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Market Overview

“Back and neck pain was a 20th century medical disaster, and the legacy reverberates into the new millennium.”

(Waddell, 2004)1


Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office in the U.S., with lower back pain afflicting 60-80% of adults in their lifetime.2,3 Back pain is a huge economic burden on which the U.S. spends, based solely on the more identifiable costs, at least $50 billion each year.4

Spine-related pain: common problem, but notoriously difficult to diagnose

The source of a patient’s back pain can be very difficult to uncover because there are several possible causes of that pain. Doctors use x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and neurologic exams to determine the anatomic source of the pain, but for many indications these tests do not provide definitive results. In fact, only about 15% of patients complaining of back or neck pain receive a definitive anatomic diagnosis for their pain.

The most commonly diagnosed spinal conditions include degenerative disc disease (or spondylosis), spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and herniated discs. The most severe of these conditions are treated using spinal fusion, but there are several more conservative therapies and devices available, as well. These include motion-preserving procedures, such as artificial disc replacement and dynamic stabilization.


Prevalence of Anatomical Sources of Chronic Back Pain in the U.S.
(LBP=lower back pain)

Sources of Back Pain

  1. Waddell G. The Back Pain Revolution. 2 ed. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2004:1.
  2. Frymoyer JW, Cats-Baril WL. An overview of the incidences and costs of low back pain. Orthop Clin North Am 1991;22:263-71
  3. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
  4. Back Pain Patient Outcomes Assessment Team (BOAT). In MEDTEP Update, Vol. 1 Issue 1, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD, Summer 1994.

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CAUTION: Investigational device, limited by federal (United States) law to investigational use.

Pilot studies suggest this device has the potential to detect an array of spine motion dysfunctions, assess kinematics, and track adjacent level disease; Ortho Kinematics, Inc. is currently conducting a multi-center clinical trial to evaluate and further assess these potential capabilities.