Myongji Hospital said that it has opened a new sports medicine center at the hospital.

Myongji Hospital Chairman Lee Wang-jun (10th from right) and Professor Kim Jin-goo (to Lee’s right), president of the hospital and director of its sports medicine center, are among the hospital staffs cutting a ribbon to dedicate the newly opened sports medicine center at the hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday.

The center, led by Professor Kim Jin-goo, will offer comprehensive, surgical and non-surgical treatment, and one-on-one special exercise programs for professional athletes. Professor Kim also took office as the sixth president of Myongji Hospital on July 1.

The hospital has equipped the center with a variety of high-tech equipment, including an anti-gravity treadmill (AGT) that can perform joint recovery exercises with weight load control, and high-pressure oxygen therapy capsules used by famous Korean professional sports teams.

AGT, developed by NASA, can adjust individual weight loads by up to 80 percent and provide natural gait training even when people cannot walk on their own after surgery, helping their early recovery.

The hospital plans to establish the center as one of the best sports medicine facilities in Korea by cooperating with Hanyang University by integrating its orthopedics and rehabilitation medicine department and other studies such as sports and engineering.

“While treatment and surgery for patients are important, rehabilitation and sports injuries should not be overlooked,” Professor Kim said. “Treatment and rehabilitation should not end because the patient is no longer in pain.”

Medical workers should quantify the angle of the joints and the strength delivered to the muscles to determine the extent of recovery and maximize the effect, Kim added.

Myongji Hospital Chairman Lee Wang-jun also said, “The new sports medical center will not only care for patients but will actively conduct research projects to contribute to the development of sports medicine.”

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