Sports Medicine Market Size and Share
Market Definition
Arthroscopic enabling equipment and implantables. Orthobiologics, wearables and braces are not included in this chapter.
April 2026
Mike Evers, Senior Market Analyst
Welcome to our overview of the sports medicine market. This page supplements the sports medicine chapter in THE ORTHOPAEDIC INDUSTRY ANNUAL REPORT®. The segment is fast-growing and of strategic importance to the biggest orthopedic companies.
Worldwide sports medicine sales surpassed $7.5 billion in 2025, making up nearly 12% of the orthopedic market. While two players dominate the market, it remains attractive to companies of all sizes given its growth rate and need for innovation.
Market Forecast
Sports medicine is a strategically important segment in orthopedics due to its fast growth rate and presence in ASCs. It is also ripe for disruption and innovation, especially for technology and underserved patient populations. We expect the sports medicine market to crest $8 billion in 2026 and $9.4 billion by 2029.
Exhibit 1: Worldwide Sports Medicine Sales by Year ($million)
Get More Orthopedic Market Data. Download the Orthopedic Companies Sales Matrix for our most complete and granular numbers. It contains worldwide orthopedic sales for 80 public and private companies by segment from 2016 through 2025.
Here are some of the sports medicine market dynamics we considered in our forecasts:
A Strategic Pillar of Growth. Given its large sales base, sports medicine is a key strategic focus for many of the largest orthopedic companies. Zimmer Biomet, for example, cited sports medicine and the ASC market as critical pillars of growth for the company. Medacta has also identified sports medicine as an area where its rapid innovation cadence can be disruptive and drive share gain. As growth in other, more mature, areas of orthopedics moderates, we expect more players to prioritize sports medicine.
The Next Wave of Innovation. Given the relative dearth of news, acquisitions and funding for sports medicine, it seems like the segment has a somewhat narrow innovation pipeline. Procedures have been refined but are largely the same as they were 20 years ago. We expect greater focus and investment to go into product development as companies address more diverse patient populations like women and children and seek to decrease the overall revision rate for soft tissue procedures. Likewise, we anticipate more digital products to enter the market over the next several years.
Volume-Based Procurement Expansion. Sports medicine players in China will need to contend with additional tenders on arthroscopic enabling technologies like wands and resection blades. However, Smith+Nephew expects less of an impact in 2026 given the relative size of that business.
Other Segment Reports
Sales by Region
The sports medicine market in the United States exceeded $5 billion in 2025, accounting for two-thirds of global sales. Sports medicine’s presence in the ASC setting makes it compelling for larger companies looking to introduce their broader portfolios into these centers.
There are similar, maybe even greater, synergies for single points of call outside the U.S. market, where surgeons often perform procedures across arthroplasty and sports medicine. In China, the industry lapped the impact of volume-based procurement on joint repair products but will undergo additional tenders for sports medicine equipment in 2026.
Exhibit 2: Sports Medicine Sales by Region ($million)
| Region | 2025 | 2024 | $ Chg | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | $5,038.9 | $4,756.1 | $282.8 | 5.9% |
| OUS | $2,538.4 | $2,406.7 | $131.7 | 5.5% |
| EMEA | $1,470.0 | $1,382.4 | $87.6 | 6.3% |
| APAC | $644.1 | $616.0 | $28.1 | 4.6% |
| ROW | $424.3 | $408.3 | $16.0 | 3.9% |
| Total | $7,577.2 | $7,162.8 | $414.4 | 5.8% |
Exhibit 3: Sports Medicine Market Share by Region ($million)
Top Companies
Sports medicine incumbents Arthrex and Smith+Nephew dominate the market, accounting for 52% of all sales. Other major orthopedic players like Stryker, DePuy Synthes and Zimmer Biomet occupy the segment’s mid-tier along with smaller, specialized companies like CONMED and Vericel. Many early-stage companies are seeking to innovate on established sports medicine products.
Exhibit 4: Top 10 Sports Medicine Players and All Others
| Company | 2025 | 2024 | $ Chg | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthrex | $2,246.9 | $2,119.7 | $127.2 | 6% |
| Smith+Nephew | $1,712.9 | $1,613.2 | $99.6 | 6.2% |
| Stryker | $875.2 | $789.7 | $85.6 | 10.8% |
| J&J MedTech | $712.9 | $726.1 | ($13.2) | (1.8%) |
| CONMED | $521.4 | $495.8 | $25.6 | 5.2% |
| Zimmer Biomet | $258.1 | $242.5 | $15.5 | 6.4% |
| Vericel | $239.5 | $197.3 | $42.2 | 21.4% |
| KARL STORZ | $173.5 | $162.6 | $10.9 | 6.7% |
| Aesculap | $38.5 | $39.8 | ($1.3) | (3.2%) |
| Weigao | $15.3 | $14.1 | $1.2 | 8.6% |
| All Others | $783.0 | $761.9 | $21.1 | 2.7% |
| Total | $7,577.2 | $7,162.8 | $414.4 | 5.8% |
Exhibit 5: Sports Medicine Market Share by Company ($million)
Arthrex made important advancements to its minimally invasive imaging platform NanoScope in 2025 and received FDA clearance for its use in pediatric orthopedic procedures, an underserved segment of the market. Arthrex also commenced the launch of NanoScope 2.0, completing its first case in late2025.
Smith+Nephew bounced back from a rough start of the year in sports medicine, averaging 8% growth over the last three quarters. The company drove impressive growth for REGENETEN and established a Category 1 CPT code for the CartiHeal AGILI-C cartilage repair implant that will streamline reimbursement.
Among mid-tier companies, Stryker continued its steep growth trajectory driven by its shoulder products and the 1788 video platform. DePuy Synthes faced competitive pressures in its sports medicine business, resulting in negative year-over-year growth.
CONMED has made BioBrace the cornerstone of its sports medicine strategy, with the product now used across 70 unique procedures. Vericel has driven a CAGR of 24% for MACI since the product’s 2017 launch and planned to expand its sales force by 30% to start 2026.
Important Developments in the Sports Medicine Market
New Drivers of Growth. Outside of sports medicine hardware, companies are finding success with the integration of biologics, scaffolds and regenerative treatments. CONMED’s BioBrace, Smith+Nephew’s REGENETEN and AGILI-C, as well as Vericel’s MACI were all key contributors to those companies’ 2025 performance. We expect companies to continue to invest where science, procedural efficiency, path to market and cost structure come together.
Focus on Failures and Fixation. Sports medicine injuries like rotator cuff and ACL tears have high retear rates. Startup companies entering the space are focused on stronger fixation in poor bone quality, smaller implants with equal strength and materials like biopolymers and composites that promote better healing.
Save the Knee. Significant investment is being made in developing solutions for cartilage lesions and meniscus replacement as companies seek to provide a bridge before total knee replacement. BioPoly, Nanochon and Overture Orthopaedics are all working on very different products to address cartilage damage, and they each hit new milestones in 2025. Orthonika, ATRO Medical and Phoenix Kinetics all seek to bring meniscus replacement implants to market.
ASC Boom a Boon for Business. Companies with robust ASC construction and management programs, such as Arthrex and Stryker, are achieving high win rates at new or modernized sites. Stryker’s broad product offering, for example, makes it a compelling partner for orthopedic surgery centers. As technology and techniques evolve, some procedures could migrate even more as they are performed in offices. While surgeon training and reimbursement remain barriers, advocates say low-risk, minimally invasive procedures are a good fit for the office environment, likening them to dental procedures.
Evaluating Technology Options. Robotics have become a strategic priority in joint replacement and spine. It is less clear what form factor is best suited to sports medicine. Stakeholders are remaining flexible and looking at specialties relatively far outside of sports medicine, like general surgery and cardiology, to find the right value proposition.
Further Reading
Thanks for visiting! Need more insight into the sports medicine market? Questions and comments are always welcome. You can reach me by email. Until then, here are a few sports medicine posts I found interesting.
February 10, 2025
,
Carolyn LaWell
Our overview of the sports medicine market includes up-to-date information on forecasted growth, the top companies and industry-driving trends.
Market Definition
Arthroscopic enabling equipment and implantables. Orthobiologics, wearables and braces are not included in this chapter.
April 2026
Mike Evers, Senior Market Analyst
Welcome to our overview of the sports medicine market. This page supplements the sports medicine chapter in THE ORTHOPAEDIC INDUSTRY ANNUAL REPORT®. The segment is fast-growing and of strategic importance to the biggest orthopedic companies.
Worldwide sports medicine sales surpassed $7.5 billion in 2025, making up nearly 12% of the orthopedic market. While two players dominate the market, it remains attractive to companies of all sizes given its growth rate and need for innovation.
Market Forecast
Sports medicine is a strategically important segment in orthopedics due to its fast growth rate and presence in ASCs. It is also ripe for disruption and innovation, especially for technology and underserved patient populations. We expect the sports medicine market to crest $8 billion in 2026 and $9.4 billion by 2029.
Exhibit 1: Worldwide Sports Medicine Sales by Year ($million)
Get More Orthopedic Market Data. Download the Orthopedic Companies Sales Matrix for our most complete and granular numbers. It contains worldwide orthopedic sales for 80 public and private companies by segment from 2016 through 2025.
Here are some of the sports medicine market dynamics we considered in our forecasts:
A Strategic Pillar of Growth. Given its large sales base, sports medicine is a key strategic focus for many of the largest orthopedic companies. Zimmer Biomet, for example, cited sports medicine and the ASC market as critical pillars of growth for the company. Medacta has also identified sports medicine as an area where its rapid innovation cadence can be disruptive and drive share gain. As growth in other, more mature, areas of orthopedics moderates, we expect more players to prioritize sports medicine.
The Next Wave of Innovation. Given the relative dearth of news, acquisitions and funding for sports medicine, it seems like the segment has a somewhat narrow innovation pipeline. Procedures have been refined but are largely the same as they were 20 years ago. We expect greater focus and investment to go into product development as companies address more diverse patient populations like women and children and seek to decrease the overall revision rate for soft tissue procedures. Likewise, we anticipate more digital products to enter the market over the next several years.
Volume-Based Procurement Expansion. Sports medicine players in China will need to contend with additional tenders on arthroscopic enabling technologies like wands and resection blades. However, Smith+Nephew expects less of an impact in 2026 given the relative size of that business.
Other Segment Reports
Sales by Region
The sports medicine market in the United States exceeded $5 billion in 2025, accounting for two-thirds of global sales. Sports medicine’s presence in the ASC setting makes it compelling for larger companies looking to introduce their broader portfolios into these centers.
There are similar, maybe even greater, synergies for single points of call outside the U.S. market, where surgeons often perform procedures across arthroplasty and sports medicine. In China, the industry lapped the impact of volume-based procurement on joint repair products but will undergo additional tenders for sports medicine equipment in 2026.
Exhibit 2: Sports Medicine Sales by Region ($million)
| Region | 2025 | 2024 | $ Chg | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | $5,038.9 | $4,756.1 | $282.8 | 5.9% |
| OUS | $2,538.4 | $2,406.7 | $131.7 | 5.5% |
| EMEA | $1,470.0 | $1,382.4 | $87.6 | 6.3% |
| APAC | $644.1 | $616.0 | $28.1 | 4.6% |
| ROW | $424.3 | $408.3 | $16.0 | 3.9% |
| Total | $7,577.2 | $7,162.8 | $414.4 | 5.8% |
Exhibit 3: Sports Medicine Market Share by Region ($million)
Top Companies
Sports medicine incumbents Arthrex and Smith+Nephew dominate the market, accounting for 52% of all sales. Other major orthopedic players like Stryker, DePuy Synthes and Zimmer Biomet occupy the segment’s mid-tier along with smaller, specialized companies like CONMED and Vericel. Many early-stage companies are seeking to innovate on established sports medicine products.
Exhibit 4: Top 10 Sports Medicine Players and All Others
| Company | 2025 | 2024 | $ Chg | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthrex | $2,246.9 | $2,119.7 | $127.2 | 6% |
| Smith+Nephew | $1,712.9 | $1,613.2 | $99.6 | 6.2% |
| Stryker | $875.2 | $789.7 | $85.6 | 10.8% |
| J&J MedTech | $712.9 | $726.1 | ($13.2) | (1.8%) |
| CONMED | $521.4 | $495.8 | $25.6 | 5.2% |
| Zimmer Biomet | $258.1 | $242.5 | $15.5 | 6.4% |
| Vericel | $239.5 | $197.3 | $42.2 | 21.4% |
| KARL STORZ | $173.5 | $162.6 | $10.9 | 6.7% |
| Aesculap | $38.5 | $39.8 | ($1.3) | (3.2%) |
| Weigao | $15.3 | $14.1 | $1.2 | 8.6% |
| All Others | $783.0 | $761.9 | $21.1 | 2.7% |
| Total | $7,577.2 | $7,162.8 | $414.4 | 5.8% |
Exhibit 5: Sports Medicine Market Share by Company ($million)
Arthrex made important advancements to its minimally invasive imaging platform NanoScope in 2025 and received FDA clearance for its use in pediatric orthopedic procedures, an underserved segment of the market. Arthrex also commenced the launch of NanoScope 2.0, completing its first case in late2025.
Smith+Nephew bounced back from a rough start of the year in sports medicine, averaging 8% growth over the last three quarters. The company drove impressive growth for REGENETEN and established a Category 1 CPT code for the CartiHeal AGILI-C cartilage repair implant that will streamline reimbursement.
Among mid-tier companies, Stryker continued its steep growth trajectory driven by its shoulder products and the 1788 video platform. DePuy Synthes faced competitive pressures in its sports medicine business, resulting in negative year-over-year growth.
CONMED has made BioBrace the cornerstone of its sports medicine strategy, with the product now used across 70 unique procedures. Vericel has driven a CAGR of 24% for MACI since the product’s 2017 launch and planned to expand its sales force by 30% to start 2026.
Important Developments in the Sports Medicine Market
New Drivers of Growth. Outside of sports medicine hardware, companies are finding success with the integration of biologics, scaffolds and regenerative treatments. CONMED’s BioBrace, Smith+Nephew’s REGENETEN and AGILI-C, as well as Vericel’s MACI were all key contributors to those companies’ 2025 performance. We expect companies to continue to invest where science, procedural efficiency, path to market and cost structure come together.
Focus on Failures and Fixation. Sports medicine injuries like rotator cuff and ACL tears have high retear rates. Startup companies entering the space are focused on stronger fixation in poor bone quality, smaller implants with equal strength and materials like biopolymers and composites that promote better healing.
Save the Knee. Significant investment is being made in developing solutions for cartilage lesions and meniscus replacement as companies seek to provide a bridge before total knee replacement. BioPoly, Nanochon and Overture Orthopaedics are all working on very different products to address cartilage damage, and they each hit new milestones in 2025. Orthonika, ATRO Medical and Phoenix Kinetics all seek to bring meniscus replacement implants to market.
ASC Boom a Boon for Business. Companies with robust ASC construction and management programs, such as Arthrex and Stryker, are achieving high win rates at new or modernized sites. Stryker’s broad product offering, for example, makes it a compelling partner for orthopedic surgery centers. As technology and techniques evolve, some procedures could migrate even more as they are performed in offices. While surgeon training and reimbursement remain barriers, advocates say low-risk, minimally invasive procedures are a good fit for the office environment, likening them to dental procedures.
Evaluating Technology Options. Robotics have become a strategic priority in joint replacement and spine. It is less clear what form factor is best suited to sports medicine. Stakeholders are remaining flexible and looking at specialties relatively far outside of sports medicine, like general surgery and cardiology, to find the right value proposition.
Further Reading
Thanks for visiting! Need more insight into the sports medicine market? Questions and comments are always welcome. You can reach me by email. Until then, here are a few sports medicine posts I found interesting.
February 10, 2025
,
Carolyn LaWell
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