Rehab device provider VQ OrthoCare, creator of the BioniCare Knee System, has announced the BioniCare discount program for National Football League Players Association (NFPLA) former player members and their families.
Irvine, CA-based VQ OrthoCare initiated this discount program to expand non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatment options for retired professional athletes living with osteoarthritis of the knee. In conjunction with the BioniCare discount program, VQ OrthoCare is also offering a financial aid program for former player members needing assistance.
Professional football players’ size, the forces to which they are subjected while competing, and knee injuries sustained during a career can all increase the risk of early onset knee OA. In a survey of more than 2500 retired professional football players, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found a 40.6% prevalence of arthritis in former players under the age of 60, compared to just 11.7% of the general American male population. That study was published in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.
“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 knee OA by mimicking the naturally occurring signal present in a healthy knee joint. BioniCare is used with an unloading brace or with a night wrap.
