Innovation Lab Launches Project DART at St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness

Brea, Calif. – The Innovation Lab announced today a limited market release of five Dynamic Ankle Resistance Trainers (DARTs) to the St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness, marking the start of Project DART, a 3-month evaluation of the new medical product.

During the evaluation period, the Innovation Lab will collect feedback from physical therapists (PT) and users on ease of use and effectiveness of the ankle therapy resistance trainer.

“If the data demonstrate that the product helps PTs achieve the training goals for the patient with minimal supervision, DART’s value proposition will be validated, which will support our efforts to secure an industry partner to manufacture and distribute the product,” said Ryan Kelly, General Manager of Innovation Lab. “We believe physical therapists and their patients will be pleased with how the DART’s precise design can facilitate therapy for more effective healing.”

The DART device is designed to position the ankle in ideal positions for proper angular resistance, and to activate isolated muscle groups. DART’s design minimizes user error by indicating exact movements to create specific angular resistance for targeted strengthening. The device is protected by two U.S. issued patents: 9561395 and 9616275.

Through his own perseverance and dedication to his patients’ needs, DART inventor Scott Rogoff, Doctor of Physical Therapy, has inspired other inventors to move forward with their ideas. Rogoff had submitted his idea to the Innovation Lab in Newport Beach, and the Lab team worked with Rogoff to develop and fine-tune the DART.

Reports show that about 25,000 people in the U.S. sustain an ankle sprain or injury every day in the U.S., with annual costs of $3.8B.  Functional strengthening is a key element of rehabilitation to avoid re-injury, but many patients are unable to perform these exercises in the early days of recovery.  Resistance therapy is often prescribed but is ineffective because patents do not correctly perform resistance exercises.

About Innovation Lab

The Innovation Lab is a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, an independent, for-profit limited liability corporation structured to cultivate innovative solutions to transform health care delivery. Its three distinct elements include the Innovation Lab, which taps into physicians, employees, and industry business partners to incubate and commercialize new medical products and ideas; an investment fund; and a shared services group (Enterprise Development Group). The Institute is owned by non-profits health systems who together strive to “do more, with less, for more people.” For more information, visit lab.ii4change.com.