Virginia Mason’s therapy car now licensed for commercial production, distribution to therapists anywhere

The therapy car invented at Virginia Mason to help orthopedic surgery patients practice the physical motions needed to get in and out of a real vehicle without falling is now licensed for commercial production and distribution to physical and occupational therapists anywhere in the world.

It is licensed for manufacturing by Texas-based MJM International and distributed by Performance Health and Medline. Virginia Mason receives a percentage of each sale.

The therapy car is constructed of light, health-grade quality PVC tubing and connectors that allow a variety of configurations to assist patients as they practice specific movements under the supervision of physical and occupational therapists.

Adjustments can be made to correspond with the seat height for the type of real vehicle (i.e., compact, sedan or sports utility vehicle) the patient is likely to get in when he or she leaves the hospital after hip or knee replacement surgery. The simulation car has wheels so therapists can easily move it to meet the unique needs of individual patients.

In developing the therapy car prototype, occupational and physical therapists collaborated with other Virginia Mason team members during an innovation workshop in 2014. A vendor representative with an engineering background created the schematic design based on the list of functional requirements.