Artificial intervertebral disc

1. An artificial intervertebral disc comprising:

housing members including spaced inner surfaces facing each other and oppositely facing outer surfaces for engaging spaced apart intervertebral surfaces, one of the housing members having an undercut recess formed therein;

bearing means extending from each of said inner surfaces for engaging each other while allowing for low friction and compression resistance relative to each other while under compression;

load sharing means disposed between said inner surfaces and about at least a portion of said bearing means for sharing absorption of compressive loads with said bearing means while limiting the relative movement of said housing members, wherein said load sharing means includes a pad member disposed and retained between said inner surfaces of said housing members and having cushioning and elastic properties for countering and thereby self centering against forces caused by relative movement of said housing member while under compressive forces are applied to said outer surfaces of said housing members, the pad member including a flange extending around an external periphery thereof, the flange seated in locking engagement in the recess; and

a pair of disc members, each of said disc members including one of said bearing means, said inner surfaces of said housing members including disc seating means for seating one of said disc members therein in opposing relationship of the other of said disc members seated in said seating means of the other of said housing members.

2. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said housing members include seating means for seating said pad members between said inner surfaces.

3. A disc according to claim 2 , wherein said seating means includes at least one pocket recessed into said inner surface of said housing member for seating a portion of said pad member therein.

4. A disc according to claim 3 , including adhering means for fixedly adhering said pad member within said pocket.

5. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said pad members are selected from a composition having a durometer in the range of 20 to 98 on the Shore OO Scale.

6. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said pad members are selected from a composition having a durometer of 10 to 100 on the Shore A Scale.

7. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said pad members are selected from a composition having a durometer of 22 to 75 on the Shore D Scale.

8. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein the pads are made from a composition selected from the group including polymers and elastomers.

9. A disc according to claim 8 , wherein the pads are made from a composition selected from the group including silicone, polyurethane, and urethane composites, plastics, polymers, and elastomers.

10. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said housing members are constructed from a composition selected from the group including metals, ceramics, and plastics.

11. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said outer surface of said housing member includes a surface texture for accepting bone growth therein.

12. A disc according to claim 11 , wherein said surface texture is selected from the group including physically roughened, porous coated, and plasma coated surfaces.

13. A disc according to claim 11 , further including bone growth inducing means disposed on said outer surface of said housing member for increasing bone growth on the said outer surface.

14. A disc according to claim 11 , wherein said bone growth inducing means is a coating selected from the group including hyroxyapatite and bone morphogenic proteins.

15. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said load sharing means consists of a unitary pad member disposed about said bearing means and separating substantially all of the reminder of said inner surface.

16. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein said load sharing means includes at least two pad members disposed peripherally relative to said bearing means and between said inner surfaces.

17. A disc according to claim 1 , including at least one flange extending from said outer surface for fixing said housing members to a vertebral surface.

18. A disc according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said outer surfaces includes a recessed portion.

19. A disc according to claim 18 , further including a porous coating disposed within said recess.

20. An artificial intervertebral disc comprising:

housing members including spaced inner surfaces facing each other and oppositely facing outer surfaces for engaging spaced apart intervertebral surfaces, each of the housing members having a recess formed therein;

a pair of disc members, one of said disc members including a concave bearing surface and the other of said disc members including a convex bearing surface, said inner surfaces of said housing members including disc seating means for seating one of said disc members therein in opposing relationship of the other of said disc members seated in said seating means of the other of said housing members; and

load sharing means disposed between said inner surfaces and about at least a portion of said bearing means for sharing absorption of compressive loads with said bearing surfaces while limiting the relative movement of said housing members, wherein said load sharing means includes a pad member having a flange extending around an external periphery thereof, the pad member being disposed and retained between said inner surfaces of said housing members the flange seated in locking engagement in one of the recesses, and the pad member having cushioning and elastic properties for countering and thereby self centering against forces caused by relative movement of said housing members while under compressive forces are applied to said outer surfaces of said housing members.

21. An artificial intervertebral disc comprising:

housing members including spaced inner surfaces facing each other and oppositely facing outer surfaces for engaging spaced apart intervertebral surfaces, each of the housing members having a plurality of recesses formed therein;

a plurality of load sharing pads disposed between said inner surfaces and about at least a portion of said bearing means for sharing absorption of compressive loads with said bearing means while limiting the relative movement of said housing members, each of the load sharing pads including a flange extending therefrom, wherein each flange is seated in locking engagement in one of the recesses, wherein said load sharing pads have cushioning and elastic properties for countering and thereby self centering against forces caused by relative movement of said housing members while under compressive forces are applied to said outer surfaces of said housing members; and

a pair of disc members, one of said disc members including a concave bearing surface and the other of said disc members including a convex bearing surface, said inner surfaces of said housing members including disc seating means for seating one of said disc members therein in opposing relationship of the other of said disc members seated in said seating means of the other of said housing members.

22. An artificial intervertebral disc comprising:

a first housing member having:

a first outer surface for engaging a first intervertebral surface; and

a first inner surface having a central recess and a plurality of side recesses formed therein;

a second housing member having:

a second outer surface for engaging a second intervertebral surface; and

a second inner surface having a central recess and a plurality of side recesses formed therein, the second inner surface facing the first inner surface;

a first disc member having:

a first disc seating surface disposed in the central recess of the first housing member; and

a concave bearing surface;

a second disc member having:

a second disc seating surface disposed in the central recess of the second housing member; and

a convex bearing surface in sliding engagement with the concave bearing surface; and

a pair of load sharing pads symmetrically arranged with respect to the first and second disc members, the first and second disc members being disposed between the load sharing pads, each load sharing pad having:

a first surface disposed in a side recess in the first housing member;

a second surface disposed in a side recess in the second housing member;

a concave side surface facing the first and second disc members; and

a convex side surface facing away from the first and second disc members.