Project Walk, Inc. Partners With Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine for Groundbreaking Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Research Project

Business Wire, Oct 28, 2002

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002

Project Walk, Inc. Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Recovery Program in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and Wayne State University School of Medicine announced today that they have launched an intensive year-and-a-half research project documenting the progress and success of a new SCI recovery program.

The first round of findings will be presented at the annual American Paraplegia Society scientific meeting in Las Vegas, NV in 2003 with a more comprehensive research report to be released in 2004 comparing patient results in Project Walk vs. traditional rehabilitation programs over a 15 month timeframe.

Researchers will begin testing new clients on their first day at Project Walk and will continue follow-up testing and on-going documentation of each client's progress via monthly/bi-monthly meetings. Doctors and researchers at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and Wayne State University School of Medicine are very interested in studying and documenting the Project Walk methodology and hope to provide on-going assistance to help continuously improve the program with the ultimate goal of shortening recovery time.

In the last three years, clients participating in Project Walk have experienced recovery beyond that predicted during their initial rehabilitation. Now, in collaboration with the medical and scientific communities, the data to be acquired over the next 15 months will help to support the importance of Project Walk's methods for enhancing recovery following traumatic spinal cord injury. "We are the only recovery center that is not driven by research, but rather by our clients' individual goals," said Ted Dardzinski, founder of Project Walk, Inc. based in Carlsbad, Calif. "Project Walk is different because we believe that an SCI patient can recover. We promise to match each client's efforts and to work the clients harder than they would be worked anywhere else. Our job is to assist the client in achieving their recovery goal."

The team at Project Walk has engaged in thousands of hours working with and understanding the needs of SCI clients. Their program was developed primarily through hours of hands-on work resulting in repeated patterns of improvement and recovery. According to Tammy Dardzinski, co-founder of Project Walk, "After interviewing over 30 new clients from around the United States this summer, we know that our program is very unique and not currently offered anywhere else which is why our partnership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and Wayne State University School of Medicine comes at a very important time. There are so many individuals who have suffered from spinal cord injuries that need the hope and results we believe Project Walk can provide."

Currently Project Walk has over 30 SCI clients. Never before have so many SCI clients been in one center with one common goal. The Project Walk team is currently recruiting for SCI clients who would like to participate in this active recovery research program. They are currently seeking out clients who have been injured less than six months or up to two years post injury. For more information or to arrange for a trial visit, please email them at projectwalk@cox.net. Also, check out yesterday's (10/27/02) CURRENTS section of the San Diego Union Tribune at www.signonsandiego.com and click on the NEWS navigation button, for an up-close look at Project Walk and a personal profile on some of their clients.

Founded in 1999, Project Walk is a worldwide leader in the SCI recovery arena. It is an intensive workout program for people with spinal cord injuries and a goal of full recovery. The Project Walk program was developed through non-traditional methods by non-traditional trainers. Each has degrees in various fields including kinesiology, exercise physiology and nutrition. Their out-of-the-box thinking comes from expertise in the fields of posture and gait analysis, and performance training.

The company's headquarters are in Carlsbad, Calif. Project Walk's web site is located at http://www.projectwalk.org.

                          PROJECT WALK, INC.
            2738 LOKER AVENUE, SUITE C, CARLSBAD, CA 92008
                         OFFICE: 760/734-4588
                      E-MAIL: projectwalk@cox.net