By Philip Navarrett/Staff Writer
Painful physical therapy is something many medical patients have to face for many different ailments. And although conventional therapies have been used for years, Dr. John Sanker of Keene has a different method he believes will revolutionize the industry.
Sanker devoloped the Hydrot-pt-5, an automated physical therapy machine capable of speeding up healing and reducing pain in less than a third of the time it normally takes, he said.
The machine incorporates five treatments, or modalities — massage, heat, neutral, cold and compression — to regulate blood flow to a certain area, which reduces pain and increases healing, Sanker said.
“The primary thing we address is the quality of the blood and its circulation,” he said.
Sanker learns about a patient’s ailment and lifestyle and determines what must be done to get the blood to the quality needed to increase the recovery rate. Then the Hydrot is applied to the area of concern. Using the modalities, it brings blood to the area and increases recovery at an astonishing rate, Sanker said.
The machine uses a special pad able to cycle water to the area while massaging and compressing the skin. Treatments last about 30 minutes, and a patient can have three or four treatments per day, Sanker said.
More than a dozen area doctors refer patients to Sanker’s office for treatments, which is astonishing because he’s only been open for about three months and word has spread mostly by word-of-mouth, he said. And they’re not the only one’s interested in the Hydrot.
“We have at least six countries that have heard about what we’re doing and they want the technology there,” Sanker said.
In addition to speeding up recovery time, another revolutionary trait of the Hydrot is that it can be adjusted to help with numerous different kinds of diseases and problems.
Sanker’s nurse, Oppah Masarira, said the Hydrot helps with many ailments, including arthritis and Lyme disease. It can also help with shingles, blood pressure problems, muscle aches and pneumonia, she said.
“I have seen good results,” she said.
For Sanker, the development of the Hydrot didn’t happen overnight, nor did it occur without reason.
“The concept was conceived about 30 years ago,” Sanker said.
After injuring three discs in his back, Sanker was effectively an invalid.
“I couldn’t work. I couldn’t even roll on the floor with my kids,” he said.
“I lost my business, home, everything. I realized I’d rather die than to live this way.”
Sanker prayed about his situation, and after receiving some hot and cold pressure on his back, he realized he felt much better. However, there was no documented scientific data to show what was happening.
“I decided to undertake the study, and I realized that all five modalities needed to be done in harmony,” he said. “Each one of these combined brings about the results we’re seeing.”
Sanker teamed with Loma Linda University’s Department of Physical Therapy and Research Center in California for the majority of his research.
Over the years, development has evolved until now — with Sanker’s FDA-approved, patent- pending Hydrot.
For information, visit www.hydrotsii.com or call 817-645-8015.
Philip Navarrette can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2337, or reporter@trcle.com.
