Patent ID: 7914533

Claim:
A method for treatment of an elongate bone, an intermedullary space extending along an axis of the bone, the bone having a fracture, the method comprising; forming an access opening traversing the intermedullary space at a placement angle to the axis of the bone; inserting a first end of a bone fixation device into the access opening, the bone fixation device having a flexible sleeve extending between the first end and a second end along a sleeve axis; advancing the bone fixation device from the access opening into the intermedullary space by flexing the sleeve in a plane along the sleeve axis; rigidly affixing a section of the bone fixation device to the bone adjacent the access opening, wherein the section spans the placement angle and rigidly supports the sleeve within the intramedullary space; locking the bone fixation device within the intramedullary space by rotating an actuator of the bone fixation device, the actuator oriented along the access opening and coupled with the second end of the sleeve by the section so that the actuator rotates about an axis of the access opening disposed at the placement angle to the axis of the bone wherein an elongate structure extends from the actuator and around the placement angle, the elongate structure having sufficient flexibility to transfer movement from the actuator to the sleeve when the placement angle is at least within a range of at least 30 to 45 degrees, and wherein the locking of the bone fixation device imposes an axial load on bearing surfaces disposed along the sleeve so as to stiffens the bone fixation device; deploying a plurality of teeth, with the elongate element and in response to rotating of the actuator, from an un-deployed configuration to a deployed configuration, the teeth in the un-deployed configuration disposed within an outer surface of the sleeve, the teeth in the deployed configuration extending radially outwardly from the outer surface of the sleeve through apertures in the sleeve and securing the sleeve within the intermedullary space of the bone.