Patent ID: 7922767

Claim:
A method of implanting a spinal prosthesis, comprising: making an incision in a patient; inserting a tube into the incision and proximate two adjacent vertebrae; inserting an implant strip through the tube holding the implant strip in a generally linear shape along its longitudinal axis, wherein the implant strip includes a longitudinal axis, the implant strip comprising a first portion comprising a first lateral side portion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second lateral side portion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, a second portion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and disposed between the first lateral side portion and the second lateral side portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are made of the same material, and wherein the first lateral side portion includes an outer edge on a side of the first lateral side portion opposite to the second portion, and wherein the second lateral side portion includes an outer edge on a side of the second lateral side portion opposite to the second portion, wherein the second portion of the implant strip comprises a structure that is less rigid in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis than the first portion's structure in the direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis so that the second portion deflects under compressive and tensile forces applied to the implant strip in the direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis before the first portion deflects under the compressive and tensile forces, wherein the outer edge of the first lateral side portion and the outer edge of the second lateral side portion both include a bone growth promoting treatment, and wherein the implant strip is formed of a metal; ejecting the implant strip from the tube between the two adjacent vertebrae; coiling the implant strip between the two adjacent vertebrae to form the spinal prosthesis; and contacting the metal outer edge of the first lateral side portion to a first vertebra of the two adjacent vertebrae and the metal outer edge of the second lateral side portion to a second vertebra of the two adjacent vertebrae so as to attach the metal outer edge of the first lateral side portion to the first vertebra and the metal outer edge of the second lateral side portion to the second vertebra by virtue of bone growth promoted by the bone growth promoting treatment, wherein the spinal prosthesis resists the compressive and tensile forces by deflecting the second portion before deflection of the first portion after implantation has been completed.