Patent ID: 7632292

Claim:
An assembly for the stabilization of vertebral bodies of the spine, comprising: a pair of pedicle screws each having a threaded shaft with a tapering first end for introduction into a vertebral body and a head portion with a second end, wherein the head portion contains a slot; a spring member having first and second ends, substantially straight portions adjacent each end, and a substantially curvilinear central portion therebetween, wherein the substantially straight portions and the substantially curvilinear central portion are not in the same plane, wherein there is a sleeve located on each of the substantially straight portions, to effectively increase the external diameter of at least a part of each of the substantially straight portions, and wherein each sleeve fits within the slot of a corresponding head portion; and a pair of fixation mechanisms for securing the first and second ends of the spring member, by the sleeves, to the pair of pedicle screws, and characterized in that the substantially curvilinear central portion of the spring member is a coil.