No metal, no pain — OSSIOfiber® becomes your bone as you heal.
Why Metal-Free Foot and Ankle Surgery Is Revolutionary
Dr. Bob Baravarian’s Metal-Free Ghost Surgery is more than just an improvement – it’s a complete rethink of foot and ankle surgery. Instead of leaving your body with permanent metal implants, the Ghost No-Metal Surgery System enables your body to heal itself fully, leaving behind only strong, healthy bone where the problem once was.
Why did we use the word “Ghost” in the naming of this new surgery system?
The name “Ghost” in the Metal-Free Ghost Surgery System refers to the remarkable “disappearing act” that occurs during the healing process.
Unlike traditional metal hardware that remains permanently in your body as a foreign object, the advanced biocompatible fiber materials used in our Ghost Surgeries gradually integrate with your natural bone over approximately two years, eventually becoming indistinguishable from your own bone structure.
After this integration period, it’s as if no hardware was ever used at all – the surgical materials have essentially “vanished” like a ghost, leaving behind only strong, healthy bone where the problem once existed, hence the clever naming of this revolutionary surgical approach.
The Problem with Traditional Metal Hardware
For decades, foot and ankle surgeries have relied on metal screws, plates, and pins to hold bones in place during healing. While these metal implants were a major advancement 50 years ago, they come with significant drawbacks that many patients don’t realize until after their surgery:
Common Metal Hardware Problems include:
There are permanent foreign objects in your body
- Metal hardware stays in your body forever, creating a permanent foreign presence
- Your immune system may react to these metal implants, causing inflammation and discomfort
Metal hardware loosens over time
- Metal screws often become loose as your body moves and ages
- Loose hardware can shift, causing pain, clicking, or grinding sensations
- Many patients require a second surgery just to remove problematic hardware
You can set off metal detectors
- Airport security and medical imaging become more complicated
- While not strictly required, documentation for metal implants can help with communication and potentially speed up airport security screening. Be aware, however, that it does not exempt travelers from standard security procedures.
You often live with temperature sensitivity
- Metal implants can feel uncomfortable in cold weather. This increases pain sensitivity and heat loss. Hot weather usually does not cause discomfort; heat-related issues are more commonly linked to extreme internal temperature changes.
- Some patients report aching during weather changes
Limited MRI compatibility
- Certain types of medical scans become more difficult or impossible
- Metal implants can complicate emergency medical care
The Revolutionary Ghost Surgery System Advantage
Dr. Bob Baravarian’s innovative Ghost Surgery System eliminates these problems entirely by using advanced biocompatible fiber materials instead of metal hardware.
Here’s why this is such a breakthrough:
The “Disappearing Act” Bio-Integration Process
- The fiber materials gradually integrate with your natural bone over 2 years.
- Unlike metal, which stays forever, these materials actually become part of your bone structure
- After 2 years, it’s as if no hardware was ever used – hence the name “Ghost” surgery
Stronger Than Metal
- The fiber materials start as strong as metal when first inserted
- They actually become stronger over time as they bond with your bone through the “sticky factor.”
- This creates a more natural, permanent healing that’s superior to metal fixation
Faster Recovery
- Patients experience reduced swelling and inflammation compared to metal hardware.
- Less post-operative pain for many patients
- Quicker return to normal activities (often 4-6 weeks vs. 8-12 weeks with traditional surgery)
Better Healing
- The biocompatible materials promote natural bone healing
- Less scar tissue formation
- Improved range of motion in joints
No Future Complications
- No risk of hardware loosening or backing out
- No need for second surgeries to remove problematic implants
- No permanent foreign objects in your body
Why This Matters for Specific Surgeries
Dr. Baravarian can apply his Ghost Surgery System to virtually any foot and ankle procedure, including:
Metal-Free Bunion Surgery
Traditional bunion surgery often involves using multiple metal screws and plates. With Ghost Surgery, patients can walk immediately in a special boot and return to wearing shoes in 4 to 6 weeks, without any permanent hardware.
Metal-Free Achilles Tendon Repair
Instead of metal anchors, bio-integrating materials help the tendon heal naturally while providing the necessary strength during recovery.
Metal-Free Hammer Toe Correction
The delicate bones in your toes heal better with materials that integrate into your bone structure, rather than with rigid metal implants.
Metal-Free Foot Fusion Surgeries
Surgeons can now perform complex procedures that traditionally require extensive metal hardware using materials that naturally promote bone fusion.
Metal-Free High-Arch and Flat Foot Corrections
Structural foot corrections greatly benefit from hardware that adapts and becomes stronger with your bone, instead of forming rigid, permanent implants.
Metal-Free Heel Spur Removal Surgery
We can still reattach the Achilles just as strongly as with metal after removing the bone spurs, but we’ve eliminated the need to remove this material.
The Ghost Surgery System’s Bottom Line
The Ghost Surgery System marks a major shift from just “fixing” problems with permanent metal hardware to genuinely healing your foot or ankle using materials that work with your body’s natural processes.
Key Advantages:
- No permanent foreign objects in your body
- Faster, more comfortable recovery
- Stronger, more natural healing
- No risk of future hardware problems
- No need for hardware removal surgeries
- Better long-term outcomes
For patients seeking the most advanced, safest, and most effective foot and ankle surgery available today, metal-free Ghost Surgery offers advantages that traditional surgery cannot match.
Sources
- What procedures should I follow if I have an internal or external medical device, such as a pacemaker or a metal implant? | Transportation Security Administration – TSA
http://tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/what-can-i-bring/medical-devices - Effect of cold weather on patients with orthopedic implants – PMC
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7479168 - Temperature effect on metal implant – Physics Stack Exchange
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/314776/temperature-effect-on-metal-implant
