50 spine, orthopedic surgery milestones so far in 2026

From world first’s procedures to new technology and device debuts, here are 50 milestone firsts in spine and orthopedic surgery, as reported by Becker’s in the first half of 2026. 

Note: This list is not exhaustive.

1. The first clinical use cases with Advita Ortho’s next-generation knee replacement platform were completed in Japan.
2. UPMC Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, Ireland, performed the first procedure using Stryker’s Mako Shoulder robot in Europe.
3. Kenneth Chakour, MD, of Geneva, Ill.-based Fox Valley Orthopedics became the first surgeon in the world to perform a total hip replacement at an ASC using the latest generation of Velys hip navigation technology.
4. The first patient worldwide received Spinal Alignment Solutions’ PI-Rod spinal fixation system.
5. Surgeons at OrthoIndy and the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center became the first in Indiana to use Tulavi Therapeutics’ allay Hydrogel Cap during a combined amputation and peripheral nerve procedure.
6. Surgeons performed the first cases with Smith+Nephew’s Croi XT platform.
7. John O’Toole, MD, a neurosurgeon at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, became the first in the world to use a new extended-reality headset during a spine surgery procedure.
8. Albuquerque-based University of New Mexico Health is offering a new thumb joint replacement procedure for patients with thumb arthritis.
9. Detroit-based Henry Ford Health performed what is believed to be the world’s first GammaTile procedure on a spinal tumor.
10. Daniel Refai, MD, of Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare, performed the world’s first continuously navigated endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
11. Safa Kassab, MD, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Orthopedic Specialists of Oakland County, performed the first total knee replacement in the U.S. using Pixee Medical’s Knee+ NexSight augmented reality glasses.
12. Edison, N.J.-based Redefine Healthcare performed a robotic-assisted spine surgery in an ASC using the eCential Robotics platform.
13. Flagstaff, Ariz.-based Northern Arizona Healthcare performed its first Keri TOUCH CMC 1 thumb prosthesis implant surgery at Flagstaff Medical Center.
14. Daniel Park, MD, performed the first case in the Midwest using the ActiveL artificial disc.
15. Jeffrey Gum, MD, performed the world’s first case using Medtronic’s Stealth AXiS spine robot.
16. Aaron Creek, MD, performed the first U.S. case using Captiva Spine’s WatchTower navigation powered by Mirra.
17. Anthony Levenda, MD, became the first physician in Indiana to complete a procedure with the newest generation of the Misha knee system.
18. Todd Lanman, MD, and Joel Beckett, MD, performed the first post-FDA-approval case using the Synergy Disc.
19. The first cases using Tetrous’ EnFix ACL reconstruction system were completed in the U.S. and Australia.
20. New Providence, N.J.-based Summit Health performed the first complete robotic-assisted shoulder replacement in a freestanding ASC at Summit Atlantic Surgery Center in Florham Park, N.J.
21. Genesys Spine’s SIros-X system for sacroiliac joint fusion launched, and Scott Parker, MD, performed the inaugural case.
22. Larry Parker, MD, performed the first procedure in Alabama using the Barricaid narrow anchor implant.
23. Ashley Bailey-Classen, DO of Trinity Pain Medicine Associates in Fort Worth, completed Texas’ first procedure using SI-Bone’s iFuse Intra-Ti system.
24. Kenneth Donohue, MD, performed the first shoulder replacement of its kind on the East Coast.
25. Bayan Aghdasi, MD, performed the first spine surgery integrating both Apple Vision Pro and Stryker’s Q navigation in the San Diego region.
26. Spinal Elements earned FDA 510(k) clearance for its Ventana A anterior lumbar interbody fusion system, and A.J. Rush, MD, debuted the device.
27. Daniel Choi, MD, of Spine Medicine & Surgery of Long Island in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., became the first surgeon to use Medtronic’s O-arm system at West Islip, N.Y.-based Good Samaritan University Hospital.
28. Inova Health in Falls Church, Va., became the first hospital system on the East Coast to use the newly branded ActiveL artificial disc.
29. Phoenix-based HonorHealth Sonoran Crossing Medical Center performed the nation’s first joint replacement using Stryker’s new Mako RPS handheld robotic system.
30. The first clinical cases using VB Spine’s Vulcan Spinal System were completed, marking the start of the system’s limited market release.
31. Roger Härtl, MD, performed the first fully mixed reality transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine.
32. Tampa General Hospital, Florida Orthopaedic Institute became the first in Florida to perform surgery using the Touch CMC prosthesis.
33. James Womack, MD, completed the first surgery in the world using Think Surgical’s Tmini miniature robotic system in combination with the Stryker Triathlon knee system.
34. Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., completed its first robotic-assisted total knee replacement using Johnson & Johnson’s Velys robot.
35. The Baton Rouge-based Spine Center of Louisiana completed the city’s first Barricaid procedure, a technique designed to reduce the risk of reherniation following discectomy surgery.
36. Christopher Klifto, MD, performed the first arthroplasty case using the Cori shoulder robot.
37. Casey Davidson, MD, of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee in Franklin, performed the state’s first case using Intrinsic Therapeutics’ new 6mm Barricaid narrow anchor.
38. Jupiter (Fla.) Medical Center completed Florida’s first implantation of the Misha knee system, an FDA-approved implant designed to relieve joint pressure and delay knee replacement surgery.
39. Tobin Eckel, MD, an orthopedic surgeon of Columbus, Ohio-based The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, became the first surgeon in the region to perform personalized ankle replacement with the Advita GPS platform. 
40. Gregory Poulter, MD, a spine surgeon at Indianapolis-based OrthoIndy, debuted Surgical Theater’s newly cleared SyncAR Spine platform.
41. Paul Lombardi, MD, performed the first commercial surgical cases in the U.S. using Gyder Surgical’s hip navigation system.
42. Neurosurgeon Nikhil Murthy, MD, and orthopedic spine surgeon Takashi Hirase, MD, of University of California San Diego Health, performed the world’s first spinal tumor case using icotec’s CMORE cervicothoracic system.
43. Dr. Ardeshir Ardeshiri performed the first case using NGMedical GmbH’s Move-P motion preserving lumbar spine system.
44. C.J. Kleck, MD, performed the first posterior lumbar spine system using Carlsmed’s aprevo lumbar bilateral posterior system
45. Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health’s Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, N.J., performed its first periacetabular osteotomy, or PAO, a complex hip preservation surgery for younger patients with hip dysplasia.
46. Howard Routman, DO, completed the first cases using Advita Ortho’s next-generation GPS Shoulder system at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Fla.
47. Bradenton, Fla.-based Coastal Orthopedics completed its first outpatient total ankle replacement.
48. Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health became the first health system in Florida to complete a pediatric scoliosis surgery using a robotic guidance system.
49. Colin Haines, MD, performed the world’s first Bertolotti resection using augmented reality guidance.
50. Claudio Tatsui, MD, a neurosurgeon in Houston, completed the first global case with icotec’s CMORE CT spine system.

At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.