Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic

Duringhis teen years, Ben Blankenship played many different sports including basketball, football, rugby, and soccer. Consequently, he dealt with several sporting injuries. While seeking treatment for his injuries, Blankenship discovered an emerging therapy called Robotic Precision Therapy (RPT) — and it changed the course of his life.

“A family member who lived out-of-state told me about a new therapy in their area that used a robotic arm to lengthen muscle tissue,” Blankenship says. “After years of being in pain and trying many different therapies and medications with no success, I was ready to give up. In just one RPT session, my back and shoulder pain were completely gone.”

RPT uses a robotic arm to administer gentle pressure to a specific muscle to relieve pain and restore range of motion. Blankenship discovered that not only did this therapy eliminate his pain, but it significantly improved his athletic performance. Recognizing the revolutionary implications of RPT therapy, Blankenship decided to make it his career to bring life-changing Robotic Precision Therapy to his home state of Michigan. Today, the Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic in Troy has helped thousands of people improve their mobility and reduce pain.

“Living in pain affects every part of a person’s life,” Blankenship says. “Clients often come to the

RPT Clinic having tried countless other remedies without any relief. It’s so rewarding to see them be more mobile, happier, and back to the activities they love — and, in some cases, even be able to avoid surgery.”

The Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic is home to five RX2600 Therapeutic Robot machines. RPT therapists determine the muscle group causing a client’s pain, and then the robotic arm administers gentle pressure in set intervals to those specific muscles.

When muscles are shortened by repetitive motion, injury, or accident, it puts pressure on the surrounding bone structure and nerves, resulting in pain. The pressure exerted by the robotic arm works to lengthen the muscle back to its original state, reducing or even eliminating pain.

One of the RPT Clinic’s early clients was Julie Pulte. Pulte didn’t think she would be able to avoid hip surgery after years of constant pain. “I could barely walk,” she says. “After three RPT visits, I was fully mobile! I canceled my hip surgery and have been playing golf and tennis pain-free ever since.”

The robotic arm used by the therapist is more precise and accurate than performing the therapy by hand. With the RX2600 Therapeutic Robot, the amount of pressure is controlled, the precision of the placement is consistent, and the amount of gentle pressure applied is measured. Blankenship has also patented several innovative improvements to the technology, like gentle heat and vibration to make RPT even more effective.

RPT can help with many issues, including back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, migraines, carpal tunnel, TMJ, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, and other muscular issues. It has also been successful in aiding the mobility issues faced by those suffering from multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, and cerebral palsy.

RPT is a complement to traditional physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, and other therapies. For those who have plateaued in physical therapy, RPT can help get to the areas physical therapy cannot reach. Often, after RPT, a client’s remaining physical therapy sessions are much more productive.

Robotic Precision Therapy could help you live a life with less muscular pain and increased mobility. To find out more or to schedule an appointment, visit rptclinic.com or call 855-629-2805.

Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic

3250 W. Big Beaver Road, Ste. 426 Troy, MI 48084 855-629-2805 rptclinic.com

SOMETIMES SHARING a space with another tenant just isn’t easy.

For their first four seasons after moving from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons played their local games at Olympia Stadium at Grand River and McGraw, home of the Detroit Red Wings.

Pictured above is the contest between Detroit and the Cincinnati Royals played on Halloween night 1958 (with Olympia Stadium’s hockey boards still in place and the flooring placed atop the ice). A sparse crowd of 2,652 fans watches the Pistons’ Dick McGuire drive to the basket while teammates (from left to right) Walter Dukes (number 23), partially hidden Earl Lloyd, George Yardley (12), and Gene Shue (21) anticipate another two points. The Pistons beat the Royals 120-113.

Eight years earlier to the day, Lloyd became the first Black player to compete in the NBA. In the previous, inaugural season in Detroit, Yardley — a future Hall of Famer — became the first player to score 2,000 points in a season.

In a 2007 interview, Gene Shue did not fondly recall playing at Olympia. “There were so many delays during the game because the floor was slippery from the ice below. I didn’t like playing there because it was a large building with small crowds and you were always freezing your butt off.”

Using an ice rink as a basketball arena came with other challenges. On March 12, 1960, the Pistons were forced to play a playoff game against the Minneapolis Lakers at Grosse Pointe South High School because Olympia was scheduled to host the Ice Capades.

The Pistons soon moved to the newly built Cobo Arena for the ’61-62 season, where they played until 1978, before leaving for the suburbs and competing for 10 seasons at the cavernous Pontiac Silverdome. Finally, the Pistons built their own home, The Palace of Auburn Hills, and won their first of three NBA Finals in the inaugural ’88-89 season.

The team returned to the city of Detroit in 2017 and once again became co-tenants with the Wings at Little Caesars Arena, a far cry from their first shared digs 60 years earlier. —Bill Dow