Ken Chapman, MD, is a pain management physician with The Spine & Pain Institute of New York, in Manhattan and Staten Island. He is board certified in pain management and anesthesiology and serves as the director of pain management at Staten Island University Hospital, North Shore LIJ Health system as well as assistant clinical professor at SUNY Downstate. He discusses eight things to know about minimally invasive lumbar decompressions for patients with spinal stenosis.

Richard A. Kaul, MD, founder of New Jersey Spine and Rehabilitation in Pomptom Lakes, recently launched a program called Project Backbone, which provides free consultation, pain management intervention and minimally invasive spine surgery to veterans of the recent military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. He discusses five points on treating military veterans.

Spine Surgical Innovation, global marketer and distributor of the Swivel Port System and full line of spine instruments, has added five new pedicle instruments to the company's portfolio.

Medtronic recently acquired two medical device companies, Salient Surgical Technologies and PEAK Surgical, for a total of $645 million, according to company news releases.

RTI Biologics, an Alachua, Fla.-based orthopedic device company, has launched the BioAdapt DBM Foam, a flexible demineralized bone matrix solution, according to a company news release.

Medtronic has commercially released the Kyphon Xpander II Inflatable Bone Tamp and Kyphon Inflation Syringe as part of the Kyphon Xpander II IBT System for treating vertebral compression fractures, according to a company news release.

Raleigh, N.C.-based Pioneer Surgical Technology has launched the nanOss Bioactive Loaded, a pre-filled mixing syringe for use during minimally invasive orthopedic and spine procedures, according to a company news release.

Here are five steps orthopedic surgeons can take to decrease the risk of infection in their patients when performing surgery.

Spine Center Network, a company that provides report cards for regional spine centers, was recently launched in 16 states, according to a company news release.

The Spine Foundation, an independent organization with the mission to increase access to spinal care, has received a major institutional gift from Laser Spine Institute, a provider of endoscopic spine surgery with locations throughout the country, according to a news release.