According to Michael Zanish, president of Pro Select Services, there are a number of physical therapy trends out there that have brought better opportunities to the refurbished market.

"Decompression therapy is new, though controversial," he says. "Lasers and SLDs are making inroads lately, but only a few brands seem to work well such as MicroLight and Medex, and Richmar."


Continuous PassiveMotion devices, which are used in the treatment protocol of applying slow, rhythmic and continuous movements to joints following joint surgery, are also popular equipment to refurbish.

"This segment is very popular with regards to customers either refurbishing and/or repairing equipment themselves or through us as manufacturers," says Mark Reep, president of KLC Services, Inc. "CPM equipment can be totally repaired or refurbished and made almost as good as new while still being capable of generating the same amount of revenue."

To properly maintain this type of equipment, physical therapists should take the time to become educated about very basic signs of equipment breakdown.

"Therapists should learn when certain pieces of equipment need routine service, repair, or replacement. This is not simply about dollars and cents of equipment maintenance-unsafe equipment can lead to serious accidents, which can require hospitalization," Reep says. "And then there's the possibility of onerous lawsuits. Be proactive and not reactive in dealing with equipment problems. Ultimately it will save money, time and frustration."

No matter what the equipment, the refurbishing process is generally similar according to Zanish.

"We run it through a full functional test to see how it works and assess everything. Look for cosmetic things and replace anything obvious that is cracked or that isn't working. We take everything apart and clean dust out of electronics and clean thoroughly. We do any maintenance required and go a little deeper and get an idea of the wear and tear on components," he says.

Senior Treatments Remain Strong

Continuing on a trend that has been growing over the past decade, physical therapists still report a growth in working with senior citizens as the ever-growing population of the over-60 crowd is prone to the chronic and debilitating conditions that require therapeutic services.

"PT's are seeing more senior citizens than ever before. A majority of our business is providing equipment, exercise equipment and supplies, exercise bikes, etc., for patients to be used at home after being discharged," says Hayward. "Many PT's are incorporating Nautilus type exercise equipment to be utilized in a membership based fitness center in their facility, especially equipment designed for senior citizens."

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