Business Notebook: Select Physical Therapy uses new technology to assess weaknesses in athletes’ bodies

For Jacob Pattengill, center manager at Select Physical Therapy in Cape Girardeau, the capabilities of the new technology were at once exciting and humbling.

« The truth kind of slapped me in the face, » he said.

Using traditional evaluative methods, he said, he and his colleagues were good at spotting physiological vulnerabilities. The dorsaVi and ViPerform Athletic Movement Index were something else, he said. A paradigm shift.

« There’s nothing like it on the market, » he said. « This is ‘Star Trek,’ cutting-edge stuff. »

The systems use a series of 3-D motion-tracking tools to evaluate movement and identify weaknesses in an athlete’s lower body. The data produced then can be used to assess risk of injury or track recovery.

Although the technology is still relatively new, Pattengill said the system is being used by professional athletes including NFL teams. The Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks men’s and women’s basketball teams are among Select Physical Therapy’s clients.

« As a sports-medicine physician for more than 25 years, I have seen very few tools that have the impact for injury prevention and rehabilitation of sports injuries that ViPerform testing and the Play it Safe Program provides, » Redhawks team physician Jimmy D. Bowen said in a news release. « It is a blessing to our athletic community that Select Physical Therapy provides this service. The goal for the future would be that all athletics with lower-extremity and back issues not be returned to play without this testing and program. »

Pattengill said the test results also can be used by healthy athletes to help focus on physical weaknesses to improve performance, not just reduce injury risk.

But the value in injury prevention, he said, can be hugely beneficial for an athlete.

« There are 300,000 ACL tears in the country every year, » he said. « The data is just staggering. If it was anything not sports-related it would be an epidemic in this country. »

The tests take roughly an hour in most cases, and results are available immediately, Pattengill said.

« If there’s, say, a high-school athlete trying to make a decision whether or not he’s ready to play a Friday-night football game, we can get that determination right there that day, » Pattengill said. « It’s a legal competitive edge, that’s what it is. »

Spectrum Transformer relocating

Spectrum Transformer will relocate from its current location at 624 Commercial St. to a larger facility at 905 Enterprise St. in Cape Girardeau.

Spectrum Transformer, which has operated in Cape Girardeau since 1987, assembles compact transformers for audio electronics and microphones.

The new facility will be 6,000 square-feet, allowing the company to expand and hire more employees, Lorimont Place Ltd. commercial broker Tom Kelsey said in a news release.

The new building previously was occupied by Newmayer Equipment.

The Bank of Missouri video wins national award

The Bank of Missouri won Best in Show among banks with assets of $1 billion to $5 billion for a promotional video called « 125+ Random Acts of Kindness » during the ABA Bank Marketing Video Awards in September.

« We did not create this video to win an award. Rather, we created it in honor of our bank’s 125th anniversary, with the idea in mind of ‘paying it forward’ to our great customers and communities, » The Bank of Missouri marketing manager Lauren Keith Heuring said in a news release. « More than 350 employees participated in doing random acts of kindness, and we are humbled to be awarded for doing something our bankers do every day — show kindness to others. This is a huge honor for our marketing team and our bank. »

« Video marketing is a game changer and a key strategy for customer engagement in today’s digital age, » Jim Edrington, executive vice president of ABA’s Professional Development Group, said in a news release. « From entertaining to informing to inspiring, this year’s winners took highly creative approaches to tell their story and build brand awareness. »

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627

Pertinent address:

155 Siemers Drive, Suite 8, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

905 Enterprise St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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