Patent ID: 8821492

Claim:
A method for fixing an intramedullary nail within a bone, comprising: inserting an intramedullary nail through a medullary canal of a bone, the intramedullary nail including a channel extending longitudinally therethrough and a locking hole extending laterally therethrough from an interior of the channel to an exterior thereof; passing a connector through an eyelet at a proximal end of a flexible drill and through first and second openings of a first plate to form a closed loop, wherein the connector is thread-like; inserting the drill distally through the channel of the intramedullary nail and laterally out of the locking hole to drill a corresponding hole in the bone; drawing the drill through the locking hole and the corresponding hole until the first plate is positioned along a portion of an interior of the channel surrounding the locking hole; cutting the connector to form first and second ends thereof and removing the drill; inserting the first end into a first opening of a second plate and the second end into a second opening of the second plate; and tying the first and second ends such that a tension is applied to the connector and the second plate is positioned against a portion of an exterior of the bone surrounding the corresponding hole so that the first and second plates are attached to one another via the connector, fixing the intramedullary nail to the bone.