How the Founder of Burton Snowboards used Conformis to Get Back on the Slopes

Jake Burton Carpenter is a man known around the world for his contribution to the sport of snowboarding. Ask any snowboarder what they think the most iconic name or company in the sport is and they will most likely say: Burton.  Jake is the founder of Burton Snowboards headquartered out of Burlington Vermont. Jake began his career by designing snowboards in his garage in the 1970’s and went on to crate an industry leading company that produces some of the best snowboarding equipment and apparel. Burton also sponsors some the best athletes in the world. It is no overstatement to say that through his efforts Jake was a critical figure in defining the sport of snowboarding itself.

While his name is known around the world by millions, what many people don’t know about Jake Burton is that he suffered from incredible knee pain and eventually it got so bad that he could no longer make it down the mountain. It was at this time that he turned to his long-time friend, Dr. Bryan Huber, and together with Conformis, they put together a plan to get Jake back on his board.

Jake’s Return to the Hill

Thanks to the incredible technology behind Conformis, and the impeccable talent of Dr. Bryan Huber, the knee replacement surgery went incredibly smoothly. Within days Jake was up and walking independently. Three weeks after the surgery Burton hosted the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships and Jake, determined to prove to himself and to the rest of the world that he could overcome this incredible challenge, strapped into his board. With Dr. Huber following closely behind Jake was able to complete a run with ease.

Through Conformis, Jake went from being uncertain he would ever snowboard again to hitting the slopes within a matter of weeks. Since his surgery, Jake has regained the strength and range of motion he needs to be able to pursue his passion for many more years to come.

The Technology Behind Conformis

Here at Conformis, we believe we have done something that no other knee implant manufacturer has done before. We put the patient at the center of our implant design process.

While traditional knee implants are only available in certain sizes that fit an average range of patients, every single Conformis implant is uniquely crafted specifically for our patients’ knee. To accomplish this, Conformis uses an automated design process to model the exact size and shape of the knee joint in 3D. Our proprietary software then uses this information to create implants and iJig instruments to conform the patient’s knee. A 3D printed wax mold is then used to cast the metal components of the implant, and a set of disposable patient specific instrumentation is also 3D printed. The advantages of having patient-specific implants made Conformis an easy decision for Jake and his surgeon, Dr. Huber. These differences that Conformis.

Interested in learning more about how Conformis revolutionized knee replacements thanks to a patented image-to-implant 3D technology?