Patent ID: 8192439

Claim:
A spinal rod insertion system, the spinal rod insertion system comprising: an elongate spinal rod body having opposite end portions; attachment structure of the spinal rod body at one of the end portions of the spinal rod body; an elongate inner shaft having opposite end portions; a pair of opposing resilient prongs at one of the end portions of the inner shaft rigidly connected thereto and configured to grip the attachment structure of the spinal rod body so that the elongate inner shaft does not translate relative to the spinal rod body; and an elongate outer control sleeve having opposite end portions and a cylindrical configuration at one of the end portions thereof that is not connected to the spinal rod body with the cylindrical end portion sized to surround the inner shaft, the elongate outer control sleeve and the elongate inner shaft being axially shiftable relative to each other to a predetermined blocking position where the outer control sleeve extends about the prongs and the spinal rod body attachment structure so that the cylindrical end portion covers the prongs and the spinal rod body attachment structure gripped therebetween to keep the spinal rod body securely fixed to the inner shaft against movement relative thereto and to a predetermined release position with the sleeve cylindrical end portion disposed back up along the inner shaft beyond the resilient prongs to allow the prongs to resiliently flex apart for releasing the spinal rod body attachment structure.