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For millions of adults, persistent lower back pain is not just an inconvenience, it’s a daily battle that disrupts mobility, sleep, and overall quality of life. One of the leading, yet under recognized culprits, is sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction, a condition that impacts the body’s largest joint connecting the spine to the pelvis. While more than 30 million Americans struggle with chronic low back pain, as many as 30% of those cases are linked to the SI joint.
Whether due to trauma, arthritis, childbirth, repetitive stressor other reasons, the SI joint can cause debilitating pain that radiates through the lower back, buttocks, and legs. Everyday activities like walking, sitting, or climbing stairs can become overwhelming. This widespread, but underdiagnosed condition, is precisely why Windham was compelled to back a company that is reshaping the treatment landscape: PainTEQ.
Founded in Tampa, Florida, PainTEQ identified this clinical blind spot and developed a minimally invasive solution designed to redefine the standard of care. The LinQ® SI Joint Stabilization System uses a single-implant, posterior approach that is effective, safe, reproducible, and efficient—offering physicians and patients a procedure that can be performed in an outpatient or office setting with minimal disruption and quick recovery. Compared with traditional SI joint fusion, which requires large incisions, multiple implants, and general anesthesia, LinQ’s® streamlined technique translates into less tissue disruption, shorter operative time, no overnight hospital stay, and ultimately, better quality of life for the patient.
With more than 14,000 procedures performed to date, PainTEQ’s system is supported by growing clinical evidence and adoption across leading interventional pain practices. The enthusiasm from clinical leaders underscores the significance of this technology:
Dr. Dawood Sayed, Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Co-Chair of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, called the investment “a validation of SI joint fusion as a critical treatment pathway that will accelerate innovation and expand treatment options.”
Dr. Rod Oskouian, Chief of Spine at Swedish Neuroscience Institute, echoed this optimism, affirming that the benefit extends beyond patients and physicians as “in today’s healthcare environment, we need solutions that improve outcomes while reducing overall costs of care. PainTEQ delivers on both fronts: no hospital days, faster recovery, and higher procedural efficiency. For value-based providers, this is exactly the kind of technology that makes sense for patients and for the system as a whole.”
For healthcare systems and ambulatory surgery centers, PainTEQ’s approach arguably creates economic value for multiple stakeholders by reducing hospital stays and enabling higher procedural throughput . As Jason Helgerson, Windham’s Operating Partner and former New York State Medicaid Director, notes, the procedure is particularly compelling for “value-based care focused providers who will be looking to keep total cost of care down and who want to do more in their offices.”
This is why Windham is thrilled to announce a majority growth recapitalization of PainTEQ, in partnership with Signet Healthcare Partners. Together, we are supporting PainTEQ’s mission to become a leading multi-product interventional spine and pain company. We are especially proud to partner with CEO Shanth Thiyagalingam, a proven leader in scaling commercial-stage medical device companies addressing musculoskeletal disorders.
The spine market is evolving; patients demand less invasive procedures, physicians seek predictability and efficiency, and healthcare systems need cost-effective solutions. PainTEQ has not only recognized this shift but is driving it forward with innovation that is already changing lives.
This investment represents more than capital; it represents confidence in a future where interventional spine care is safer and more accessible for all.
