Patent ID: 8221419

Claim:
An intramedullary nail comprising: a nail body having a central longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end; at least one hole extending through the nail body and having a central hole axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the nail body, the at least one hole further having a diameter configured to accommodate a locking element, and the central hole axis located in a first plane; a longitudinal slot extending through the nail body in the first plane, the longitudinal slot having an unexpanded width b measured perpendicularly to the first plane; and an expansion limiting structure integral with the nail body for limiting expansion of the longitudinal slot, wherein the maximum unexpanded width b of the slot is 0.6 times the diameter of the at least one hole, wherein the expansion limiting structure is located at a distal end of the nail body, wherein the expansion limiting structure is different in shape than the at least one hole, and wherein: the expansion limiting structure includes a laterally extending channel open to a distal end of the longitudinal slot, the channel including first and second sides separated from one another by a predetermined distance selected so that, when portions of the nail body spaced from one another by the slot are separated by a desired maximum distance, further separation of the portions of the nail body is prevented by contact between the first and second sides of the channel.