Dr. Ross Jones Recognized as a Pioneering Voice in MMG-Guided Spine Surgery
Flagstaff Bone & Joint is proud to recognize Ross Jones, D.O., for his work advancing the use and study of mechanomyography (MMG), an innovative technology that can provide surgeons with objective, real-time information about nerve response during spine surgery.
Neuralytix, LLC recently recognized Dr. Jones as one of the early surgeons to adopt MMG as an intraoperative endpoint during nerve decompression procedures. His work has also contributed to a growing body of peer-reviewed research examining how this technology may help surgeons assess nerve decompression in the operating room.
Advancing Objective Nerve Assessment During Spine Surgery
During certain spine procedures, a surgeon may decompress a nerve by removing tissue that is placing pressure on it. MMG technology is designed to provide real-time physiologic information about nerve response during surgery, giving the surgeon an additional objective data point alongside clinical expertise and other intraoperative information.
Dr. Jones has spent several years studying the potential role of MMG in spine surgery and evaluating its relationship to patient outcomes.
In 2025, Dr. Jones co-authored a pilot study published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine. The study followed 42 patients involving 112 nerve decompressions and found that MMG threshold measurements anchored to a physiologic reference point were more predictive of postoperative pain relief than measurements based solely on percentage changes in threshold.
More recently, Dr. Jones served as lead author of a retrospective study published in the North American Spine Society Journal. The study examined outcomes among 600 patients treated by Dr. Jones before and after he routinely adopted intraoperative MMG as a decompression endpoint.
The study reported several notable associations following adoption of MMG, including:
- Unplanned return to the operating room within 90 days: decreased from 9.7% to 2.7%
- Incidental durotomy: decreased from 9.7% to 2.3%
- Average three-month pain score: improved from 4.91 to 1.93 on a 10-point scale
The study used a predicate MMG system prior to the commercial availability of Neuralytix's iD3 System.
Because the research was a retrospective analysis of a single surgeon's experience, the findings do not establish that MMG itself caused the improvements. The authors describe the results as hypothesis-generating and emphasize the need for prospective, multicenter research to further evaluate the technology and its potential benefits.
Combining Innovation With Evidence
For Dr. Jones, the research reflects an ongoing commitment to evaluating new surgical technologies through both clinical experience and measurable outcomes.
Neuralytix Founder and CEO Christopher Wybo highlighted Dr. Jones's role in that process, noting that surgeons are essential to determining whether emerging technology provides meaningful value in the operating room.
“Dr. Jones has spent five years asking hard questions and testing them with data,” Wybo said, adding that the outcomes observed in his research provide an encouraging signal about the potential role of MMG for patients.
Dr. Jones's contributions to this developing field reflect Flagstaff Bone & Joint's commitment to thoughtful innovation, evidence-based medicine, and continually evaluating advances that have the potential to improve spine care.
Research referenced: Abdulhak et al. (2025), Journal of Personalized Medicine; Jones & Nay (2026), North American Spine Society Journal.