DMH Sports Enhancement Center receives the nation's first Proprio5000

The nation’s first Proprio5000 went not to the NBA or to the NFL. No, the first Proprio5000 went to the DMH Sports Enhancement Center.

The DMH Sports Enhancement Center recently became the first sports medicine facility to claim the Proprio 5000, a machine that tests, then trains and increases balance for all ages.

"DMH was the only place we approached," says creator Joe Perry, of Perry Dynamics, Inc., Decatur. "We chose to offer the Proprio5000 to DMH first because it’s a progressive hospital and we know they like to utilize technology. It’s a perfect fit for them."

The Proprio 5000 is based on the concept of improving proprioception, the body’s sense of position, location and movement.

"Proprioception basically deals with the receptors in your joints and a person’s ability to sense his or her body in space. If a person has good proprioception, his or her joints are able to sense where they are in space and are able to perform better hopefully without injury," says Kris Knox, athletic trainer at the Sports Enhancement Center.

During a two-minute session on the Proprio 5000, the patient stands on a large, round, raised platform. The machine then moves and tilts the platform in all directions, forcing the participant to use his or her proprioception skills. At the end of the drill, clients are presented with a score and graph charting their proprioception levels.

"The smaller the score, the less the back had to move and this is a good indication of proprioception and core stability. Like in golf, a smaller score is better," Kris says.

The difference between the Proprio and other balance-training machines of the past is that the Proprio 5000 is unpredictable.

"The platform moves unexpectedly and athletes/patients have to react to it," Kris says. "With the core tracking system the Proprio 5000 is a unique and revolutionary way of training balance in athletes and adults. The machine gives objective data that the patients and physicians can use to record progress and or balance deficits."

Decatur’s Perry family—brothers Clifford and Don and Don’s son Joe (president of Perry Dynamics, Inc., in Decatur) created the Proprio 5000. The family first began work on the Proprio 5000 two years ago and unveiled it to the world in June at the annual National Athletic Trainers' Association symposium in St. Louis.

"It was a pretty neat experience," says Joe Perry of the conference "We showed the Proprio 5000 to teams including the Chicago Bears, the Arizona Cardinals, the Chicago Bulls, and the Indiana Pacers. All of them were very impressed with the application."

Since July, more than 100 people have tried the Proprio 5000 at the DMH Sports Enhancement Center.

"We have gotten a really positive response," Kris says. "People say it’s fun. We’ve had football, baseball, and hockey players from the middle school to collegiate athletic level. It’s another great tool that we can use to improve an athlete’s skill level as well as to speed and insure the recovery process during rehabilitation."

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