Spring Loaded Technology is Making the world a better brace.
At Spring Loaded Technology, we envision a world where mobility is never an impairment: a world where limitations to natural movement are restored and human performance is enabled to break boundaries. But we’re not just envisioning it – we’re making it happen.
At its core, Spring Loaded is a purpose-driven business. Our relentless efforts are united by a shared mission to improve people’s lives. Social impact is part of the company’s fabric and extends from its core mission to the initiatives the company takes on, which far exceed efforts to simply make a profit.
Read more
Based in Halifax, Canada, Spring Loaded thrives at the interface of research and development to build and deliver breakthrough technologies that help relieve pain and restore mobility for people everywhere. We design and manufacture high-tech mobility devices that allow more people from all over the world to overcome joint pain, reclaim an active lifestyle, and do more of what they love. Best known for creating the world’s first tri-compartment offloader knee braces, Spring Loaded offers a growing range of medical devices for commercial, government, and consumer applications.
Our flagship product, the Levitation Knee Brace, is able to offload the entire joint, including the patellofemoral compartment by over 40% and provides unrivalled knee extension assist. For patients with knee injuries or mobility challenges, our technology functions to restore mobility, reduce joint load, and mitigate pain.
CLINICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Research Partners
Spring Loaded is committed to an evidence-based approach to product development and testing. We actively collaborate with researchers at Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Calgary, and the University of Guelph. Our research partners have provided invaluable insight to inform our design process, and are conducting independent testing and validation of our existing and future products for a wide range of different indications and use cases.
We are now running fully-controlled human performance studies in collaboration with third-party researchers to further validate the effectiveness of our tri-compartment offloader knee brace in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. These researchers specialize in knee joint biomechanics and knee injury and disease including osteoarthritis. Preliminary data from these studies demonstrates a positive effect of wearing the brace during activities of daily living.
Funding
Our research would not be possible without funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Mitacs, NSERC, and the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program. Their collaboration and support allows us to continue to innovate and validate our products with scientific evidence.
Board of Directors
Our Story
Take a trip through our history…
September 2012
Our founders came together at Dalhousie University determined to find a better solution for the knee injuries that had troubled them all. Their market research and conversations with healthcare professionals helped them identify an exciting new opportunity to improve people’s lives
Founded - December 2012
Spring Loaded Technology was founded in December 2012. The original goal was to build a knee brace that could offset a meaningful amount of body weight
2013 - Prototype Testing
The first Spring Loaded knee brace prototypes were built and tested out of our co-founder’s backyard machine shop. Extensive testing of numerous spring designs eventually led to the creation of a liquid spring design. We continue to work relentlessly to improve this technology for use in Spring Loaded knee braces today
First Patents Filed - 2014
In June 2014 we filed a patent for our liquid spring technology. After building and testing various prototypes, we developed the first generation of the Levitation knee brace and filed a patent in October 2014. This laid the foundation for the development and commercialization of our braces
2014–Present - Research Collaborations Build Evidence Base
From the beginning, Spring Loaded has pursued an evidence-based approach to product development. Our first research collaborations with Dalhousie University and the QE2 Health Sciences Centre helped us acquire preliminary evidence for the efficacy of our knee brace. More recent collaborations with researchers at Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick, University of Guelph, and University of Calgary continue to inform our design process and validate our products with testing
Indiegogo Sales Campaign - February 2016
In less than 1 month, we presold over $260,000 worth of Levitation knee braces through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Staying true to our mission of improving people’s lives, for every $800 raised we donated a brace to someone in need
July 2016 - $1 Million Canadian Military Contract for UpShot Knee Brace
We secured a contract with the Canadian Department of National Defence to produce UpShot, a reinforced version of Levitation built to withstand extreme military impact and expedite rehabilitation for injured soldiers. 190 UpShot knee braces were sent to the Canadian military to conduct field testing
Preliminary Evidence Supports Levitation - September 2016
The preliminary findings of a third-party study, conducted in collaboration with researchers at UNB, found that our Levitation knee brace enhances performance by significantly reducing factors that contribute to muscle fatigue
June 2017 - $2.46 Million in ACOA Funding
We received funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to continue the development of our bracing technology
Levitation 1 Launched - June 2017
The first version of our Levitation knee brace was officially launched and made available to the public in June 2017. To support a wider range of osteoarthritis patients with customized relief, we launched the Levitation Offloader add-on in May 2018, which further reduces pressure in the worst-affected compartment of the knee
January 2019 - Levitation 2 Launched
The new and improved version of our Levitation knee brace was launched in 2019
Further Evidence Supports Levitation - August 2019
A study conducted by researchers at UNB found that our tri-compartment offloader knee brace can significantly reduce forces across all 3 knee compartments, presenting an effective non-surgical option for those with osteoarthritis
Fall 2020 - Patient Registry Created
Our patient registry collects outcomes from every single person who buys a Spring Loaded brace. This ensures our braces can be maximally effective for our customers, and helps us continue to develop our products based on evidence and data
The Future of Spring Loaded
Spring Loaded strives to become a world leader in the development of innovative technologies that enhance mobility and reduce pain
Featured Resources
