Patent ID: 8109973

Claim:
A method for controlling relative motion between a first vertebra and a second vertebra, the method comprising: positioning a planar spring of a first stabilizer; attaching a first coupling of the first stabilizer to the first vertebra; and attaching a second coupling of the first stabilizer to the second vertebra; wherein, after attachment of the couplings to the vertebrae, the planar spring is positioned to transmit resilient force between the vertebrae via flexure of at least a portion of the planar spring out-of-plane, the planar spring being predisposed to resist such flexion out-of-plane, and wherein the planar spring is configured to flex out-of-plane in a first direction in response to movement of the vertebrae towards one another and out-of-plane in a second opposing direction in response to movement of the vertebrae away from one another, the planar spring being predisposed to resist such flexion out-of-plane.