Method and apparatus to maintain distance between bones of a back for pain relief

A method for maintaining a distance between bones of a body portion comprising an area of a back using a device comprising a first engaging member, a second engaging member, and a plurality of assemblies connecting the first engaging member and the second engaging member, wherein each assembly comprises a plurality of rods coupling the first engaging member and the second engaging member, a coupling tube with a first rod of the plurality of rods directly secured to each of the first engaging member and a proximal end of the coupling tube and a second rod of the plurality of rods directly secured to a distal end of the coupling tube, and a hinge adapted to be disposed along the plurality of rods at a position aligned with a back joint of a user between vertebrae, wherein the second rod of the plurality of rods is directly secured to a proximal end of the hinge and a third rod of the plurality of rods is directly secured to each of a distal end of the hinge and the second engaging member, and wherein the hinge includes a degree of freedom oriented in a direction of movement of a torso of the user and a plurality of stop-pins disposed in a hinge interior defining a threshold angle for rotation of the hinge, the method comprising:

• engaging a first portion of a body toward an upper portion of the back with the first engaging member of the device;
• engaging a second portion of the body toward a lower portion of the back with the second engaging member of the device, wherein the body portion resides between the first and second portions;
• separating, and providing a distance between, different bones of the body portion comprising the area of the back that have bone-on-bone contact with each other at a back joint via the device by adjusting a gap between the first and second rods in the coupling tube of each assembly based on rotation of the coupling tube of each assembly that elongates each assembly and the back;
• and
• maintaining the distance between the different bones during the movement of the torso by the hinge enabling angular movement of the second and third rods in accordance with the plurality of stop-pins.