In 2020, lower back pain affected more than 600 million people globally. Many of those who experience lower back pain require lumbar spinal infusion, a surgery that connects two or more bones in the lower spine. While it helps to alleviate pain, it often causes other lumbar bones to degrade at a quicker rate, which can lead to future surgeries.
MOTUS, Latin for the word “movement,” is a new medical implant for the lower back that replaces the function of discs and facet joints. Originally called the “Kenai Device,” MOTUS allows patients to maintain a normal range of motion after surgery.
Craig Humphreys is a Soldotna-based spine surgeon and research director for 3Spine, the company behind MOTUS. He and a group of doctors began developing the first-of-its-kind medical device in 2002.
“We worked on different iterations over time," Humphreys said. "Placing them in cadavers, doing metal testing, wear testing, all the things you have to do to make sure it’s safe.”
By 2007, the first MOTUS device was implanted in a patient with lower back pain in South Africa. Today, 3Spine has completed more than 150 MOTUS total joint replacement surgeries around the world.
Although still in its clinical trials, the Food and Drug Administration has recognized MOTUS as a Breakthrough Device, a category that recognizes advances in life-saving treatments. The publication Orthopedics This Week also recognized the device as the 2023 Best New Spine Technology.
Humphreys is excited about the potential impact of the device.
“I think it’s going to prevent the need for further surgeries," he said. "I think people ultimately will not have to have fusions, and so we’ll see improved outcomes with quicker return to activities, and hopefully longevity with the device.”
3Spine plans to seek FDA approval for the MOTUS device in the near future.
