By Meryl Lin Mckean
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — On Monday, a man from Iola, Kansas, became the first person in the U.S. to get a new implant that could make spinal fusion easier for patients. The device was invented by his Overland Park Neurosurgeon, Dr. Harold Hess.
Ray Shannon is ready to get rid of the pain he’s had shooting down his leg for months. He describes the pain in one word. 
“Ouch,” Shannon said, laughing.
The pain comes from slippage of his spine. Bone is rubbing on bone. Shannon is having fusion surgery at Blue Vally Hospital.
“It’s a much quicker operation. You haven’t cut the muscle, so it’s a much quicker recovery. You’ve only dilated the muscle,” said Dr. Hess.
Dr. Hess goes in through a one-inch incision in the side and uses rods to spread the muscle and reach the spine. When he’s there, he places a device he invented. It was a nine-year project. The device is called Minuteman G3, and his company is Spinal Simplicity.
The device has bone product inside it.