Patent ID: 8465489

Claim:
An intramedullary nail comprising: a nail body having a central axis, a proximal end, a distal end, and a wall surrounding a longitudinal bore extending along the central axis, the nail body formed of a material M; a plurality of transverse boreholes extending transversely to the central axis, each transverse borehole having a cross-sectional profile F and a transverse axis, where the cross-section F has a maximum length a in the direction of the central axis and a maximum width b perpendicularly thereto; and an elongate insert configured and dimensioned for insertion along the central axis into the longitudinal bore of the nail in the area of the transverse boreholes, the insert having a longitudinal axis and formed of a material m along an entire length thereof and including an expansion at a distal end thereof, the material m having a modulus of elasticity e less than a modulus of elasticity E of the nail material M, and the expansion having a cross-sectional area larger than a cross-sectional area of the longitudinal bore at the distal end of the nail body to prevent the expansion from moving proximally into the longitudinal bore.