The Innovation Lab, a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, announces 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 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,” says Ryan Kelly, general manager of Innovation Lab, in a media release.

“We believe physical therapists and their patients will be pleased with how the DART’s precise design can facilitate therapy for more effective healing.”

(back) Innovation Lab team members Suzy Engwall and Hieu Le present five DARTs to inventor (front center) Scott Rogoff, Doctor of Physical Therapy at St Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness. (Photo courtesy of The Innovation Lab)

(back) Innovation Lab team members Suzy Engwall and Hieu Le present five DARTs to inventor (front center) Scott Rogoff, Doctor of Physical Therapy at St Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness. (Photo courtesy of The Innovation Lab)

The DART device is designed to position the ankle in ideal positions for proper angular resistance and 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 US issued patents: U.S. 9561395 and US 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 submitted his idea to Newport Beach, Calif-based The Innovation Lab, and the Lab team worked with Rogoff to develop and fine-tune the DART, per the release.

Reports show that about 25,000 people sustain an ankle sprain or injury every day in the US, 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, the release adds.

[Source: The Innovation Lab]