APOS Treatment available in the UK for the first time

Bupa is making APOS Treatment for knee and lower back pain available in the UK for the first time. The breakthrough treatment can eliminate the need for prescription pain relief for seven out of 10 people.

The APOS Treatment (which stands for All Phases of Step Cycle) combines two simple principles for treating lower back and knee pain: realigning the body as it walks and introducing a mild instability, which encourages the retraining of the systems that stabilise the joints. This means it improves joint function and reduces pain.

APOS is a non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical solution which heals as you walk and fits easily into people's everyday lives. The APOS Treatment:

can reduce the intensity of knee pain by an average of 66 percent after just eight weeks

can eliminate the need for pain relief for lower back pain sufferers in seven out of 10 cases

can significantly improve joint function and enhances patients' quality of life and

has a high success rate: 86 percent of people who have experienced the APOS Treatment would recommend it to a friend or relative.

The APOS Treatment has two key elements: The APOS WalkrightTM, high-tech footwear which is individually adjusted to address patients' specific pain needs, and a six-month programme of care that provides ongoing clinical and computerised assessment of your walking pattern and readjustments as your needs change.

The launch could be a major breakthrough for around 22 million back and 13 million knee pain sufferers in the UK, more than 60 percent of whom have suffered pain for more than a year (64 percent back, 61 percent knee) and around four-fifths of whom still have some pain following treatment recommended by a healthcare professional (82 percent for both back and knee sufferers).

The APOS Treatment was first invented in Israel in 2005 at the acclaimed Assaf Harofeh Medical Centre. Since then, 12,000 people have undergone the APOS Treatment.

This month Bupa is bringing the APOS Treatment to the UK for the first time. The first step for anyone interested in the APOS Treatment is to undergo a free hour-and-a-half assessment at a Bupa centre to see whether APOS is suitable for them. This includes an in-depth consultation with a clinician and a computerised gait analysis which assesses the way they walk.

If the APOS Treatment is appropriate, patients will receive a six-month programme of care, including a series of follow-up assessments with a clinician, where the Walkrights are adjusted to meet their changing pain needs, as well as on-call telephone support from the Bupa team. The cost of APOS Treatment is £2,925 when paid up front or £3,250 when spread over six-months: an initial payment of £1,750 followed by five monthly payments of £300.

Laura Samuels, a school librarian and mum of two from Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, was one of the first to trial the APOS Treatment in the UK. Laura said: "I had split the anterior cruciate ligament in both knees and suffered from arthritis and constant pain before trying the APOS Treatment. Now, I no longer feel any pain in my knees and don't have to face the prospect of surgery. This treatment has completely changed my life."

Leading physician Dr Richard Budgett, said: "APOS combines two widely-recognised and applied medical principles into one unique new treatment. The concept is simple and could provide an effective new way to treat joint pain. It could become the foundation of non-surgical care for this type of pain."

Dr Peter Mace, deputy medical director, Bupa said: "By bringing this innovative treatment to the UK for the first time, Bupa is providing an additional treatment option for people with knee and back pain. It helps plug the gap between simple pain relievers and surgery."

Dr Amit Mor, chairman and co-founder of APOS, said: "People are best placed to treat their joint problems if they have good alignment and feel less pain, features which APOS provides. We're delighted to be working with Bupa to bring the benefits of the treatment to back and knee pain sufferers in the UK."

For further information and to book a free APOS Treatment consultation at a Bupa centre call 0845 600 3748 or visit apostreatment.co.uk