Stryker Brand Ambassadors Fred Funk And Hal Sutton Set To Play At 3M Championship

MAHWAH, N.J., July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stryker brand ambassadors Fred Funk and Hal Sutton are playing this week at the 3M Championship Champions Tour event near Minneapolis, MN, which begins Friday at TPC Twin Cities, in Blaine. Stryker is the official joint replacement products company of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.

Starting Friday, August 1^st through Sunday, August 3^rd, fans will be able to visit the Stryker Mobility Zone; an on-site joint health destination located in the Pioneer Press Expo tent located near the clubhouse and the 18^th green. The Stryker Mobility Zone features a fan putting challenge, joint health assessments and education from orthopaedic surgeons, and hats for sale to benefit Fisher House Foundation supporting our military.

"This relationship has given us the chance to educate golf fans about joint health," says Bill Huffnagle, President, Reconstructive Division, Stryker. "In the United States, both hip and knee replacement rates have doubled since 2000 and continue to grow. It's great to be able to bring this information to golf fans in the Minneapolis area. At Stryker, we are working to educate joint pain sufferers about joint replacements so they can discuss their options with a doctor."

In March, Stryker Corporation's Orthopaedics Division and the PGA TOUR announced a new marketing relationship that designates Stryker as the "Official Joint Replacement Products of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour."  The agreement advances Stryker's commitment to the health and well-being of joint pain sufferers, and will feature opportunities for golf fans to learn about Stryker products and how they may help them regain mobility and return to their everyday activities.

Funk, a Stryker brand ambassador since 2011, is one of the most recognizable names and personalities in professional golf. During his career, which spans more than 20 years, Funk has won eight titles on the PGATOUR, including THE PLAYERS Championship 2005, and six titles on the Champions Tour, including the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. Funk underwent total knee replacement in November 2009 and received Stryker's GetAroundKnee. He won the Regions Tradition the following season, becoming the first player ever to win a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event after total knee replacement surgery.

Sutton, whose 14 PGA TOUR victories include the 1983 PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship in 1983 and 2000, has been a Stryker brand ambassador since last year. In 2012, at age 54, after speaking with his doctor and learning about the differences in hip replacements, Sutton made the decision to undergo a total left hip replacement and received Stryker's Mobile Bearing Hip™. One year later, he received a matching Stryker Mobile Bearing Hip on the right side.

About Stryker:
Stryker is one of the world's leading medical technology companies and is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals perform their jobs more efficiently while enhancing patient care. The Company offers a diverse array of innovative medical technologies, including reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives. For more information about Stryker, please visit www.stryker.com.

About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.

The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2013, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $134 million for local and national charitable organizations and in early 2014 the TOUR's all-time charitable contributions surpassed $2 billion.

The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.   

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Knee Replacements
General Indications: Total knee replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative, rheumatoid and post-traumatic arthritis, and for moderate deformity of the knee.
Contraindications: Knee replacement surgery is not appropriate for patients with certain types of infections, any mental or neuromuscular disorder which would create an unacceptable risk of prosthesis instability, prosthesis fixation failure or complications in postoperative care, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, severe instability of the knee, or excessive body weight.
Common Side Effects of Knee Replacement Surgery: As with any surgery, knee replacement surgery has serious risks which include, but are not limited to, peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage), circulatory compromise (including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs)), genitourinary disorders (including kidney failure), gastrointestinal disorders (including paralytic ileus (loss of intestinal digestive movement)), vascular disorders (including thrombus (blood clots), blood loss, or changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm), bronchopulmonary disorders (including emboli, stroke or pneumonia), heart attack, and death.
Implant related risks which may lead to a revision include dislocation, loosening, fracture, nerve damage, heterotopic bone formation (abnormal bone growth in tissue), wear of the implant, metal sensitivity, soft tissue imbalance, osteolysis (localized progressive bone loss), and reaction to particle debris. Knee implants may not provide the same feel or performance characteristics experienced with a normal healthy joint.

Hip Replacements
General Indications: Total hip replacement is indicated for joint disease resulting from degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis; avascular necrosis and correction of functional deformity.
Contraindications: It is not indicated for those with infection, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, mental or neuromuscular disease or excessive body weight.
Common Side Effects of Hip Replacement Surgery: Like any surgery hip replacement surgery has risks which include but are not limited to: bone fracture, bone loss change in the length of the treated leg, pain, hip stiffness, excessive bleeding, hip joint fusion, nerve damage, infection, blood clots, amputation, heart attack, pneumonia, decrease of bone mass. Implant related risks which may lead to a revision of the hip implant include wear of the implant, reaction to particle debris, dislocation, fracture, loosening, audible sounds during motion and metal sensitivity. The information presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide if joint replacement surgery is right for you. Individual results vary and not all patients will receive the same postoperative activity level. The lifetime of a joint replacement is not infinite and varies with each individual. Your doctor will help counsel you about how to best maintain your activities in order to potentially prolong the lifetime of the device. Such strategies include not engaging in high-impact activities, such as running, as well as maintaining a healthy weight.

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SOURCE Stryker