Patent ID: 8002802

Claim:
A method for the manipulation of a first vertebral bone and a second vertebral bone of a subject, comprising: advancing a first threaded segment of a threaded distraction screw into a bony surface of a spinous process of the first vertebral bone, wherein the first distraction screw has a second segment that couples to a distraction device and wherein the distraction device is adapted to deliver a force through the distraction screw to the spinous process of the first vertebral bone; coupling a first segment of a second distraction member onto a segment of a second vertebral bone, wherein the second distraction member has a second segment that couples to the distraction device and wherein the distraction device is adapted to deliver a force through the second distraction member to the second vertebral bone; actuating the distraction device and displacing the spinous process of the first vertebral bone from a first position relative to the second vertebral bone to a second position relative to the second vertebral bone; and decompressing the spinal nerves while the first and second vertebral bones are coupled to the distraction device and while the first and second vertebral bones are in the second position, wherein direct decompression of the spinal nerves is performed by removing bone and ligament structures that compress the spinal nerves; and removing at least the first distraction member from contact with the spinous process of the first vertebral bone at the completion of the procedure.