Patent attributes
A modular polyaxial bone screw includes a poly-axial bone screw, a polyaxial tulip head, and a collet disposed within the tulip head, the collet interacting with the bone screw and tulip head providing an interference fit with the bone screw head to lock orientation of the tulip head on and relative to the bone screw. Inner configurations of the tulip head interact with outer configurations of the collet to lock axial and/or rotational position of the collet within and relative to the tulip head, and thus about the bone screw head. The collet also has a resilient, tapered base with a plurality of slots in and about its end that allow the end to splay outwardly over and upon the head of the bone screw to create a snap or frictional interference fit between the splayed collet and the bone screw head when a spine rod is fixed in the tulip head.