Patent ID: 7799080

Claim:
A prosthetic device for approximating spinal disc movement wherein said device can be implanted in the spine and engaged between a first and second vertebrae, such that when said device is implanted in the spine and engaged with a first and second vertebra, said device forms an interlocking kinematic chain between said first and second vertebra, wherein said kinematic chain comprises: an axial spring; a lateral sleeve attached to one end of said axial spring; a lateral rod disposed within said lateral sleeve; a lateral cylindrical joint platform in which said lateral sleeve is movably engaged and said lateral rod is positioned, such that said lateral sleeve can slide along the lateral rod and rotate about the lateral rod within the lateral cylindrical joint platform; a sagittal sleeve attached to the opposite end of the axial spring; a sagittal rod disposed within said sagittal sleeve; and a sagittal cylindrical joint platform in which said sagittal sleeve is movably engaged and said sagittal rod is fixedly positioned, such that said sagittal sleeve can slide along the sagittal rod and rotate about the sagittal rod within the sagittal cylindrical joint platform; such that there is provided up to three independent rotational degrees of freedom and up to three independent linear degrees of freedom.