Patent ID: 8323317

Claim:
A medical procedure for stabilizing a patient's spine with an implant, the procedure comprising: installing a first vertebral anchor having a head portion into a first vertebra; installing a second vertebral anchor having a head portion into a second vertebra; providing a flexible member, a first portion of the flexible member being formed of a first material having a first elasticity and a second portion of the flexible member being formed of a second material having a second elasticity, wherein the flexible member has a first flexibility between a first end of the flexible member and an intermediate location, and wherein the flexible member has a second flexibility between a second end of the flexible member and the intermediate location, the first flexibility being different than the second flexibility; measuring the distance between the head portion of the first vertebral anchor and the head portion of the second vertebral anchor subsequent to installing the first and second vertebral anchors; determining which of the first flexibility and the second flexibility for the flexible member is desired based on the distance between the head portion of the first vertebral anchor and the head portion of the second vertebral anchor; cutting the flexible member at the intermediate location to divide the flexible member into a first segment and a second segment; and installing either the first segment or the second segment between the head portion of the first vertebral anchor and the head portion of the second vertebral anchor.