Bones and bony structures are susceptible to a variety of weaknesses that can affect their ability to provide support and structure. Weaknesses in bony structures may have many causes, including degenerative diseases, tumors, fractures, and dislocations. Advances in medicine and engineering have provided doctors with a plurality of devices and techniques for alleviating or curing these weaknesses.
Typically, weaknesses in the spine are corrected by using devices that fuse one or more vertebrae together. Common devices involve plate systems that align and maintain adjacent vertebrae in a desired position, with desired spacing. These devices, commonly referred to as bone fixation plating systems, typically include one or more plates and screws for aligning and holding vertebrae in a fixed position with respect to one another. When implanting these devices in a patient, it may be desirable for interspinous distraction, for example, to obtain a desired spacing between the fused spinous processes.
Thus, there is a need for a device that provides structural stability to adjacent vertebrae, for example, a plate system that can distract and/or immobilize the spinous processes of adjacent vertebrae.