PFMH.OB Keeps Patients’ Interest by Adding in Some Fun to Exercise
Performance Health Technologies, Inc. (PFMH.OB) has put the element of fun into rehabilitation protocols. Rather than using traditional apparatus like weights and elastic bands to perform rehabilitation movements, Performance has developed a proprietary system that turns the rehabilitation into a wireless, game-like challenge.
The Core:Tx® for Professionals has been designed to add an entertainment challenge to the repetitive movements required during rehabilitation. The Core:TX® is built on Performance’s unique MotionTrack™ platform and is available to therapists and healthcare professionals working with patients recovering from neuromuscular conditions such as joint injuries. The system is compatible with any personal computer with the addition of a hardware and software package. The patient’s movements are continually tracked and recorded on the computer, which then transmits visual feedback to the patient. The real-time feedback also assists therapists and healthcare professionals to adjust a rehabilitation protocol based upon a patient’s muscle strength and range of motion.
“Recognizing both the need for therapists to provide more therapy within an increasingly limited frame of time, and clinical research demonstrating that patients suffering from neurological disorders respond well to game-like programs, our medical and computer experts have brought together clinical knowledge, cutting-edge technology and advanced software to create this system,” stated Robert Prunetti, CEO of Performance.
As the number of seniors in the U.S. continues to grow, the Core:Tx® will be able to provide therapists with an efficient and fun way to help older citizens stay fit. “Seniors are enjoying their own video game revolution, using gaming for mental and physical exercise,” according to Stephen Page, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati. “Products like Core:Tx® are not simple games that motivate seniors to exercise, rather concrete rehabilitation tools that keep seniors motivated.”
The market for consumer electronic-based therapeutic products is expected to grow by 20% per year. By 2010, the worldwide market for the products is estimated to reach $4 billion and Performance is poised to meet the growing demand.
“Our engineers work tirelessly to develop the latest tools that will keep our cutting-edge technology relevant and exciting. Future products will include internet enabled software and hardware systems that allow user even more flexibility with their exercise routines, whether rehabbing from an injury or condition, or building strength and coordination,” concluded Prunetti.
