Here are three spine device companies that partnered with sports stars in the past year:
Orthofix in May partnered with Olympic gold medalist Laura Wilkinson, who is the first woman to win all three world titles in platform diving. In 2018, she underwent spinal fusion to address a cervical degenerative disc using Orthofix devices — a cervical plate, a Trinity Elite allograft to facilitate fusion and a CervicalStim device to promote bone growth.
In June, Centinel Spine partnered with Tiger Woods in an initiative to educate the public on spinal disease and treatment options. In 2017, surgeons implanted the Centinel Spine's Anterior Lumbar Integrated Interbody fusion device during a spinal fusion procedure to alleviate pain in Mr. Woods' back and legs.
NFL hall of famer Jerome Bettis was appointed as brand ambassador for NuVasive in August. The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back is sharing his experience with NuVasive's extreme lateral interbody fusion device to raise awareness about minimally invasive surgery.