Intervertebral disc and facet joint prosthesis

A method of implanting a generally vertebral-conforming sized intervertebral disc prosthesis into a spinal motion segment having an intervertebral disc and adjacent superior and inferior vertebrae through a generally posterior surgical approach, comprising

• surgically exposing a postero-lateral surgical site to provide surgical access to said spinal motion segment;
• resecting at least a portion of an inferior articular process of said superior vertebra and a superior articular process of said inferior vertebra to provide surgical exposure of said intervertebral disc and sites on said articular processes for implanting components of a facet joint prosthesis;
• excising at least a portion of said intervertebral disc to provide a disc implantation site for said intervertebral disc prosthesis;
• implanting said intervertebral disc prosthesis into said disc implantation site;
• implanting components of a facet joint prosthesis at said sites on said articular processes;
• and
• surgically closing said surgical site.

An intervertebral disc and facet joint prosthesis, comprising:

• an intervertebral disc prosthesis element including an upper rigid prosthesis endplate, a lower rigid prosthesis endplate, and a core connecting said rigid endplates and constructed to allow relative motion of said rigid endplates about at least one of a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, and an antero-posterior axis and
• at least one facet joint prosthesis element, each facet joint prosthesis element including an upper facet joint prosthesis component and a lower facet joint prosthesis component,
• said upper facet joint component being constructed to cooperate with its respective lower facet joint prosthesis component, and
• said upper facet joint prosthesis component being rigidly fixed to said upper endplate and said lower fact joint prosthesis component being rigidly fixed to said lower endplate.