Patent ID: 8206292

Claim:
A working channel for separating paraspinal muscles and minimizing muscle trauma during spinal surgery comprising: a flared upper section having a distal end, a proximal end and an interior lumen traversing through the flared upper section, the proximal end of the flared upper section having a larger cross-sectional area, as taken generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the working channel, than the distal end of the flared upper section; and a lower elongate body section extending fixedly from the distal end of the flared upper section, the lower elongate body section being rigid and having a distal end which is the leading portion for inserting into a patient, a proximal end connected to the flared upper section and an interior lumen traversing through the lower section, wherein the flared upper section and the lower elongate body section each have an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein a thickness between the inner and outer surfaces of the lower elongate body section, as taken generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the working channel, is the same at each point along the longitudinal axis.