SAN CARLOS, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 7, 2026 / Empirical Spine, Inc. today announced it has appointed Brian Polonet as Chief Commercial Officer to lead the U.S. commercialization of its FDA-approved LimiFlex® Dynamic Sagittal Tether™. Polonet brings three decades of spine commercialization experience, including building sales organizations and launching novel motion-preservation technologies.
Spine Industry Veteran Brian Polonet Tapped to Lead U.S. Commercialization of LimiFlex(R)
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Empirical SpineLimiFlex Dynamic Sagittal TetherLouie FieldingChief Commercial OfficerBrian Polonet
"We wanted a commercial leader with a track record of success in this industry and who surgeons, distributors, and our people love working with," said Louie Fielding, Co-founder and President of Empirical Spine. "Brian brings all of that and more to Empirical Spine. Degenerative spondylolisthesis is the largest indication for lumbar fusion, and we believe there is significant demand for a motion-preserving alternative. Brian will help us build on the early commercial momentum we've established and expand access to LimiFlex across the country."
Polonet has spent much of his career commercializing novel technologies, including motion-preserving spinal devices. He previously served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Simplify Medical and Spinal Motion, helping bring cervical and lumbar artificial disc technologies to market, including the PMA-approved Simplify® Cervical Artificial Disc. He has also held leadership roles ranging from motion-preservation strategy to global sales and marketing at companies such as NuVasive, Highridge Medical, Peak Surgical, and Spine Wave.
"LimiFlex represents a compelling opportunity to expand the role of outpatient, motion-preserving procedures for the lumbar spine. I'm eager to get to work building a commercial organization that supports surgeons," said Polonet. "We have a lot to do, and we have a great team to do it with. We're looking forward to meeting with surgeons and distributors at the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting next week and showing them what LimiFlex has to offer."
"Brian understands the clinical promise and commercial realities of motion preservation, particularly for patients with symptomatic degenerative spondylolisthesis," said Todd Alamin, MD, Empirical Spine Co-founder and Medical Director. "In my own practice, offering LimiFlex to patients to patients who would otherwise be treated with a lumbar fusion has been highly rewarding. As we expand beyond the surgeons who participated in the LimiFlex clinical trial, having someone who understands this market and knows how to support surgeons through adoption will be critical."
LimiFlex received FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) in February 2026 following a pivotal clinical trial in which it demonstrated non-inferior two-year clinical outcomes compared with instrumented spinal fusion. The motion-preserving implant is designed to provide dynamic flexion-restricting stabilization following decompression for appropriately indicated patients with Grade I lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis.
For more information about LimiFlex, including full indications for use, please visit LimiFlex.com.
About Empirical Spine
Empirical Spine, Inc. is a medical technology company focused on developing surgical solutions that align the magnitude of treatment with the magnitude of disease. The company's technologies are designed to address structural spine conditions using motion-preserving approaches intended to reduce the physiologic burden of traditional surgical constructs. Learn more at LimiFlex.com.
Contact
Louie Fielding
Co-founder, President & COO
info@empiricalspine.com
650-585-6307
SOURCE: Empirical Spine, Inc.
Author
TH
TJ Halvorson
The De Angelis Group | Orthopedics This Week | MSK Innovations
Why This Matters
Two Perspectives
MBA Lens: Economic and industry impact
Empirical Spine appointed Brian Polonet as Chief Commercial Officer to lead U.S. commercialization of its FDA-approved LimiFlex Dynamic Sagittal Tether. Polonet's three decades of spine commercialization and motion preservation experience are crucial for expanding market access. The company targets degenerative spondylolisthesis, a large indication for lumbar fusion, with a motion-preserving alternative, aiming to build on early commercial momentum and support surgeon adoption.
- The appointment of a seasoned CCO with motion-preservation expertise signals a focused strategy to penetrate the significant degenerative spondylolisthesis market.
- LimiFlex's FDA approval and positioning as a motion-preserving alternative to fusion suggest a competitive play for outpatient procedures and market share.
PhD Lens: Clinical and outcomes impact
Empirical Spine's LimiFlex Dynamic Sagittal Tether, an FDA-approved motion-preserving implant, is designed for dynamic flexion-restricting stabilization following decompression. It targets patients with Grade I lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis. A pivotal clinical trial demonstrated non-inferior two-year clinical outcomes compared with instrumented spinal fusion, supporting its use as an alternative to traditional fusion for appropriate indications.
- LimiFlex provides dynamic stabilization, restricting flexion while preserving motion, contrasting with the rigidity of spinal fusion.
- Clinical evidence from a pivotal trial showed non-inferiority to spinal fusion at two years for indicated patients, supporting its efficacy.
React:
Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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