HeRC partnership develops a new connected-technology to rehabilitate treatment for musculoskeletal injuries.

At the heart of the project is the MuJo™ Fitness System, an advanced piece of equipment invented in the UK that is currently used in the rehabilitation of elite athletes.

The system uses a unique patented technology that allows full flexibility of movement within a specified range. Adapted for use within the NHS, it is hoped that the system will reduce costs and empower patients to take a more proactive approach to their recovery.

Equipped with clinical software that is being developed by the project partners to be fully integrated with the Qinec Ltd electronic patient record system the system will allow physiotherapists the ability to prescribe individual exercise programmes to be carried out on the MuJo™ Fitness System. Patients can then independently log-in to the system where a digital avatar will walk them through their bespoke exercise plan.

Advanced movement and load sensors will then record the patient’s performance and feed this back so that both the patient and the healthcare professionals can remotely monitor progress and adherence to the prescribed exercises. It is currently estimated that up to half of patients with musculoskeletal injuries do not comply with their physiotherapist’s recommended training programme.

Implementation of the system into a patient’s treatment plan is predicted to reduce the number of face-to-face appointments and the overall cost of treatment to the NHS by 20%.

Funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency of £435,000 towards the project will see up to six of the MuJo Fitness Systems installed at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Hospital of St. John and Elizabeth and a third location. The devices will be linked in a virtual network with both the prescribed and actual data being collected for analysis and research purposes by the Health eResearch Centre (HeRC).

HeRC Investigator Dr Niels Peek is leading on this aspect of the project and will be involved in the collection of individual data for the purposes of creating anonymised population wide data. This data will then be used by a whole network of academic and industry partners to assess the quality of the MuJo intervention, to provide business intelligence and to conduct new research that could further help advance the treatment of musculoskeletal complaints.

If successful, the project will likely be expanded beyond the treatment of shoulder injuries to other complex joint complaints (knees, hips and spines) and help improve recovery times, reduce pain and reduce the £10 billion spent each year by the NHS on musculoskeletal care.

MuJo™ Fitness Systems’ Director, Douglas Higgins, said: “It is very exciting to win this funding award from Innovate UK to accelerate our vision of improving the delivery of MSK care within the NHS and wider healthcare environment. We are really looking forward to working with such great partners on the project and have gained a huge amount from participating in the competition called ‘Digital Health in a Connected Hospital’ which has helped place the UK at the forefront of research in this exciting area”

Dr Niels Peek, Reader at the Health eResearch Centre, said: “This is a brilliant example of innovation in the UK’s digital health sector and of cross-sectoral partnership working. We are only at the start of the project but the impact the project could have on patients and their recovery is significant. In the longer term there is huge potential for the MuJo™ Fitness System to be integrated across the NHS which will open-up new opportunities for research that will enhance our understanding of MSK injuries.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Health eResearch Centre (HeRC) is hosted by a consortium of Universities across the North of England to perform health informatics research. Led by The University of Manchester, HeRC harnesses large scale health data for patient and public benefit by advancing computational thinking in health science, and developing e-health innovations embedded in healthcare services. For more information visit herc.ac.uk
2. Innovate UK is the new name for the Technology Strategy Board – the UK’s innovation agency. Taking a new idea to market is a challenge. Innovate UK funds, supports and connects innovative businesses through a unique mix of people and programmes to accelerate sustainable economic growth. For further information visit innovateuk.org
3. The MuJo™ Multiple Joint Fitness System is the world’s first range of rehabilitation and training equipment that uses unique moving axis cam technology to deliver multi-axial exercises through all ranges of motion. For more information visit mujofitness.com

For more information please contact:

Stephen Melia, Communications Officer, Tel: 0161 306 7876, Mobile: 07757 310213, Email: stephen.melia@manchester.ac.uk