Suture anchors with one-way cinching mechanisms

Abstract

Various devices, systems and methods for knotless anchoring of sutures to repair bodily tissue are disclosed. These devices allow sutures to be anchored to bone or other tissues, and more specifically provide a suture anchor which eliminates the need for the operator to knot the suture to secure the suture under tension. Thus, damaged tissue may be re-attached to a substrate tissue. The anchors have a minimum of moving parts and find particular utility in hip and shoulder arthroscopy, e.g. labral re-attachment, rotator cuff repair, and similar procedures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A suture anchor system for securing target tissue to base tissue, said system comprising:
 a first anchor having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween, the first anchor being configured for insertion in the base tissue with an exterior thereof in engagement with the base tissue so as to resist removal of the first anchor therefrom;   a bar coupled to the first anchor; and   a suture tied around the bar to form a hitch with first and second extremities extending therefrom, the hitch being configured to allow the suture to slide around the bar in a first direction when the first extremity is tensioned and to substantially prevent the suture from sliding around the bar in a second direction opposite the first direction when the second extremity is tensioned.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the anchor further comprises a cavity having at least one opening in the proximal end and the bar is recessed within the cavity distally from the at least one opening.