A method of tailoring a spinal implant to correspond to a specific patient's needs includes: pre-operatively evaluating a patient to determine a desired spinal segment response； and modifying one or more features of flexures of an implant to provide the desired spinal segment response. Modifying one or more features of flexures of the implant can include modifying one or more of a thickness, width, length and/or shape of the features of the flexures. Various systems for executing the methodologies taught herein are also provided.
