A spinal implant includes a coiled wave spring configured to surround a nucleus. The wave spring is formed with at least one wire having a sinusoidal shape and made of a shape memory material. The shape memory material is tailored to achieve a stress-induced martensitic transformation when a critical stress is exceeded. The implant may further include an artificial nucleus configured to simulate a disc nucleus. Methods of forming and implanting the spinal implant are also disclosed.
