Facet joint prosthesis

1. A facet replacement device, comprising:

an elongate member matable to a first vertebra;

a housing matable to an adjacent second vertebra and having a blind bore formed therein, and a deformable member disposed within the a blind bore and having an opening formed therein for slidably receiving at least a portion of the elongate member such that the elongate member can be angularly oriented relative to a longitudinal axis of the inner lumen; and

a bearing disposed within the opening formed in the deformable member, and adapted to facilitate slidable movement of the elongate member within the opening;

wherein the elongate member and the opening formed in the deformable member are curved.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate member is adapted to slidably translate relative to the opening in the deformable member.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate member is adapted to provide limited lateral motion relative to the housing.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the deformable member has a substantially cylindrical shape.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the opening formed in the deformable member extends along a central axis of the deformable member.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the deformable member includes a plurality of holes.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of holes are spaced around the opening and extend substantially parallel to the central axis of the deformable member.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the housing surrounding the deformable member is rigid.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a generally cylindrical portion that houses the deformable member, and a connector extending from the cylindrical portion of the housing.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the connector includes a bore formed therethrough that is adapted to receive a portion of a bone anchor for anchoring the housing to a vertebra.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate member and the opening formed in the deformable member are linear.

12. A facet replacement system, comprising:

a first component adapted to couple to a first vertebra and having a deformable member disposed therein; and

a second component adapted to couple to a second adjacent vertebra and having at least a portion that is receivable within the deformable member of the first component, the second component being adapted to slidably translate relative to a longitudinal axis of the first component to allow flexion and extension of adjacent vertebrae coupled thereto, and being configured to move laterally to compress and elastically deform the deformable member;

wherein the second component is adapted to provide limited lateral motion relative to the longitudinal axis of the first component to provide resistance to anterior-posterior shear and axial rotation of adjacent vertebrae coupled thereto; and

wherein the deformable member includes an opening formed therethrough and extending along a central axis of the deformable member, and the deformable member includes a plurality of holes.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of holes are spaced around the opening and extend substantially parallel to the central axis of the deformable member.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a bearing disposed within the opening formed in the deformable member and adapted to facilitate slidable movement of the second component within the opening.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first component includes a housing that houses the deformable member and a connector formed thereon that extends from the housing, the connector including a bore formed therethrough that is adapted to receive a portion of a bone anchor for anchoring the housing to a first vertebra.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the bore is oblong to allow a bone anchor to be positioned within the bore at a plurality of positions.

17. A facet replacement system, comprising:

a first component adapted to couple to a first vertebra and having a deformable member disposed therein; and

a second component adapted to couple to a second adjacent vertebra and having at least a portion that is receivable within the deformable member of the first component, the second component being adapted to slidably translate relative to a longitudinal axis of the first component to allow flexion and extension of adjacent vertebrae coupled thereto, and being configured to move laterally to compress and elastically deform the deformable member;

wherein the second component is adapted to provide limited lateral motion relative to the longitudinal axis of the first component to provide resistance to anterior-posterior shear and axial rotation of adjacent vertebrae coupled thereto;

wherein the first component comprises a first housing adapted to mate to a first lateral side of a first vertebra, and a second housing adapted to mate to a second lateral side of a first vertebra, and the second component comprises a first elongate member adapted to anchor to a first lateral side of a second vertebra, and a second elongate member adapted to anchor to a second lateral side of a second vertebra, at least a portion of the first elongate member being positioned within a first deformable member disposed within the first housing, and at least a portion of the second elongate member being positioned within a second deformable member disposed within the second housing.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising a cross-connector having a first end coupled to the first housing and a second end coupled to the second housing.

19. The system of claim 17 , further comprising a cross-connector having a first end coupled to the first elongate member and a second end coupled to the second elongate member.

20. A method for stabilizing adjacent vertebrae, comprising:

coupling a first component to a first vertebra;

coupling a second component to a second adjacent vertebra and positioning at least a portion of the second component within a deformable member of the first component such that the second component translates along a longitudinal axis of the deformable member and moves laterally to compress the deformable member;

wherein during anterior-posterior shear and axial rotation of the first and second vertebrae, the second component moves laterally by a limited amount relative to the longitudinal axis of the deformable member to provide resistance to anterior-posterior shear and axial rotation;

wherein coupling the first component to a first vertebra comprises anchoring a first housing to a first lateral side of the first vertebra, and anchoring a second housing to a second lateral side of the first vertebra, and wherein coupling the second component to a second vertebra comprises anchoring a first elongate member to a first lateral side of the second vertebra, and anchoring a second elongate member to a second lateral side of the second vertebra, at least a portion of the first elongate member being positioned within a first deformable member disposed within the first housing, and at least a portion of the second elongate member being positioned within a second deformable member disposed within the second housing.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising coupling a first end of a cross-connector to the first housing and a second end of the cross-connector to the second housing.

22. The method of claim 20 , further comprising coupling a first end of a cross-connector to the first elongate member and a second end of the cross-connector to the second elongate member.