Greg Karian, Cped

CONTACTS

Greg Karian, CPed

Marketing Director

Dr. Comfort

(262) 236-3293 or (262) 227-7935

Deb Song
Associate Director of Media Relations

Rush University Medical Center
(312) 942-0588

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 14, 2013

New Patented Footwear Design Clinically Proven to Reduce Knee Pain

(MEQUON, WI) – A new footwear collection called Flex-OA has just been introduced by Dr. Comfort, a global provider of therapeutic footwear. The patented new footwear design (U.S. Patent Number US7954261) was based on clinical research to help reduce the load on the knees, a major cause of knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, or OA. Studies conducted by rheumatology experts at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., indicate that people who wear the shoes experience an average knee load reduction of 20 percent. The studies also include evidence suggesting the patented design can actually help achieve beneficial gait alterations that may help reduce pain and slow the progression of osteoarthritis.

The people at Dr. Comfort believe the patented X-Sole Relief Technology in Flex-OA, which works to naturally change the loads across the knee, is a biomechanical breakthrough in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Today’s treatment for OA focuses on relieving the symptoms and can include oral medications, topical pain relievers, physical therapy and weight loss programs. Since using Flex-OA as a treatment for OA knee pain is as simple as putting on your shoes, it eliminates the frustration associated with current treatment methods that ask people to change their normal daily routine. Their hopes are that people who suffer from OA knee pain will use it initially to help relieve pain, then continue use and help slow the progression of OA. The intent is to move the need for more invasive and costly treatments, such as surgery or total knee replacement, further down the road, or even eliminate the need altogether.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center performed baseline pain evaluation and gait analysis on subjects, comparing knee joint loading when wearing Flex-OA to knee joint loading when wearing more traditional shoes, as well as when wearing no shoes at all. Participants in the study wore the shoes for at least six hours per day, six days a week. Evaluations done at 6, 12, and 24 weeks showed progressive improvement in knee load reduction while wearing the shoes, with an average 20 percent reduction in knee load after wearing the shoes for 24 weeks.

“We’ve shown that people who wear these shoes over a period of time have a significant reduction in their knee load—20% over six months,” said Najia Shakoor, MD and associate professor of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center. “We believe that with this amount of reduction in your knee load, you could have less pain over time and less progression of your arthritis over time.”

“After 24 weeks of wearing the shoes, results from the study indicate that participants had a reduction in load on the knees even when not wearing the shoes, such as when walking barefoot or when participants wore their regular shoes,” said Shakoor. “This suggests that the shoes may also serve as a biomechanical training device to achieve beneficial alterations in gait mechanics.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 26.9 million adults in the U.S. suffer from osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm). The disease is more common in women, with as many as 18 of every 100 women over the age of 45 suffering from symptomatic OA knee pain, compared to as many as 13 of every 100 men over the age of 45.

“Today’s current OA treatment offers very little in the way of curing the disease,” said Roy Lidtke, DPM, CPed, FACFAOM and assistant professor of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center. Lidtke is also one of the primary developers of Flex-OA. “Most treatment focuses on oral pain relievers, rather than looking at the biomechanical loading that underlies much of the disease’s progression. Flex-OA offers a new, non-invasive and inexpensive approach that helps one’s own natural biomechanics alleviate the pain.”

“Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of the cartilage in the joints—the tissue that normally cushions the joints as they move,” said Lidtke. “When a person walks, over 26 bones and 117 joints in the feet and legs move during each gait cycle, or two steps. As the protective tissue in these joints breaks down, movement of the affected joints causes the bone-on-bone pain that most OA sufferers are all too familiar with. Flex-OA simply allows the feet to move unimpeded. This allows the rest of the body to naturally move in a way that reduces the load, and thus the pain in the knees.”

Dr. Comfort worked closely with Shakoor and Lidtke in developing the Flex-OA shoe and bringing it to market, and holds exclusive marketing rights to the patented design. Based in Mequon, WI, Dr. Comfort’s mission is to provide attractive, top quality footwear products that help people live more active and healthy lives. Dr. Comfort was purchased in April of 2011 by DJO Global, a leading global provider of high-quality orthopedic devices with a broad range of products used for prevention, rehabilitation, pain management and physical therapy.

“Our ultimate goal would be to see Flex-OA do for the treatment of osteoarthritis what diabetic shoes have done for the treatment of diabetic foot health,” says Joe McClung, senior vice president of DJO Global’s vascular division and general manager of Dr. Comfort. Dr. Comfort has been in business since 2002 and is the worldwide leading manufacturer of diabetic footwear—shoes and inserts specially designed to help reduce foot health complications commonly associated with diabetes, such as ulcerations and amputation. The CDC released a study in January 2012 that said amputation rates for people with diabetes had been reduced by half since the mid-1990’s.

“Knee and hip replacements are often the end result for people who suffer from OA—and they cost our health care system billions of dollars each year. Slowing the progression of the disease can not only help people with OA stay active and free from pain, it can also help reduce the growing overall costs associated with the disease. Flex-OA is a simple, cost-saving, non-invasive way to help people stay active and mobile in the face of a disease that can so quickly take that all away,” said McClung.

The Flex-OA shoe is a product that fits well into DJO Global’s overall continuum of care for osteoarthritis. The OA Nano knee brace (https://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/oa-nano) is another revolutionary new product designed to help those who suffer from OA. Made by DonJoy, another DJO Global Company, the OA Nana is touted as “the world’s lightest knee brace,” and is another non-invasive treatment to relieve OA knee pain. DJO also carries several other related products, from bracing and bone stimulation devices to knee and hip replacement systems.

For more information on Flex-OA shoes, visit www.drcomfort.com , or call Dr. Comfort at (800) 556-5572.

About DJO Global

DJO Global is a leading global developer, manufacturer and distributor of high-quality medical devices that provide solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management. The Company’s products address the continuum of patient care from injury prevention to rehabilitation after surgery, injury or from degenerative disease, enabling people to regain or maintain their natural motion. Its products are used by orthopedic specialists, spine surgeons, primary care physicians, pain management specialists, physical therapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, athletic trainers and other healthcare professionals. In addition, many of the Company’s medical devices and related accessories are used by athletes and patients for injury prevention and at-home physical therapy treatment. The Company’s product lines include rigid and soft orthopedic bracing, hot and cold therapy, bone growth stimulators, vascular therapy systems and compression garments, therapeutic shoes and inserts, electrical stimulators used for pain management and physical therapy products. The Company’s surgical division offers a comprehensive suite of reconstructive joint products for the hip, knee and shoulder. DJO Global’s products are marketed under a portfolio of brands including Aircast®, Chattanooga, CMF™, Compex®, DonJoy®, Empi®, ProCare®, DJO® Surgical and Dr. Comfort®.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements relate to, among other things, the Company’s expectations for the timing of new product releases. The words “believe,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate” and “anticipate,” variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the following: the successful execution of the Company’s business strategies relative to its Bracing and Vascular, Recovery Sciences, International and Surgical Implant segments; the successful execution of the Company’s sales strategies; and the Company’s ability to successfully develop, license or acquire, and timely introduce and market new products or product enhancements. These and other risk factors related to DJO are detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed on March 3, 2011 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of the factors that will determine the outcome of the subject matter of this press release are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict.

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