BYU engineers conceive disc replacement to treat chronic low back pain (BYU News)
In between the vertebrae of the human spine are 23 Oreo-sized, cartilage-filled discs that hold the vertebrae together and allow for spine movement.
While the discs are critical for movement, they can become the source of back pain when they degenerate or herniate – a major health problem that affects 85% of Americans and drains the U.S. economy to the tune of $100 billion every year.
A new biomedical device to surgically treat chronic back pain – an artificial spinal disc that duplicates the natural motion of the spine – has been licensed from Brigham Young University to a Utah-based company.
The artificial disc was conceived by engineering professors Anton Bowden and Larry Howell and BYU alum Peter Halverson. It will be developed to market by Crocker Spinal Technologies, a company founded by BYU President’s Leadership Council member Gary Crocker and headed by BYU MBA graduate David Hawkes.
The BYU researchers report on the mechanism’s ability to facilitate natural spine movement in a study published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Spine Surgery.
“Low back pain has been describ...
