Patent ID: 8034081

Claim:
An interspinous implant device for distracting an adjacent pair of vertebrae while permitting relative flexion, lateral bending and side rotation motions between the vertebrae of the adjacent pair; said device comprising: an inferior mount body configured to mate with a spinous process of the vertebra that is inferior, relative to the pair; a superior mount body configured to mate with a spinous process of a spinous process of the vertebra that is superior, relative to the vertebra that is inferior; an intermediate member comprising a telescoping member axially slidably mounted intermediate of said inferior mount body and said superior mount body, wherein said telescoping member is slidably mounted over a superiorly extending shaft portion of said inferior mount body; and a spacer insertable to contact said telescoping member to drive telescoping of said telescoping member to alter a distance between said superior mount body and said inferior mount body; wherein upon implantation of said device between the spinous processes to contact the spinous processes, said superior mount body and inferior mount body are movable in flexion, lateral bending and side rotation, relative to one another.