Mekanika, founded by David Holmes, Chairman and Chief Science Officer, has invested over 15 years of R&D on the Mekanika Spinal Restabilization System, a revolutionary advancement in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal instability. The company was founded within the renowned University of Miami's Orthopaedic Surgery Department, where Mr. Holmes was Director of the Spine Biomechanics Research Lab. The Spinal Stiffness Gauge (SSG) was patented and developed to allow an accurate, objective, intra-operative, computer-based measurement of spine joint instability before and after spinal decompression. The SSG was used at the University of Miami in over 300 patients undergoing spine surgery to demonstrate the accuracy and value of the measurement, which may become the needed, essential definition of spinal instability used to guide and document the necessity for fusion, restabilization or just the decompression. A database of SSG measurements has been developed from the test results in 300 patients, and can be reviewed in the May 2002 issue of SPINE.