Patent ID: 7780733

Claim:
A method of artificial spinal disc replacement within a patient's spinal column comprising the steps of: (1) providing an, artificial spinal disc system comprising: 1) Upper bracket further comprising a U-shaped spring, spring fastener, and upper vertebral contact surface; and 2) Lower bracket further comprising lower vertebral contact surface and spring guide track; wherein said upper bracket and said spring are connected to each other via said spring fastener; said lower vertebral contact surface defines a first plane; said spring guide track comprises a recessed groove extending along said lower vertebral contact surface having a concave wall and a convex wall, where said concave wall is spaced directly opposite said convex wall, wherein said spring rests and is permitted to slide within the peripheral boundaries of said spring guide track along a direction parallel to said first plane; and said recessed groove protrudes from said lower vertebral contact surface which contains the ends of said spring and has a flat bottom that is beveled on either side; (2) Laparoscopically creating an incision into a portion of said patient's back at the point of spinal disc replacement on said spinal column; (3) Inserting said upper bracket through said incision; (4) Inserting said lower bracket through said incision; (5) Mating said upper bracket spring into said lower bracket spring guide track; (6) Fixing said upper bracket upper vertebral contact surface to an upper vertebrae within said spinal column; (7) Fixing said lower bracket lower vertebral contact surface to a lower vertebrae within said spinal column.