being preloaded with a suture and comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending from said proximal end to said distal end, and a lumen extending at least partially along said longitudinal axis, said lumen having an open proximal end, said suture anchor further comprising a bone affixing member disposed towards the proximal end of said suture anchor, the bone affixing member having an aperture wherein the suture is passed through the aperture along the longitudinal axis and distally into the lumen; actuating said bone affixing member from an undeployed position wherein said bone affixing member has a smaller profile in a direction transverse to said longitudinal axis to a deployed position wherein said bone affixing member has a larger profile in said direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said bone affixing member having no structure for directly attaching suture material thereto; wherein during the actuating step, the lumen remains coaxial with the bone tunnel; tensioning said suture to approximate said tissue to a desired position; immobilizing said suture such that said soft tissue is attached and affixed to said bone at said desired position; passing the suture through the soft tissue so that a loop of suture is disposed in the soft tissue, resulting in two free ends; passing the two free ends of the suture into the lumen of the suture anchor through the aperture; and looping the two free ends of suture about a suture return member disposed in the suture anchor whereby the two free ends of suture extend proximally from the lumen through the aperture.