POLY-SPINE
Regenerate spinal mobility and physical activity in patients with deformed segments in the lumbar vertebrae
As a pediatric healthcare provider, I am truly excited about the future implications of PowerPolymer’s products and applications in improving the health and safety of children. From sports injury prevention with an innovative helmet design, to enhancing the mobility and durability of traditional spinal fusion rods, PowerPolymer has the capacity to significantly impact children and improve their quality of life.
— Meredith L. Seamon, MD
ABP Certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Nephrology Department of Pediatrics University of Utah
ABP Certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Nephrology Department of Pediatrics University of Utah
BIOMEDICAL
Minimize pain and improve mobility and quality of life with Poly-Spine biomedical applications.
- Surgical Implants – regenerate spinal mobility & physical activity in patients with deformed segments in the lumbar vertebrae
- Scaffolds – facilitate tissue engineering
- Lightweight Spinal Rod Infusion – minimize Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK)
- Prosthetics & internal replacements
- Osteoporosis & scholiosis
- Mitigate Adjacent Segment Disease (ASD)
- Alleviate sharp & excruciating pain from bone spurs & arthritis from multiple surgeries
Biomedical Applications: Surgical Implants
Objective: To mitigate Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK) to enhance patient motion, minimize pain associated with rigid spinal cage structures due to stiffness incompatibilities
PowerPolymer’s material innovation is also working with neurosurgeons and children’s hospitals to better understand Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK) and to mitigate PJK using our tunable highly damped, yet rigid, retrofits to offset stiffness incompatibilities.
In patients with osteoporosis or scoliosis, post-surgical complications such as PJK following spinal corrective surgery can result in a lifetime of physical pain, mental anguish, and reduced mobility because of the large stresses perpetrated by rigid spinal cage structures.
Stiffness incompatibilities between the supporting metal cage structure and adjacent healthy human vertebral column can directly link to PJK, and without an effective “energy release valve” to alleviate these “bottle-necked” stresses in densely distributed spinal nerve regions, patients may experience frequent post-spinal-surgical operations to extend and re-anchor the supporting metal cage structure to healthy vertebral column in order to temporarily relieve patient discomfort.
Current corrective technologies cannot effectively mitigate PJK, where sudden post-surgery movements can lead to pain and structural nerve damage including, eventually, to issues with occipital neuralgia. The vertebral column, or spine, is a critical component that supports body weight and protects the spinal cord. Natural curves in the spine are intended to withstand large amounts of stress and provide a uniform distribution of body weight. However, spinal and bone-density deformities can impair biomechanical performance of the vertebral column. For example, osteoporosis decreases bone strength and ductility and introduces the risk of brittle spine fracture, common in many elderly people. Scoliosis, more prevalent in children, results in abnormal lateral spinal curvature that affects comfort and height development. Both diseases can be temporarily treated by introducing artificial structural supports into a patient’s body. However, following corrective surgeries, frequent revisions may be necessary due to complications (such as PJK). To alleviate issues related to PJK and to minimize additional post-surgical procedures. Thus prolonging patient comfort following initial surgery for a spinal deformity, a regeneration of spinal mobility and physical activity may be provided using C-IDA.
PowerPolymer’s material innovation is also working with neurosurgeons and children’s hospitals to better understand Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK) and to mitigate PJK using our tunable highly damped, yet rigid, retrofits to offset stiffness incompatibilities.
In patients with osteoporosis or scoliosis, post-surgical complications such as PJK following spinal corrective surgery can result in a lifetime of physical pain, mental anguish, and reduced mobility because of the large stresses perpetrated by rigid spinal cage structures.
Stiffness incompatibilities between the supporting metal cage structure and adjacent healthy human vertebral column can directly link to PJK, and without an effective “energy release valve” to alleviate these “bottle-necked” stresses in densely distributed spinal nerve regions, patients may experience frequent post-spinal-surgical operations to extend and re-anchor the supporting metal cage structure to healthy vertebral column in order to temporarily relieve patient discomfort.
Current corrective technologies cannot effectively mitigate PJK, where sudden post-surgery movements can lead to pain and structural nerve damage including, eventually, to issues with occipital neuralgia. The vertebral column, or spine, is a critical component that supports body weight and protects the spinal cord. Natural curves in the spine are intended to withstand large amounts of stress and provide a uniform distribution of body weight. However, spinal and bone-density deformities can impair biomechanical performance of the vertebral column. For example, osteoporosis decreases bone strength and ductility and introduces the risk of brittle spine fracture, common in many elderly people. Scoliosis, more prevalent in children, results in abnormal lateral spinal curvature that affects comfort and height development. Both diseases can be temporarily treated by introducing artificial structural supports into a patient’s body. However, following corrective surgeries, frequent revisions may be necessary due to complications (such as PJK). To alleviate issues related to PJK and to minimize additional post-surgical procedures. Thus prolonging patient comfort following initial surgery for a spinal deformity, a regeneration of spinal mobility and physical activity may be provided using C-IDA.
We are developing C-IDA spinal-fusion rods to regenerate spinal mobility and physical activity in patients with deformed segments in the lumbar vertebrae. As a result, targeted performance goals of utilizing C-IDA spinal-fusion rods are to (1) enhance patient motion; (2) minimize pain associated with rigid (spinal cage structures due to stiffness incompatibilities; (3) minimize post spinal-surgical complications due to PJK in patients with osteoporosis or scoliosis; (4) work with cell biology to examine bio-compatibility of C-IDA rods.