In the United States, the Orthopedic Sports Medicine/Soft Tissue Repair market encompasses a range of medical devices that are used to treat injuries to tendons and ligaments. This includes products for Achilles tendon repair and reconstruction, rotator cuff repair and reconstruction, shoulder labrum repair, biceps tenodesis repair, ACL/PCL reconstruction, meniscal repair, and hip arthroscopy.
However, despite the range of products available, the U.S. sports medicine/soft tissue repair market is dominated by a few leading competitors who maintain their position through their presence in the largest market segments. In fact, these leading competitors control over two-thirds of the market share. This dominance raises the question of how these companies are able to maintain such a significant lead in the industry.
To answer this question, it’s important to take a closer look at each of these companies and their strategies for staying ahead in the highly competitive U.S. sports medicine/soft tissue repair market.
Arthrex
Arthrex, a top innovator in the field, has consistently maintained its position as a leading competitor by offering a wide range of products and training for surgeons. In 2022, Arthrex led the market in several key segments, including rotator cuff, shoulder labrum repair, biceps tenodesis, ACL/PCL reconstruction, and hip arthroscopy, resulting in its leading position in the total market.
Arthrex collaborates extensively with surgeons, professional medical organizations, and sports associations to develop cutting-edge products and surgical techniques. Through this collaboration, the company has introduced several groundbreaking innovations, such as the Achilles Midsubstance SpeedBridge™ system, the superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) approach, the Birmingham Biceps™ technique for subpectoral tenodesis, the Loop ’N’ Tack™ Knotless biceps tenodesis technique, and many others.
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew’s position as the second-leading competitor in the US orthopedic sports medicine/soft tissue repair market is attributed to its dominance in the meniscal repair segment and presence in several other key segments such as rotator cuff, shoulder labrum, biceps tenodesis, ACL/PCL, and hip arthroscopy.
The company’s comprehensive range of suture anchors in the shoulder market, including BIORAPTOR™, OSTEORAPTOR™, HEALICOIL™, SPEEDLOCK™, all-suture SUTUREFIX™, and Q-FIX™, has contributed significantly to its success. This diverse range of suture anchors has helped the company gain the third-leading share of the shoulder labrum market and the second-leading position in the biceps tenodesis repair market.
DePuy Synthes
DePuy Synthes, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, held the third-leading position in the overall sports medicine/soft tissue repair market in 2022. The company has a broad range of offerings in the shoulder, knee, and hip arthroscopy markets. DePuy Synthes secured the second-leading position in the rotator cuff and shoulder labrum repair markets in 2022. In the biceps tenodesis market, the company held the third-leading position.
Furthermore, DePuy Synthes had a significant presence in the ACL/PCL repair and reconstruction market, leading the intratunnel fixation devices segment and holding the second-leading share of the cross-pin segment. Although the company offers the all-inside hybrid OMNISPAN® product for meniscal repair, it has limited market penetration. In the hip arthroscopy market, DePuy Synthes held a noteworthy share, with offerings such as the VAPR® Arctic RF probe and general hip access kits and straight blades.
In Summary
These leading companies are expected to uphold their dominance in the U.S. orthopedic sports medicine/soft tissue repair market by persisting with their research and development (R&D) initiatives and introducing new products throughout the forecast period. Although Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, and DePuy Synthes currently control over two-thirds of the total market share, there are other notable players, such as CONMED, Stryker, MTF Biologics, RTI Surgical, and Zimmer Biomet, who are also competing for a larger share of the market.
Overall, the U.S. orthopedic sports medicine/soft tissue repair market is highly competitive, with leading companies constantly innovating and improving their products to maintain their market dominance, while smaller players strive to gain a larger market share through new product development and strategic partnerships.
