Patent ID: 6981975

Claim:
A method for inserting an interbody spinal fusion implant at least in part within and across the generally restored height of a disc space between two adjacent vertebral bodies of a human spine, the method comprising the steps of: providing the spinal implant having a housing with a mid-longitudinal axis, upper and lower surfaces and a hollow interior with a rotatable member therein having a top, a bottom, at least one bone engaging projection on the top, and at least one bone engaging projection on the bottom, each of the at least one of the bone engaging projections on the top and the bottom having an apex; preparing an implantation space to receive the spinal implant; inserting the spinal implant into the implantation space in a linear direction along the mid-longitudinal axis of the implant; and rotating the rotatable member of the spinal implant from a retracted position where the bone engaging projections are between the upper and lower surfaces of the housing to fully deployed position where the bone engaging projections extend at least in part beyond the upper and lower surfaces of the housing, respectively, to penetrably engage both adjacent vertebral bodies, when in the fully ceployed position the apex of at least one bone engaging projection on the top and the apex of at least one bone engaging projection on the bottom are on opposite sides of a vertical midline passing through the mid-longitudinal axis of the implant.