Support at Physiquipe is paramount to what we do. Whether this is an existing customer; a clinician with a question about our technology; or a manager requiring assistance with her/his staff’s Academy login, everything is important.
My visit with Dr James Brown at British Athletics was intended to be of support, but what it turned out to be, in the best possible way, was a challenging meeting.
Since joining the team at Physiquipe, part of my strengths is the experience I have with medical technology and building relationships within it. Meeting Dr James Brown, at the facilities at British Athletics, secured my faith in sports medicine and the small gains we can facilitate in the rehab technology products we offer.
Visiting the British Athletics HQ
James Brown and I met at the British Athletics HQ in Loughborough, earlier in the month. He had questions about their new Alpinion X-CUBE 90 device, an ultrasound diagnostic device which is changing the market in function and affordability. Physiquipe’s Clinical Application Specialist, Dom Smith was there for the technical knobology. Andy Thomas (Physiquipe, director) and I wanted to understand more about if the device excelled in its purpose and how we can do more.
The visit was refreshing to say the least. Understanding how James uses diagnostic ultrasound and their ELvation Piezowave focus shockwave couldn’t be a better advert for us, but at the same time he challenged us with questions we needed to hear.
“It’s one of the best systems I’ve come across, it just needs a little bit of configuration, fantastic resolution”. The meeting started well… “What impact do all these functions have on the optimising picture?”….eeek! There are a lot of buttons and functions.
With his loveable charm, the straight-talking doc had purpose in his question. What are we doing with this high tech? How can we help the sonographers, radiographers, and specialist doctors of this world?
The interesting question James addressed, hit the heart of the purpose of Physiquipe. To challenge the why, rather than user presets (or needlevision, or panoramic function, or elastography or any of the technical functions). Most devices in the market are amazing. We are lucky, in the current climate, with the added affordability our systems cost, but what more can we do? The answer….. to learn more from doctors like James.
“I really don’t think people are after a qualification, just the added value that a supplier, like Physiquipe can bring”, James went on.
“MRI is paramount to imaging and what we do, however let’s say MRI returns a confirmed muscle injury. What next? the variability of return to play based on current MRI classification systems is highly variable, we can probably improve this if we combine clinical with MRI findings, still significant variability exists. Ultrasound used as both a monitoring tool and dynamically under tension can surely add value and improve the existing approach. Coaches and Athletes push the boundaries in elite sport if they did not, they would not be at the top of their game. Advancements in Ultrasound technology combined with support from companies is essential to help Doctors and Allied health professionals work better in this space. Companies must be more than suppliers they must help share knowledge / practice and become involved in the pragmatic novel uses of this tech in an elite environment.” “We want technology to help us, a basic principle, not add more noise and complexity.”
With the Physiquipe foundations established, its medical community forming, and the motivation Andy Thomas and team bring at Physiquipe, I’m confident there’s so much more we can do to challenge the medical rehabilitation technology world involving specialists like James. Watch out Physiquipe Academy and many thanks to Dr. James Brown.
