US Patent 7306602 Snap-in washers and assemblies thereof

This invention relates to an apparatus for spinal fixation, in particular, for joining a bone anchor with spinal stabilizers such as a spinal rod or spinal plate in a polyaxial fashion. The invention is also directed to polyaxial connectors which incorporate arcuate washers. The polyaxial features of this invention are achieved preferably with snap-in washers which minimize the numbers of parts that a surgeon may have to handle during surgery.