A device for compressing two or more adjacent bones includes a male plate attachable to a first one bones and having a central protrusion extending away from the male plate along a longitudinal axis, a female plate attachable to a second one of the bones and having a channel substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and adapted to conformally receive the central protrusion when the plates are aligned, and a locking mechanism configured to: hold the male plate and the female plate together when the plates are aligned； allow the male plate and the female plate to move with respect to each other under compression along the longitudinal axis when the protrusion is engaged with the channel； and prevent movement of the male plate with respect to the female plate when a desired, measurable amount of force is applied to the first bone with respect to the second bone.
