Patent ID: 7776042

Claim:
A spinal device assembly, the spinal device assembly comprising a distal component and a proximal component, the distal component comprising: an elongate body with anchoring means for engagement with at least a first vertebral body; a distal end; and a proximal end adapted to engage a distal end of the proximal component along a centerline of a longitudinal axis of the distal component; and the proximal component comprising: the distal end adapted to engage the proximal end of the distal component along the centerline of the longitudinal axis of the proximal component; a proximal end with anchoring means for engagement with a second, more inferior vertebral body, said proximal end adapted to engage a removable driver that rotates and axially advances the proximal component so that the distal end of the proximal component engages the proximal end of the distal component to impart axial force to the distal component without imparting rotation to the distal component thereby causing distraction of the first vertebral body relative to the second vertebral body.