There was also news about products, data and more at AAOS 2025 last week.
Here are the most significant stories out of AAOS 2025 (and you can find the 2024 AAOS roundup HERE):
Stryker launches next-gen Mako suite
At AAOS, the Michigan-based orthopedic giant launched its fourth-generation Mako system — Mako 4 — a single robotics platform delivering additional applications and innovation. Stryker designed Mako 4 to offer a premium experience across its Total Hip, Total Knee, Partial Knee and Spine offerings. Mako 4 also integrates Stryker’s fourth-generation Q Guidance system.
The company also expanded on the established Mako Total Hip offering to include a first-to-market robotic hip revision capability. In revision total hip arthroplasty (THA), it streamlines workflow and enables confidence in challenging procedures with new features. Those include augment and screw planning, intraoperative screw trajectory guidance and compatibility with Stryker’s revision hip implant portfolio.
Additionally, Stryker said at AAOS that Mako Spine and Mako Shoulder joined its SmartRobotics suite of applications.
Johnson & Johnson MedTech showcases new orthopedic offerings
At AAOS, J&J MedTech announced new regulatory nods for multiple orthopedic technology offerings.
The company said its VOLT system received CE mark, and its Inhance Intact system won FDA 510(k) clearance. It showcased these technologies, alongside several others, at AAOS as well.
J&J launched VOLT, a variable angle optimized locking technology that combines dynamic compression with variable angle locking without compromising stability in a plating system, last fall in the U.S. It now plans to roll it out in Europe this year.
Inhance Intact, a proprietary instrument set, is used with the Inhance shoulder system in subscapularis-sparing (SCS) total anatomic shoulder replacements. Combined with the TruMatch 3D pre-surgical planning cloud system, it enables a personalized approach to patient anatomy.
J&J also displayed its Velys and Kincise surgical systems, among other offerings, at AAOS.
Smith+Nephew introduces spatial surgery
Ahead of AAOS, Smith+Nephew outlined its plans to develop technology in a new field of arthroscopic surgery.
The London-based orthopedic giant said it aims to develop technology in the field of “spatial surgery.” It envisions spatial surgery as a way to deliver personalized planning, augmented reality and real-time data processing into platforms that interpret the surgical field intraoperatively.
Smith+Nephew said it submitted its technology, called the TESSA spatial surgery system, to the FDA for 510(k) clearance. The company said that, if cleared, TESSA (tracking-enabled spatial surgery assistant) would combine a real-time, tracking-enabled device powered by a Nvidia GPU. Using video processing and augmented reality guidance, TESSA assists surgeons in making anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) femoral tunnel decisions by navigating an operative plan.
Zimmer Biomet highlights orthopedic and musculoskeletal offerings
At AAOS, Zimmer Biomet featured its comprehensive hip portfolio. That includes its new Z1 triple-taper femoral hip system, plus new technologies for knee and upper extremity reconstruction and robotic solutions.
Additionally, the company debuted ZBX, its new ambulatory surgery center (ASC) offering. ZBX aims to provide surgeons an experienced partner to strategically incorporate solutions, unique to each surgeon’s needs, providing efficiency in the OR and beyond.
Ivan Tornos, Zimmer Biomet president and CEO, said: “Our broad hip reconstruction portfolio combined with our comprehensive knee portfolio with constructs designed to safeguard against cement and metal sensitivities, our bone-preserving stemless shoulder and now an enhanced suite of ASC solutions, squarely position us at the forefront of delivering customer-centric innovations to improve efficiency and overall patient outcomes.”
Apple Health mobility data may hint at ortho surgery recovery
At AAOS, a team of researchers led out of Oregon and Maryland introduced a study highlighting the use of Apple Health data on iPhones to give orthopedic surgeons a hint into whether their patients are properly recovering from leg trauma surgeries.
The study’s patients shared their Apple Health data and completed Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) surveys. The research team used mixed-effects models to compare mobility parameters at three critical time points: pre-injury (28 days prior), acute post-injury (first 28 days after injury), and six months post-injury (days 152–180).
The researchers examined five gait parameters: step count, walking asymmetry, double support, walking speed, and step length. Out of those five parameters, step count was the only mobility parameter to show a moderate or stronger correlation with patient-reported physical function.
The research team has work underway on an app for patients to download during their initial visit with their orthopedic surgeon to collect Apple Health data. This enables a study with many more participants.
Other noteworthy updates from AAOS 2025
- Globus Medical highlighted its latest innovations, including the ExcelsiusFlex surgical robotic navigation system for total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
- Pixee Medical unveiled its own TKA solution, Knee NexSight, which combines high-precision surgical tools for a seamless, personalized procedure experience for each surgeon’s unique needs.
- ModMed showcased its AI-driven solutions for orthopedics at AAOS. The company says its offerings deliver high-quality patient care while optimizing efficiency.
- Paragon 28 featured a series of recent product launches, including a new case management portal and a new stemmed tibial implant.
