National Arthritis Month Brings Awareness to Non-Surgical and Non-Pharmaceutical Osteoarthritis Treatments

SAN DIEGO, May 2 /PRNewswire/ — After Cox-2 drugs such as Vioxx and Bextra were removed from the market in 2004 and 2005, there was a 125% surge in knee replacement surgeries – but there didn’t have to be. There are proven non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical treatment options for osteoarthritis (OA) patients including, exercise, lifestyle changes and OA braces. Braces have been proven to be one of the most effective and affordable non-surgical, non- pharmaceutical treatment for knee OA.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070502/NYWFNS2 )

With the FDA’s recent rejection of Merck’s OA drug Arcoxia, OA patients continue to seek treatments for their pain. One of the most overlooked yet efficient forms of treatment for OA are specialized osteoarthritis knee braces. Research has proven that OA braces reduce pain by shifting the knee’s load away from the painful affected compartment of the knee to the healthier side of the knee. Patients who wear an OA knee brace generally experience an immediate reduction in knee pain, enabling them to remain active. Since osteoarthritis affects patients differently, DonJoy has developed different braces to meet patient needs. DonJoy OA knee braces are slim, unobtrusive (can be worn under clothing) and greatly relieve pain in the knee joints to allow for full mobility.

“By transferring the pressure from the arthritic area of the joint to a more stable area, an OA knee brace supports the joint so that it is less vulnerable to inflammatory episodes. This decreases the pain and reduces the need for anti-inflammatory medication and of course, surgery,” said John Martin, Osteoarthritis Bracing Specialist at DJO Inc. and former Head Trainer of the U.S. Soccer Team.

Given that more than 46 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis, there is little celebration during May’s National Arthritis month. OA is the most common form of arthritis, and is one of the leading causes of disability. More than 10 percent of people over 65 have symptomatic knee OA and 25 percent of those over 55 experience knee pain most days of a month. As Boomers beginning to reach retirement age, the number of Americans 65 and older is expected to double in the next 25 years, and OA will grow at comparable rates.

Arthritis annually results in 39 million physician visits, 744,000 hospitalizations, 3 million visits to outpatient departments and 2.2 million visits to emergency departments. To learn about viable alternative treatments for OA pain, please visit http://www.oabracing.com/.

About DJO Inc.

DJO Inc. is a global orthopedic sports medicine company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of surgical and non-surgical products

and services that repair, regenerate and rehabilitate soft tissue and bone, help protect against injury and treat osteoarthritis of the knee.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070502/NYWFNS2AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

DJO Inc.

CONTACT: James McCusker, james.mccusker@icrinc.com, or StephanieSampiere, stephanie.sampiere@icrinc.com, both of Integrated CorporateRelations, Inc., +1-203-682-8200, for DJO Inc.

Web site: http://www.oabracing.com/