SEATTLE – (Aug. 29, 2017) – The therapy car invented at Virginia Mason to help orthopedic surgery patients practice the physical motions needed to get in and out of a real vehicle without falling is now licensed for commercial production and distribution to physical and occupational therapists anywhere in the world.

It is licensed for manufacturing by Texas-based MJM International and distributed by Performance Health and Medline. Virginia Mason receives a percentage of each sale.

The therapy car is constructed of light, health-grade quality PVC tubing and connectors that allow a variety of configurations to assist patients as they practice specific movements under the supervision of physical and occupational therapists.

Adjustments can be made to correspond with the seat height for the type of real vehicle (i.e., compact, sedan or sports utility vehicle) the patient is likely to get in when he or she leaves the hospital after hip or knee replacement surgery. The simulation car has wheels so therapists can easily move it to meet the unique needs of individual patients.

In developing the therapy car prototype, occupational and physical therapists collaborated with other Virginia Mason team members during an innovation workshop in 2014. A vendor representative with an engineering background created the schematic design based on the list of functional requirements.

For more information about the therapy car, contact MJM International toll-free at 1-800-270-6199 or by email at sales@mjminternational.com.

About Virginia Mason Health System
Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. In the Puget Sound region, the system includes 336-bed Virginia Mason Hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 500 physicians; regional medical centers in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kirkland, Issaquah and Lynnwood; Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others from around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management methodology for continually improving quality, safety and efficiency. Virginia Mason online: VirginiaMason.org

Virginia Mason Health System also includes Virginia Mason Memorial, a 226-bed hospital serving the Yakima Valley in central Washington since 1950. Memorial online: YakimaMemorial.org

Media Contact:
Gale Robinette
Media Relations Manager
Virginia Mason Health System
(206) 341-1509
gale.robinette@VirginiaMason.org

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