A small rod intended to be inserted into bone to temporarily anchor a surgical instrument (e.g., retractor, implant aligner) to bone during an orthopaedic surgical procedure; it is not left in situ after the procedure. It may be wholly- or partially-threaded for screwing into bone, and may have other physical features to enable fixation of surgical instruments. It is made of metallic (e.g., stainless steel) or polymer (radiolucent) material and is available in various shapes and sizes. This is a single-use device.