Enhancing athletic performance, decreasing injury recovery time

Heather Graves

Staff

August 23, 2023

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Injuries in sports or other forms of physical activity happen – it’s the nature of the beast.

Getting back at it after said injury can sometimes be a long and, at times frustrating, process.

Mike LaMere, the regional manager of athletic training, podiatry, physiatry, rheumatology, sports medicine and CPR education for Prevea Health, said a new service now offered at Prevea health centers in Grand Chute and Manitowoc, aims to support that process even further.

The Springbok Analysis MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), LaMere said, creates personalized 3D muscular images of patients’ lower bodies and helps to identify and measure the size of every individual muscle from the waist down.

“We use the regular MRI unit we already have, Springbok Analysis MRI is a program or software that creates a specialized report,” he said. “The reason we brought it in is to help do a deep dive into those times when you are working with somebody and they are rehabbing and all of a sudden they hit a plateau and you’re like, ‘why are they not getting better?’”

He said the “cutting-edge technology” is designed to pinpoint deficient muscle imbalances that may present a risk to a patient’s overall health or physical performance.

“We can actually pinpoint what muscles we can go after to hopefully get them to that next level or make their therapy even better,” he said.

The scan, LaMere stressed, only focuses on the muscles in the lower extremities.

“It measures muscle density, it doesn’t look at ligaments if you did have an injury,” he said. “Our radiologist does look at the reports, but it isn’t that type of MRI.”

LaMere said the new MRI technology can help Prevea physical therapists and licensed athletic trainers better tailor exercises for their patients.

“By looking at the progress in one leg or muscle group, compared to the other side of a patient’s body, our performance team can design a workout that is tailored to our patient’s goals,” he said.

LaMere said when trainers and therapists can see which muscles or muscle groups to focus on, “it’s a game changer.”

“For us, I don’t want to say it was a no-brainer, but it really was,” he said. 

LaMere said Prevea is good at what it does in terms of physical therapy, and the Springbok Analysis MRI report is another tool they can utilize to provide patients with above-and-beyond service.

The scan, LaMere said, takes about 15 minutes, with results available in two hours.

“I meet with everybody to go over their reports – the results of the scan,” he said. “From there, we create a treatment plan focused on reducing the risk of injury, recovering from injuries faster or optimizing a patient’s performance for a specific sport or lifestyle.”

Performance benefits
LaMere said though often used following injuries, the technology can also be used for performance.

“This can work for performance, too – it isn’t just about injury,” he said. “People might have something that’s chronic, like shin splints, they continue to pull their hamstring or they feel like they aren’t getting any better with their performance. We’re also looking at individuals who want to get to that next level, run a marathon or a triathlon.”

Prevea, LaMere said, is the first healthcare provider in Northeast Wisconsin offering the Springbok Analysis MRI software services.

“The closest one doing it in the state is Madison – UW Health does it, but that is the closest,” he said.

The Springbok Analysis MRI creates personalized 3D muscular images of patients’ lower bodies and helps to identify and measure the size of every individual muscle from the waist down. Submitted Image

Though starting out at just the Grand Chute and Manitowoc locations, LaMere said he anticipates the program being offered at more Prevea locations soon.

“It will be offered in more locations once we get things rolling in those two locations,” he said. “We are just launching it right now.”

Northeast Wisconsin connection
Prevea isn’t the only Northeast Wisconsin connection Springbok Analytics has.

The Charlottesville, Virginia-based business is a TitletownTech (TTT) portfolio business.

“TitletownTech has been an incredible strategic partner and trusted advisor to us at Springbok,” Scott Magargee, Springbok Analytics CEO and co-founder, said. “They provided early validation and support as we commercialized our technology and continue to create opportunities for us – like the Prevea partnership – in our areas of focus: sports and performance, longevity and life sciences.”

TitletownTech Managing Director Jill Enos said “it’s always fulfilling to see a portfolio company take advantage of the TitletownTech ecosystem.”

“Scott and Springbok are empowering medical professionals to unravel muscular complexities, and enabling patients to embark on a journey of informed health,” Enos said.

Magargee said Springbok is “thrilled to partner with Prevea” and make the Springbok technology available to its members.

“Our technology informs more personalized training and rehabilitation with precise, objective data, which will help Prevea’s physical therapists and licensed athletic trainers provide more comprehensive and personalized care,” he said. “(Which) ultimately improves the individual health outcomes for each Prevea member, whether they are recovering from an injury, training for a specific goal or looking to improve their overall quality of life.”

For more information on Springbok Analysis MRI at Prevea Health, visit prevea.com/MuscleMRI.

For more on Springbok Analytics, head to springbokanalytics.com.