DePuy Mitek Donates $60K to PGA TOUR® Player Charities

RAYNHAM, Mass., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DePuy Mitek Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of orthopaedic sports medicine products including ORTHOVISC® for knee pain, capped off a season of promoting joint health at PGA TOUR® events by awarding $60,000 to four player charities.

Thousands of fans visited the DePuy Mitek information tent at several PGA TOUR events where they voted for their favorite players and their charities and learned about the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis. The players enrolled in the ORTHOVISC® PGA TOUR® Player Charity Program with the most votes were John Daly, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink and Jonathan Byrd. Each of their charities will receive a donation.

"I am proud to be voted the top player and appreciate all the fans who voted, raising awareness of my charitable efforts. This $25,000 donation will really impact the kids in River Valley Arkansas," said John Daly, who received the most votes in the program.

Daly's chosen charity, the Boys and Girls Club of River Valley Arkansas, enables young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. It also provides a safe place to learn and grow.

Furyk's charity, the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation, will receive $15,000 for coming in second place and Cink's, The Healing Place and Byrd's, Jim Byrd Memorial, will each receive $10,000 for their third and fourth place spots.

"The program was an excellent way to engage consumers on joint health while supporting some very worthwhile causes," said Ian Lawson, President of DePuy Mitek. "We congratulate the top four players and their charities on a great season and wish them well as they continue their good work." 

Player Charities

"My wife and I are excited to place second in this initiative. The $15,000 donation will help the Jim and Tabitha Foundation continue its mission to help families and children in need," said Furyk.

The Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation raises charity dollars and awareness for groups that provide services such as hospice care, hospital and nursing services, counseling, mentoring, food and shelter services to those children needing it the most.

Cink won the third place prize for The Healing Place. Its mission is to provide on-going education and grief support programs for grieving children, adolescents and their families or guardians. Byrd won fourth place for The Jim Byrd Memorial, created in memory of his late father, which holds multiple fundraising events throughout the year to raise money for local charities.

DePuy Mitek -- Official Mobile Health and Fitness Provider

For the past three seasons, DePuy Mitek has been the Official Mobile Health and Fitness Provider for the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, and sponsored state-of-the-art fitness and physical therapy trailers where players were able to work out before and after tournaments. DePuy Mitek also hosted consumer health and fitness expos during tournaments and sponsored a series of player fitness videos.

The videos featuring Stewart Cink, 37, Jim Furyk, 40, and Kenny Perry, 50, are posted on www.pgatour.com, www.orthovisc.com and www.go123ov.com (DePuy Mitek's website).

For many golfers, osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 27 million Americans (1), has become part of the game. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) reported in 2007 that there were more than 103,000 golf-related injuries (2), and in a survey by Golf Digest, 30 percent of golfers said pain, illness, or injury prevented them from completing a round.(3)  Knee pain is particularly common in golfers because of the repetitive motion of pivoting onto the forward knee while swinging. The force on the knee from the swing can lead to the development of osteoarthritis.(4)

About ORTHOVISC

ORTHOVISC, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief, is the only injection made from ultra-pure hyaluronan, a naturally occurring lubricant found in healthy joints. It is given as one injection per week for three or four weeks, with some patients experiencing pain relief after the first injection. When compared to other viscosupplementation injection treatment options, ORTHOVISC most closely matches the natural, healthy joint fluid found in the knee.

About DePuy Mitek, Inc.

DePuy Mitek is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative orthopedic sports medicine products. The Company offers minimally invasive, arthroscopic surgical solutions that address the challenges of soft tissue repair in the shoulder, knee and other joints, as well as non-surgical therapies such as ORTHOVISC® High Molecular Weight Hyaluronan. It is part of the DePuy Family of Companies, which has a rich heritage of pioneering a broad range of products and solutions across the continuum of orthopaedic and neurological care. These companies are unified under one vision – Never Stop Moving™ – to express their commitment to bring meaningful innovation, shared knowledge, and quality care to patients throughout the world. Visit www.depuy.com for more information.

(1) Helmick, C., Felson, D., Lawrence, R., Gabriel, S., et all. Estimates of the Prevalence of Arthritis and Other Rheumatic conditions in the United States. Arthritis & Rheumatism 58(1), 15-25. 2008].

(2) "Keep Golf Injuries from Sending You to the Clubhouse." American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  Web June 2008.  Cited July 2010 from http://www6.aaos.org/news/pemr/releases/release.cfm?releasenum=693

(3) "The Facts: We're an Unhealthy Bunch: From Chump to Champ: The First Step to Getting into Shape is to Size up the Extent of the Problem."  Golf Digest Magazine.  August 2006,  Cited July 2010 from  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_8_57/ai_n26919321/

(4) Colwell CW, et al "In vivo knee forces during recreational activities after total knee arthroplasty" AAOS meeting 2008; Abstract 199;

SOURCE DePuy Mitek, Inc.