VQ OrthoCare Offers National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Former Player Members the Opportunity to Live Without Knee Pain

CARLSBAD, CA, April 09, 2011 (Press-News.org) VQ OrthoCare , creator of the award-winning BioniCare Knee System, is pleased to announce its BioniCare member discount program for National Football League Players Association (NFPLA) former player members and their families. VQ OrthoCare initiated this discount program based on the need for a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatment option for retired professional athletes living with osteoarthritis of the knee. Professional athletes move their knees up to 20 million times per year. In contrast, the average person uses their knees only three million times per year. The constant knee movements wear down the knee joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee (Overtime Magazine, 2007). In conjunction with the BioniCare member discount program, VQ OrthoCare is also offering a financial aid program for former player members needing assistance.

"More than 27 million Americans are living with osteoarthritis of the knee and National Football League players are three times more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee than the general population," said VQ OrthoCare president and founder, Jim Knape. "We are thrilled to be offering former player members of the NFLPA and their families the opportunity to utilize this life-changing treatment option that will enable them to live pain-free and regain their active lifestyles."

The BioniCare Knee System delivers a low-level pulsed electrical signal, developed specifically to treat osteoarthritis of the knee by mimicking the naturally occurring signal present in a healthy knee joint. BioniCare is used with an unloading brace or with a night wrap. More than 80,000 patients nationwide have been prescribed the BioniCare Knee System. In a Johns Hopkins-led study, 62% of total knee replacement (TKR) candidates with clinical and radiographic evidence of severe osteoarthritis avoided a TKR for at least four-years after an average of only 11 months of BioniCare therapy. Only 7% of matched control patients treated at Johns Hopkins, who received therapy but did not use the BioniCare Knee System, avoided total knee replacement surgery in the four-year period. Significant improvement in pain, range of motion activities of daily living and overall improvement in the knee over and above that achieved by other available therapies have been reported in published studies.¹

"The BioniCare member discount program could prove to be a 'game changer' when it comes to quality of life issues for former players," said Andre Collins, director, NFLPA Former Player Services.

For more information about the BioniCare member discount program, please call (866) 440-5152. For more information on VQ OrthoCare or the BioniCare Knee System, visit http://vqorthocare.com or call (800) 266-6969.

About VQ OrthoCare:
Founded in 1989 and based in Irvine, California, VQ OrthoCare is a leading manufacturer and provider of non-invasive medical solutions focused on bone, joint and soft-tissue conditions. VQ OrthoCare's commitment to treating patients with respect and supporting them in achieving optimum outcomes is unmatched in the industry. Services include in-home patient fitting of braces and other medical devices, and technology-enabled compliance monitoring. VQ OrthoCare's products include: Surgi-Stim4, Ortho-Stim4, Eagle, Catalyst and OActive knee bracing, Fast Start EMS, Fast Start HVPC, VQ Vector, and the BioniCare system. VQ OrthoCare is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a medical.

1 Mont MM, Hungerford DS, et al., "Pulsed Electrical Stimulation to Defer TKA in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis," Orthopedics, October 2006 (10): 887-889.