As a neurosurgeon specializing in spinal procedures, Dr. Eric Oberlander has seen a lot of new technologies and medical advancements come and go in his 17 years of practice. He notes that most of these “fads” don’t live up to their promise and can end up causing patients more problems in the long run, instead of offering the pain relief they were seeking. Therefore, it’s important not to jump on a surgical bandwagon too early.
The area where there is meaningful advancement is the field of biologics—materials that promote bone formation and fusion. Nobody really wants a root canal, but sometimes it is necessary. Spinal fusions are similar in that no one really wants to have one, but sometimes they are necessary to properly fix the spine. If you have a disc that has totally collapsed, with bone grinding on bone, the best way to f ix it is to remove the damaged disc, separate the bones, and replace the disc with a biologic spacer— the essence of most fusion surgeries.
But one new biologic material called PEKK has already proven itself a winner, Oberlander says. PEKK, which stands for polyetherketoneke tone, is a polymer that can be used in spinal fusion surgeries to replace degenerated and rotten discs and rebuild new spinal segments.
