Good Vibrations for a Bad Knee
I am watching the joint preservation movement growing rapidly. Patients do not trust their orthopedists 100% any longer. Especially when […]
How did we stray so far away from our customer’s needs?
As we prepare to enter 2026, Surgeons are still being blasted with features, features, features at medical shows and over
Finally… a better Vendor Credentialing platform, controlled from inside your device company.
Why This Matters As someone who’s been covering ortho innovations for years, I see RepSource as a breath of fresh
SPD Robots will have better payback than OR Robots in Hospital ROI.
Today, we’re talking robots. Not the flashy surgical arms stealing the spotlight in the OR, but the unsung heroes that
The Tiger Dashboard – Edition #1 (Dec 2025)
I am thrilled to share the inaugural edition of The Tiger Dashboard with everyone—for this month only. These are my
Why Your Surgeon Customers are Reluctant to Change Products?
In our industry, many ortho surgeons often stick with the products they know, even when newer options hit the market.
Rising Titans: How Globus Medical and Arthrex are carving out dominance in US Ortho
If you’ve been in the ortho industry for any time, you know the big dogs like Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, and
New startup is pioneering Therapeutic Hardware
This new startup is pioneering Therapeutic Hardware with 3D-printed porous pedicle screws that mimic bone’s trabecular structure to enhance integration,
Industry Scoop – Look for Big Ortho Exiting Spine via M&A and Spin-Outs
Heard on the street. This is going to be a wild few months with a ton of disruption in people.
Spotting the Danger Signs: Is Your Orthopedic Startup Just a Science Project?
Too many startup CEOs call me with excitement about their company, when its not a company yet. It’s a science
Can an Ortho startup thrive and survive with an “ASC only” customer strategy?
Why Read? This article explores a proven “ASC-only” strategy via an 8-step playbook for entrepreneurs, covering ASC-optimized product design, partnerships,
Shame on Aesculap
Shame on Aesculap: A $38.5M Settlement Exposes Device Failures, Kickbacks, and Why Foreign Ortho Giants Hesitate on the U.S. Market
NASS 2025 was a yawner
What happened at NASS this year? Spoiler: It was less “spine-tingling breakthroughs” and more “spine-tingling hangovers from ghost tours.” Let’s
Startup to innovate small bones fixation
Meduloc is revolutionizing small-bone trauma care with its FDA-cleared, minimally invasive nitinol intramedullary implants that deliver precise reduction, rotational stability,
Spine Market Snapshot – #NASS2025
Hey folks, Tiger Buford here with a quick dive into the spine market as NASS 2025 kicks off in Denver.
Beyond Fusion: Centinel’s Conquest of Motion Preservation
There is a seismic shift underway in spine. Traditional rigid fusions, once the standard for treating degenerative disc disease, are
Coming… non-compete freedom for orthopedists
Orthopedists may have more employment freedom as Non-Compete Agreements continue to evolve in the US. While the FTC’s proposed nationwide
Team is Everything: Hire high IQ people who will push your org… or your org will burn out.
In orthopedic startups—where innovation in joint replacements, regenerative therapies, or AI-driven surgical planning can make or break your venture—it’s easy
Any device company today can dramatically reduce hip dislocations (if they really want to).
In total hip surgery, few topics spark as much debate as hip stability in total hip replacements (THR). Recently, I
14 Contrarian Opinions on the State of our Industry.
Orthopedics has shifted—you feel it in your bones. Don’t hate me. I talk with alot of people, and just share
Startup revolutionizing sales with an AI-powered “Everything App” for elite reps
Why Read? Ortho sales is hyper-competitive. Reps must juggle high-stakes interactions in operating rooms and hospitals while grappling with scattered
Q3 Fireworks: Globus Beats Big, Treace’s Guidance Gut Punch.
It’s earnings season and we had two crazy stock moves after Q3 2025 earnings calls last week. Globus accelerated and
A 40-part Manifesto for Those Who Dare to Thrive in Orthopedics
Which of these resonates with you the most? Vote by commenting your favorite number below—I’d love to hear why it
Advita Ortho rises from the ashes of Exactech
In the world of orthopedics, few stories capture the highs and lows like Exactech’s— from groundbreaking innovation to crippling recalls
Acumed acquires assets from TECHFIT Digital Surgery
Tiger’s Take: Acumed has made a strategic purchase of certain assets developed by TECHFIT Digital Surgery, particularly the DISRP online
How to Raise Capital in a Tight Market: VC, Debt, and the “Lilypad” Strategy
The current funding environment is notoriously challenging, particularly in the Ortho space. On a discussion with the BoneChat community, finance
Ortho Q3 Earnings Snapshot
The Big Orthos continue to grow with their access advantages, new products from M&A, and organized sales force. The pattern
Building a Sales Force in an Ortho Startup
“The hardest startup challenge: Building a sales force that converts.” The single hardest challenge for any orthopedic startup isn’t product
Can an Orthopedic Surgeon become a good Venture Capitalist ?
I received a call from an orthopedic surgeon: “How do I break into venture capital as a physician?” The answer
A Guide to Confidential Recruiting Searches
In orthopedics, innovation drives competition and talent is the ultimate differentiator, and companies sometimes need to make moves in the
The Ego Trap
I’m about to offend a few of my orthopedic colleagues, but I have to be honest—this is a real challenge
With the cheap Genome, isn’t it time for patient-specific care?
Why read? This is a comprehensive article of the role of genome mapping in orthopedic medicine, posing the question why
Ortho Wireless Magic: Penderia is a startup to watch.
Why read this? Real-time data from inside the body will become a tool that all patients and healthcare providers use
Can anyone fix bias in clinical studies ?
My clinical friends in ortho are going to hate this topic. We are going to talk about an uncomfortable aspect
Orthopedic companies can IPO on the Texas Stock Exchange in 2026
Venture money has been tight for over three years and counting, so a few ortho businesses are tapping into the
Quantifying the Art of Orthopedics: Mibio Medical’s Push for Data-Driven Precision
Orthopedics has long grappled with an accuracy conundrum—not in the finesse of individual techniques, but in the elusive quest to
Asante Bio: bioprinting to treat early OA
Why Read? You and I both know that printing tissue from our own cells is the future of ortho. It’s
What is the ideal ortho business for scaling ?
I see big opportunities in non-implant ortho businesses, now more than ever. In this article I am going to make
J&J spinning out Orthopedics – What does this mean?
Tiger’s 5 quick takes: 1/ Ortho Access Wars This move validates my point that innovating in Ortho has gotten harder
Democratized surgical navigation
Why read this? Learn how a Canadian startup has democratized precision navigation in hip and knee replacements—using a tiny, Wii-inspired
The startup success grid
I have been watching ortho startups for 30 years. This simple grid is surprisingly predictive of outcomes. In the grid,
Here we go again…. injectable bone paste for fractures.
High Level Summary Researchers have unveiled Bone-02, a bioabsorbable adhesive that bonds fractures in 2–3 minutes via injection, potentially transforming
How to leverage the never-ending ASC trend in Orthopedics.
Why Read? As a leader of a nimble ortho company navigating tight margins and fierce competition, this article arms you
Every rep and surgeon should be using this free tool when planning old hardware removals.
Why read this ? Learn how the Implant Identifier app is transforming the frustrating, time-intensive hunt for orthopedic implants in
Is Ortho really the most corrupt medicine ?
Sharing this statement from Gardiner Harris, former New York Times correspondent. This quote comes from a talk Gardiner Harris gave
Hiring is slowing in Orthopedics
Yes, it’s here. We have all felt this trend over the last few quarters, but now the real macro data
The Ortho Leader’s Paradox: Balancing Hard Work versus Satisfaction.
One of the most rewarding yet challenging journeys is building an orthopedic medical device startup from scratch. As a leader,
ZILRETTA will delay some total knee cases.
What just happened? Johnson & Johnson Announces Strategic Agreement with Pacira BioSciences to Expand Early Intervention Offering for Osteoarthritis of
The next ortho startup to test the IPO market is… Shoulder Innovations.
I recently covered Carlsmed’s bold $100M IPO bid, noting how rare orthopedic offerings have been in recent years. Now, Shoulder
Making Implants Talk: OrthoSens Turns Recovery into a Real-Time Movie
In orthopedic surgery, precision reigns supreme—surgeons place implants with sub-millimeter accuracy, yet monitoring recovery often feels like navigating by outdated