WAUWATOSA, Wis. and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — GE and the PGA TOUR have announced today the addition of a new portable ultrasound system to the Visionworks Mobile Health & Fitness Trailers on the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour. The access to GE’s LOGIQ e laptop-sized technology will potentially provide on-site medical professionals with more information at the point of care to help aid in injury diagnosis and help golfers return to play faster.
“Ultrasound is extremely valuable in the treatment of sports injuries,” said Dr. Tom Hospel, medical advisor to the PGA TOUR whose company, Physiofitness Associates, staffs the trailers. “Besides helping me make a clear diagnosis, it gives athletes a window to actually see their condition – why they have pain and how we can remedy it. Adding the technology to the mobile trailers allows the healthcare staff immediate access to high-quality diagnostic imaging to help make an informed decision, diagnosis, administer therapy and conduct patient follow-up monitoring on some of the injuries on tour.”
More commonly known for its use during pregnancies, ultrasound technology has also proven valuable in a variety of other clinical settings, as well as for its ability to guide healthcare providers through needle-guidance procedures.
In sports medicine and specifically for golfers, the technology is adept at enabling real-time access and visualization of many areas of the body most commonly injured during participation, including: muscles, tendons, the abdomen, joints and the extremities.
Trained clinical staff on the Mobile Health & Fitness Trailers will be able to perform exams using the ultrasound technology in the mobile medical trailers. If immediate, extra consultation is needed, the staff will consult with a physician who specializes in reading medical musculoskeletal ultrasounds for elite athletes.
“GE is excited to get portable ultrasound in the hands of healthcare providers on the PGA TOUR,” said Tom Gentile, President and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems. “Ultimately, access to this ultrasound equipment could help golfers get back on the course faster if they have an injury, it could give them more real-time information to help shape their training and it can give their doctor live, real-time looks into their body to help them stay at their best. As the official ultrasound provider of the Olympic Games as well as through professional sports teams around the globe, GE portable ultrasound technology is enabling healthcare providers the ability to deliver great care to some of the best athletes in the world.”
Since 2011, GE has been an official marketing partner of the PGA TOUR and is the Official Medical Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Sponsor and Official Electronic Medical Records Management Solutions Sponsor of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour. Portable, laptop-sized GE ultrasound technology is also currently being used on the European Tour.