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Published on: 9/5/2007
Last Visited: 11/22/2007
Ron Clark
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Clark, who recently joined the South Bend Clinic, holds nine patents and seven patents pending for orthopedic devices and techniques.
Seven of his patents are for improvements in surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.The ideas span 15 years of surgical practice.
"Every time I do surgery I'm thinking, "How can I do this more effectively and efficiently," he said.
Tears in the ACL are common sports injuries that generate about 150,000 operations annually in the United States, Clark said.
The ligament is one of two strong bands inside the knee that help hold the joint together by connecting the bottom of the thigh bone with the top of the skin.
When an ACL tears, the knee becomes wobbly and painful.Female athletes are four to six times more likely to tear an ACL than their male counterparts.
Clark, who is 49, said he launched his efforts to improve ACL surgery in 1992 during a fellowship in sports medicine at Utah State University.
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The tendon insertion device, his original invention, and the new tension adjuster that pulls the replacement ligament tight are being packaged together and sold with other needed tools in a special tray, Clark said.
Clark said it's no accident that his company has been moved to Warsaw, home to DePuy, Biomet, Zimmer and other giants of the industry.
He hopes to prove, in clinical trials, that his system results in tighter knee reconstructions and to attract the attention of a buyer for the company.
"That's the natural pathway of development, " he said.
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