Footbeat was founded on an orthopedic surgeon’s search for a better post-operative therapy to prevent deep vein thrombosis, commonly known as blood clots. In 2005, Chief of Surgery Dr. David Mayer, on morning rounds after ankle, knee, and hip procedures, was dismayed to find patients not using the bulky and awkward pneumatic pumps (leg squeezers) that were the standard protocol for blood clot prevention.

At the time, Dr. Mayer was not thinking of technology innovation; he was thinking of patient comfort and care. The development plan was simple, find a better way. Easy to say, difficult to do. A team of imaginative engineers and physicians, with private investment, designed and built Footbeat, a product which has earned multiple patents and published clinical studies.

Dr. Mayer’s vision took form as a lightweight, mobile, rechargeable device that would fit into an insole. During prototype development and collaboration with an array of potential user groups, it was revealed that this emerging innovation had expanded applications. Not only was Footbeat a medical therapy for a multitude of symptoms, but in other areas as well, particularly athletics. Many of the physiological goals of medical prescribers and users share similar requirements with athletes seeking an effective method of active recovery and a pre-event warmup.

Dr. Mayer, and his team, spent years evolving and refining the features of this best-in-class technology. Named Footbeat in 2015, the name reflects what the product actually does. By providing precise cyclic pressure to the venous plexus at the arch of the foot, Footbeat achieves the physiological benefits of walking when the individual is seated or recumbent. It functions like “a heart in the foot.”

Based in Grand Junction, Colorado, David Mayer’s hometown, Footbeat serves both medical and athletic markets. Dr. Mayer is the Chief Medical Officer and his son Matt is CEO.