Patent ID: 9636150
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A method for stabilizing a portion of a spine, comprising the steps of: accessing a portion of a spine; disposing a surface of a first structural member facing a first side of a first spinous process of a first vertebra of the spine and a second spinous process of a second vertebra of the spine, the first structural member including a first textured area extending from the surface of the first structural member for engagement with the first spinous process and a second textured area extending from the surface of the first structural member for engagement with the second spinous process; disposing a surface of a second structural member facing a second side of the first spinous process of the first vertebra of the spine and the second spinous process of the second vertebra of the spine, the first structural member including a third textured area extending from the surface of the second structural member for engagement with the first spinous process and a fourth textured area extending from the surface of the second structural member for engagement with the second spinous process; positioning a connecting member between the first spinous process and the second spinous process such that the connecting member is positioned below the first spinous process and above the second spinous process and such that the connecting member extends between the first structural member and the second structural member; and advancing the first structural member and the second structural member towards each other by actuating an instrument to cause the first, second, third, and fourth textured areas of the first and second structural members to at least partially penetrate into the first and second spinous processes of the first and second vertebrae, wherein actuating the instrument compresses the connecting member to secure the first structural member and the second structural member against the first and second spinous processes.