Of all the back surgeries, spinal fusion is one of the most dreaded, but that could change thanks to a breakthrough procedure pioneered in Southwest Florida. Naples neuro-spine surgeon Dr. Mark Frenkel is patenting a new method that may one day become the standard of treatment. Spinal fusion links vertebrae together to stop movement and pain. The procedure evolved to small tools and incisions but still requires a large cut in the back to place rods and screws that hold things together until the bones fuse. With the backing of Physician’s Regional medical center, Frenkel is patenting a new approach that fuses the spine without rods and screws. Instead, he curves tiny needles through the bone and spacer into the other bone before injecting cement approved for use in the spine to reinforce fractures, WINK News reports.