It is often said, Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and that certainly appears to have played a role in the creation of the MPACE, the Multi-Purpose Arm Cycle Ergometer. Conceived by Doctors and caregivers as they treated patients, they had become acutely aware that prolonged immobilization has a negative effect on many functions of the human body, including the central nervous systems, skeletal and muscular health, respiratory, and digestive system. It also compromises cardio and aerobic capacity. Boredom is yet another factor that must be considered.
By providing engaging exercise during prolonged bedrest, the MPACE can reduce deconditioning and in turn reduce the time needed for rehabilitation and can even eliminate the need for reconditioning exercises. This allows patients to progress more rapidly into functional rehabilitation, reducing lengths of stay and costs related to that care.
After almost ten years of engineering and development, the patent for this device was transferred to Action Manufacturing. The same company that designed and builds the Action Trackchair, a tracked powered wheelchair that has helped over 5,000 disabled and physically challenged users around the world, including over 2,000 American Veterans. Now, after months of testing the MPACE at hospitals in Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Palo Alto, it is being built side by side with the Trackchairs at their metal fabrication and assembly facility in rural Minnesota.