Stryker History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones

The origins of Stryker date back to 1941 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, when orthopedic surgeon Dr. Homer Stryker found existing hospital beds and surgical instruments inadequate for treating patients with complex fractures. Observing that immobile patients developed severe pressure ulcers, Dr. Stryker invented the Wedge Turning Frame (the Stryker frame), allowing nurses to safely flip immobilized patients on their bellies without displacing spinal alignment. In 1946, Dr. Stryker invented the oscillating saw—a specialized surgical saw that rapidly cuts rigid plaster casts without cutting soft human skin, which remains an essential medical standard to this day. Dr. Stryker established the Orthopedic Frame Company to manufacture his inventions, later renaming it Stryker Corporation in 1964. Following Dr. Stryker's retirement and the arrival of visionary CEO John Brown in 1977, Stryker transformed from a specialized manufacturer into a global medical technology powerhouse, completing its public listing on NASDAQ in 1979 before moving to the New York Stock Exchange. In 2013, under CEO Kevin Lobo, Stryker made the bold $1.65B acquisition of Mako Surgical Corp., securing early leadership in robotic joint replacement and setting a new technological paradigm for global orthopedic surgery.