Zimmer MedizinSystems
A Leading Medical Device Manufacturer

For the past three decades, Zimmer MedizinSystems has been working in the U.S. as the distribution arm for Zimmer MedizinSysteme GmbH, a leading global medical device manufacturer located in Neu-Ulm Germany. The company offers German-engineered devices to medical professionals around the world and helps them with complete solution packages that include cutting-edge technologies, such as ultrasound, electrotherapy, cryotherapy, shockwave, high-power laser therapy, and high-energy inductive therapy.

Since the company’s early days, it has been engrained in our DNA to listen and involve our customers in the development process

“There is so much more included when clinicians decide on a Zimmer MedizinSystems product. Most of our clients appreciate the extensive training and gold standard service support that comes with it,” says Robert Wilber, president, Zimmer MedizinSystems.

The Change Agent

One of the CDC’s goals in its notorious 2016 guidance on opioids for chronic noncancer pain appears to have been met, but it wasn’t a reduction in actual opioid prescribing, federal survey data indicated. In an analysis of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2011 to 2019, use of nondrug approaches such as physical therapy and chiropractic care increased dramatically beginning in 2017, reported Kevin T. Pritchard, MS, OTR, of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and colleagues. From 2011 to 2016, the percentage of chronic pain patients using nondrug therapies without opioids stayed relatively steady at 20 percent, but this figure rose rapidly thereafter, reaching 40percent in 2019, the researchers noted in JAMA Network Open.

Monitoring the U.S. healthcare system closely for years, Zimmer MedizinSystems realizes that the industry has historically focused on treating symptoms instead of resolving the root cause of an issue. Insurance agencies’ reluctance to reimburse the cost of alternative treatments is the primary reason for this issue. Patients with plantar fasciitis, for instance, might have options for exercises, arch support inserts, steroid injections, or surgery as a last resort; there are, however, options for a non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical therapy, such as Radial Pulse Therapy (radial shockwave therapy).

This form of therapy could be used for plantar fasciitis right from the start, and it has a very high success rate of approximately 80 percent. There are studies showing that this therapy is better for pain management than steroid injections. But again, it may not be offered to patients simply because practitioners don’t know about this form of therapy, or if they know, they might hesitate to prescribe it since insurance won’t cover the cost.

To this end, Zimmer MedizinSystems helps medical professionals with education, training, and the introduction of cash pay options in their clinics and practices. As a result, professionals don’t have to depend on insurance reimbursement to make the best therapy decision for their patients.

There is also a time lag between what is practiced in progressive hospitals and clinics and what is taught in university curricula. That’s why Zimmer MedizinSystems collaborates with some well-established universities in this field to create awareness for the pain management solutions it provides. And, of course, the company provides seminars and regularly presents at conferences. They also have an online academy to train doctors to achieve the best outcomes with its solutions.

Training, education and certification are offered via the Zimmer MedizinSystems Academy. The hospital or practice receives full access to all available training and supporting materials at no additional charge.

Delivering Valuable Knowledge and Offering Robust Solutions

What differentiates Zimmer MedizinSystems is the broad choices a clinician can get from one single manufacturer in the space of physical medicine and pain management. No other producer of therapy modalities has the same wide range in this space. Therapies include High Energy Inductive Therapy (HEIT) ultrasound, electrotherapy, combination therapy, high power laser, radial pulse wave, high energy inductive therapy, and TECAR therapy, as well as treatment tables and traction/ decompression units.

The work and expertise that goes into the development process show in the quality of Zimmer MedizinSystems’ products. Many practitioners and medical professionals who use the therapies are intensively involved in their development.

“Since the company’s early days, it has been engrained in our DNA to listen and involve our customers in the development process,” says Gerold Gabele, vice president of the physical medicine division for Zimmer MedizinSystems.

This has led to some ground-breaking innovations in the field, such as Zimmer MedizinSystems’ enPuls line of radial shockwave (SW) devices. It was the first radial SW device to use an electromagnetic unit to generate the radial pulse shockwaves/ radial SW instead of air compressors. This provides great benefits to practitioners, as well as patients. For example, hardly any system maintenance is required for this solution. Also, the radial pulse wave that is generated electromagnetically allows the use of a 5x heavier projectile. This feels much softer to the patient compared to the pneumatic systems while generating the same impact force at the point where the applicator is in contact with the patient’s body.

In one example, Zimmer MedizinSystems introduced the enPulsPro radial pulse therapy unit to Stewart Memorial Hospital in Iowa. The director of the rehabilitation and physical therapy team, Rachel D. Judish, was convinced that the company’s technology could reduce treatment times. She herself had been treated by a podiatric surgeon for plantar fasciitis. As a competitive runner, it was crucial for her to get back on track as soon as possible. She attributed her quick recovery to the enPulsPro treatments.

Her staffs, however, weren’t as convinced as she was in the beginning. Therefore, Zimmer MedizinSystems arranged for a trial with its device combined with an in-person discussion with the entire team on the handling of the machine. In the following weeks, the technology was intensively tested by the rehab team. Today, the radial shockwave unit is incorporated as one of the hospital’s daily go-to therapies when dealing with issues of chronic pain.

Here’s what she has to say, “The educational program by Zimmer MedizinSystems was super impactful for our team because it allowed them to truly understand the machine’s effect on tissue and how changing the different parameters impacted the tissue. That knowledge helped our team to be able to think through each patient’s needs and tailor the treatment to the patient much more effectively.”

Another great solution in Zimmer MedizinSystems’ arsenal is OptonPro high-power laser system that includes an infrared temperature measurement system to monitor skin temperature. This feature of the OptonProlaser ensures that the skin temperature doesn’t exceed the pre-set temperature. Also, Cryo by Zimmer MedizinSystems has been the gold standard in skin cooling for many years.

Innovation is the Key

The emFieldPro high-energy inductive therapy unit is the newest device in the Zimmer MedizinSystems toolbox. The underlying technology is a pulsed electromagnetic field, but it is much stronger and penetrates deeper than any of the PEMF units.

The technology of emFieldPro was highlighted by Tony Robbins in his latest book—co-authored with Peter Diamandis, M.D. and Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D.—Life Force. Robbins explains his own history of pain and how he got relief from a magnetic field unit, which he calls “lightning in a box.”

These days, PEMF therapy is used for a broad spectrum of applications, including cervical fusion surgery, depression, and musculoskeletal pain. The big difference between the emField and the common PEMF device is in the strength of energy that can be delivered to the patient’s body during a 15 to 20-minute session.

The emField therapy unit is cleared by the FDA for its indications, and unlike the majority of magnetic field machines, it is designed for application in a professional medical setting, to be administered by medical practitioners.

“We are setting a new standard for treating pain. The goal is to always add significant value for our users around the world,” says Wilber.