Patent ID: 8579912

Claim:
A method of guiding screws into a sacroiliac joint of a patient, comprising the steps of: inserting a distal end of an alignment guide through a posterior incision in the patient into a cored-out sacroiliac joint wherein the distal end of the alignment guide is pronged and dimensioned to receive a guidewire and wherein the distal end of the alignment guide includes a first prong and a second prong and a space between the first prong and the second prong defining a point for inserting a screw in the sacroiliac joint and wherein the alignment guide has a guidance arm at the distal end and a guidance arm at the proximal end; adjusting a distance between the guidance arms of the alignment guide to accommodate patient anatomy; and adjusting the orientation of the alignment guide to define a suitable trajectory for the screws by pivoting the alignment guide about the pronged distal end of the alignment guide, the trajectory extending from the sacroiliac joint through an iliac crest and out of the patient.