Arthrex powers growth with new surgical tool system

In orthopedic surgery, sets of powered instruments — essentially, medical-grade drills and saws — are ubiquitous. And as with so many other state-of-the-art devices, the leading producers are locked in an ongoing battle of incremental improvements.

Until recently, the Naples-based global medical device manufacturer Arthrex wasn’t one of them. It might seem a natural fit for a company famous for pioneering minimally invasive devices, but Arthrex had never designed its own standard set of orthopedic power tools. It could only offer outdated instruments once acquired, and nothing that could compete with industry leaders such as Stryker and Conmed.

Arthrex project leaders set out to change that over the last four years, building the design and manufacturing capabilities to produce the company’s first in-house set of battery-powered instruments from scratch. Senior Group Product Manager Jordan Turner oversaw and managed development of the Synergy Power System. 

“It was a gap in our portfolio,” Turner says. “We had that product that existed, but it didn’t represent Arthrex’s name as far as innovation and reliability.

“We sell across hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, but we really own the ambulatory surgery center market because of our No. 1 sports arthroscopy portfolio. We’re the market leader in that space.” 

However, she continues, “You can’t do a sports arthroscopy procedure without a powered instrument system. You can’t do an arthroplasty procedure or a trauma procedure. So, everywhere these Arthrex products are being used, a power system has to be used and it’s terrible to see a competitive power system with an Arthrex product. So, it made sense. But it was a big investment for the organization.”

Turner declined to reveal the amount because Arthrex is a private company, but orthopedic power tools are a $1.84 billion global market, according to the research firm Mordor Intelligence, set to grow to $2.16 billion in 2031. Mordor attributed that to factors that include an aging population; more musculoskeletal disease and traumas due to e-bike and traffic accidents; and growth in ambulatory surgery centers.

Turner was prepared to lead the project’s development in part by having worked for Arthrex competitors, helping sell powered instrument systems. 

“We knew in order to compete with them we needed to do it the Arthrex way,” she says.

Turner recalled presenting a business case for the project to Arthrex founder and President Reinhold Schmieding. After earning his approval, Turner says, it was “full steam ahead.” 

Arthrex hired manufacturing engineers, machinists and technicians who would hopefully remain at the company to help build Synergy’s next generation of tools, Turner said. The company also dedicated about 4,000 square feet of floor space at its South Carolina manufacturing facility to produce the products.

Synergy represents the company’s larger expansion efforts as it continues to pursue its brand of medical-device development and innovation.

“We’ve seen continuous demand for innovation in multispecialty minimally invasive surgery technology, which drives our growth in engineering, product development, quality control and manufacturing,” writes Arthrex Senior Vice President of Human Resources Kathy Sparrow.

The Synergy System debuted in June 2025. It includes two handpieces — a dual-trigger rotary drill and a precise, high-speed sagittal saw — each with a wide variety of attachments. 

Naples-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Backstein, medical director of the Hospital for Special Surgery at Naples Comprehensive Health, switched to Arthrex’s Synergy system about a year ago. 

Its top competitors make models of comparable quality, he says: “They’re all very high standard.” But Arthrex’s system stands out to him for its focus on details such as lightweight ergonomics. The system also requires fewer parts than similar sets — only two main handpieces — making it that much more cost-efficient and easier to use. It is powerful, reliable and sturdy, designed to be repeatedly sterilized under high temperatures.

The small details help, especially with tools that get used every day, often for hours at a time. It also helps that Arthrex continues to incorporate feedback from surgeons as it improves the instruments.

“It has been fine-tuned for surgeons’ needs,” Backstein says. “They’ve taken our feedback directly and incorporated it into the device they’re making to make it more friendly for the surgeon and the institution.”

The Arthrex team assembled to make Synergy, or some version of it, isn’t resting on its laurels. They are already at work on the next generation of powered instruments, systems that are expected to last four or five years before growing outdated.

“Honestly, the moment we start the first generation, we’re already thinking about the next generation,” Turner says.

However, they did get a chance to celebrate when the Synergy system was picked as a finalist at the 2026 Edison Awards, an annual global showcase of innovative companies and their creations held in downtown Fort Myers. Synergy was awarded a bronze in the health, medical and biotech category at the black-tie awards gala on April 16 at Caloosa Sound Convention Center. “And so this made us pause and actually celebrate what we accomplished,” Turner says. “I think it gave us an opportunity to reflect.”