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Mercy Health & Fitness Center offers New Interactive Equipment

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North Canton, Ohio: Mercy Health & Fitness Center steps into the interactive virtual world of the newest fitness/therapy equipment with Cybex Trazer. This new machine measures reaction time, acceleration, speed, power and balance in real time while the patient's activities are mirrored on the screen. Not only is Cybex Trazer helping local athletes, but the equipment is also being used to rehabilitate other orthopedic injuries.

Emily Caniford, director of administration and support services at Stark County Health Department, knows firsthand the benefits of Cybex Trazer. On July 3, Caniford fell 12 feet onto concrete after leaning on the railing of her second floor deck. She was taken to Mercy Medical Center's Emergency Room where she was diagnosed with a broken femur (thigh bone) and both patellas (kneecaps). After undergoing surgery, she spent eight days in the hospital and six weeks in leg mobilizers unable to bend her knees. Caniford received physical therapy (PT) from Mercy Homecare and then began attending outpatient PT at Mercy Health Center of North Canton. Physical therapist Ken Shearer introduced Caniford to Cybex Trazer.


"It's like a software program on a computer, Caniford says. While wearing a belt with sensors, Caniford follows the program set by her therapist. As I go through each activity, I see myself on screen. It's very innovative and motivating."

Similar to an interactive game, the equipment reacts if a patient does not do an activity requested or do it in the time frame allotted. Caniford says the program helped her with balance, speed and coordination. "I applaud Mercy for making this type of equipment available to patients," she says.


Now able to bend her knees at 90-degree angles, Caniford started back to work part-time and is continuing to recover. An avid runner and exercise enthusiast before the accident, Caniford continues her therapy by working out at Mercy Health Center of North Canton.

Mercy Health Center of North Canton is the only local facility to offer Cybex Trazer. The equipment is used to rehabilitate orthopedic injuries of the hips, thighs, knees and ankles. It also helps athletes get back in the game after an injury by improving their agility and jumping abilities. For more information, please call 330-966-8997.

Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville and North Canton. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.