Orthopedic soft goods, cast room product sales to grow 5%, top $1 billion, spurred by more active aging.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(HealthWire)--Aug. 14, 1995--U.S. sales of orthopedic soft goods and cast room products will grow from $818 million in 1994 to $1.1 billion by the year 2001 at a 5 percent compound annual rate, projects a new study just released by Frost & Sullivan.

The soft goods share of the combined markets will rise from 78 percent in 1994 to 83 percent in 2001 while cast room products correspondingly dip from 22 to 17 percent in the same period, forecasts the report, ORTHOPEDIC SOFT GOODS AND CAST ROOM PRODUCTS.

A more physically active and aging population is suffering more musculoskeletal injuries, creating growing demand for orthopedic and cast room products.

Expansion of distribution channels to retail, institutional and team sports markets is fostering growth as products once available only through doctors' prescriptions are distributed by pharmacies, discount department stores, sporting goods stores and team athletic trainers.

Constraining growth are cost-containment pressures and the general maturing of the market. Healthcare is moving to less costly alternate sites and the home when possible. Managed care organizations are trying to shift treatment focus from a post-injury to a preventative orientation. Hospital stays are growing fewer and shorter. Surgery centers are expanding as more surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis.

Material lightness and comfort are gaining in importance. Neoprene manufacturers are searching for lighter rubber materials and looking to make material more breathable. Airprene, an advanced form of Neoprene with greater "breathing" ability, will become a choice of many end-users.

Manufacturers are broadening product lines to offer "one-stop shopping" to large managed healthcare organizations while marketing increasingly outside their primary channels. Companies are more often targeting more than one of the major segments -- medical, retail, institutional, sports medicine and industrial. Marketing efforts will continue to gear towards new niches and expanding product lines.

Aesthetics is becoming a more active industry issue. In an increasingly retail environment, visual appeal of product packaging and store display as well as product promotion are gaining significance. Packaging is being enhanced by designs fostering a mood of "wellness" through crisp contrasting colors, photographs of active people and testimonial advertising. Functional knee braces, for example, may be custom airbrushed, individually hand-painted or made to match equipment and active-wear. Braces can be painted in team colors and made with team logos and decals.

Frost & Sullivan is an international high-technology research firm. All Frost & Sullivan reports are based on extensive interviews with marketing and technical experts from selected companies in each market segment. Primary research is validated by thorough analysis of available secondary research. Frost & Sullivan is the leading publisher worldwide of high-technology research reports. -0-

Report: 5236-54     Publication Date: August 1995      Price: $1295

Total Orthopedic Soft Goods and Cast Room Products Market:

                      Revenue Forecasts (U.S.),

                              1990-2000

                                              Revenue
                             Revenues         Growth
                    Year      ($ mil)          (%)

                  1990           595.5          -

                  1991           635.9          6.8

                  1992           691.3          8.7

                  1993           757.3          9.6

                  1994           818.2          8.0

                  1995           875.1          6.9

                  1996           923.7          5.6

                  1997           965.7          4.5

                  1998           1,005.7        4.1

                  1999           1,046.6        4.1

                  2000           1,091.7        4.3

                           CAGR           5.4%

CONTACT: Frost & Sullivan

Amy Arnell, 415/961-9000 (Mountain View)

Kristina Menzefricke, 44 171 730 3438 (London)

Nadge Keryhuel, 33 1 4742 9127 (Paris)