Patent ID: 7621943

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a plate of appropriate length adapted to overlap at least an anterior portion of two adjacent vertebral bodies, the plate having at least a first plate segment adapted to be attached to one of the adjacent vertebral bodies to be fused and a second plate segment adapted to be attached to another one of the adjacent vertebral bodies to be fused, the first and second plate segments being in moveable relationship to one another along a longitudinal axis of the plate, the first and second plate segments overlapping one another at least in part along the longitudinal axis of the plate, the first and second plate segments fastened together by a rotatable fastener being non-detachably attached to at least one of the first and second plate segments so as to prevent complete uncoupling of the first and second plate segments from one another, the fastener, when rotated, being non-detachable from the at least one of the first and second plate segments; inserting at least two bone screws through the first plate segment of the plate and into one of the vertebral bodies adjacent the disc space to be fused; inserting at least two bone screws through the second plate segment and into the other of the vertebral bodies adjacent the disc space to be fused; locking at least two of the bone screws with at least one bone screw lock adapted to lock to the plate at least two bone screws; rotating the fastener from a first position to a second position to tighten the first and second plate segments together and to resist movement of the first and second plate segments in a direction away from one another along the longitudinal axis of the plate; and permitting, with the fastener being in the second position, movement of the first and second plate segments attached to the adjacent vertebral bodies relative to one another in a direction toward one another along the longitudinal axis of the plate and resisting movement of the first and second plate segments in a direction away from one another along the longitudinal axis of the plate.