Patent ID: 8052724

Claim:
A method of implanting a bone screw in a patient comprising the steps of: a) providing a bone screw head having a lower aperture, a cavity, a rod receiving channel wherein the aperture and channel communicate with opposite sides of the cavity; b) providing an elongate shank having a lower threaded portion and an upper portion with said upper portion having a rod engagement end; c) after steps a) and b), loading said shank upper portion into said head from below and through said aperture; d) positioning the shank upper portion so as to extend into the rod receiving channel after the shank is loaded in the head cavity; e) implanting the shank into a bone of a patient; and f) placing said rod into said channel so that said rod engagement end of the shank abuts against said rod and the rod directly engages and pushes downwardly against the shank, so as to fix the position of said shank relative to said head.