Patent ID: 8298270

Claim:
A method of assembling a vertebral anchor to a body shaped to receive a longitudinal member, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a wear member and a head of an anchor into a cavity through an inlet in a first end of a body, the first end of the body having a continuous outer side surface that is free of any gaps, the wear member including an annular body with a gap in a sidewall, the wear member having a uniform height between a top surface and a bottom surface of the wear member, the body further including a second end with a channel to receive the longitudinal member; deforming the first end of the body and reducing a width of the inlet measured perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body and capturing the wear member and the head in the cavity, wherein deforming the first end of the body and reducing the width of the inlet includes moving the distal end to extend under an outer end of the wear member, the outer end of the wear member facing away from the channel; and compressing the wear member against the head of the anchor and decreasing a size of the gap in the wear member and increasing an amount of interference between the wear member and the head.