Patent ID: 8231676

Claim:
A weight-bearing implant comprising: a first bearing member; a body of the first bearing member having an outer bearing surface; a second bearing member; a body of the second bearing member having an outer bearing surface; a translatable member disposed between the first and second bearing members having a predetermined position with respect thereto; a resilient connection between the translatable member and at least one of the first and second bearing members comprising a biasing member operably connected to the translatable member to allow the translatable member to translate along the one bearing member and to resist translation of the translatable member along the one bearing member and to bias the translatable member towards the predetermined position thereof; and bearing surfaces of the translatable member and the other bearing member that engage one another and allow for relative polyaxial motion therebetween with the resilient connection permitting the bearing surfaces to shift relative to the one bearing member to allow the relative polyaxial motion between the other bearing member and the translatable member to occur at different positions along the one bearing member; wherein the translatable member comprises a recess portion with the biasing member disposed at least partially therein and operably connected to the second bearing member to provide the resilient connection between the translatable member and the second bearing member.