PTA Shawn Hickling has climbed from inventor of a multi-use therapeutic wrap to president of ActiveWrap Inc.

By Brian W. Ferrie

Shawn J. Hickling, BS, PTA, invented the ActiveWrap® therapeutic wrap in 1994 and has since become founder and president of ActiveWrap Inc. He talked to ADVANCE last month about the invention and the road he traveled to reach this point.

ADVANCE: What led you to invent the ActiveWrap?

Hickling: I actually designed it in 1994 while an undergraduate student at Chapman University in Orange, CA. I severely sprained my ankle playing pickup football with some friends. The ActiveWrap was invented through the necessity of treating my ankle.

ADVANCE: What material did you use to create it?

Hickling: Living in southern California, I'm an avid surfer and was always involved in all types of water sports. I had an old wetsuit lying around and decided to take that under the knife, fashioning an ergonomically shaped wrap. It could get the cold and focused compression to a spot on my foot where it needed to be and keep it there without sliding off or my having to wrap it continuously with dripping ice and an elastic wrap.

ADVANCE: So before you invented the ActiveWrap, you had tried other products on the market and been dissatisfied with them?

Hickling: Yes. From volunteering as a PT aide before and during college, I'd become all too familiar with hot and cold packs because applying those represented the majority of my duties. So when I hurt my ankle, I tried a bunch of different things that were on the market, including what we'd use with patients and the standard traditional packs with an elastic wrap. They were a lot more rigid and not as specific for me to get the proper cold exactly where I needed it without holding it there. So I basically took it into my own hands to find a better method and it seemed to work out very well.

ADVANCE: When did you graduate from Chapman University?

Hickling: In 1996, with a BS in exercise physiology. I did not go through a PTA program. Once I received my BS, I worked in clinics for about six years as a PT aide, compiling my necessary outpatient and inpatient hours. Upon meeting my equivalency requirements, I challenged the board exam and received my PTA license in 2002. The original plan had been to go to PT school, but I became really interested in the role of a PTA. I liked having the ability to be more hands-on with patients throughout the treatment process and spend less time on the paperwork side.

ADVANCE: What were the steps in taking ActiveWrap from an improvised invention in 1994 to the point where you are now president of ActiveWrap Inc.?

Hickling: After designing the product from that old surfing wetsuit, I finished college and was pretty much set on pursuing a physical therapy education. The product was thrown in the back of the closet for a couple years because family members had influenced me, I guess on the conservative side, to not pursue it due to the financial and time investment it would take to market the wrap. They said it's a long road to patent a product and there was probably something similar already on the market.

So it sat idle for a while, but then a friend of the family saw the product and really steered me toward trying to take it to market. I had the good fortune to work with two very strong clinics during my career that encouraged their employees to think outside the box and never shot down their ideas.

One of the first PTAs I worked with was Larry Pace at Restore Aquatic Physical Therapy in Fountain Valley, CA, who really took time to show me the ropes. He was involved in developing a product or two for therapy as well and stimulated my interest to pursue the ActiveWrap. After working there in 1993 and 1994, I moved to Los Alamitos Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy in Los Alamitos, CA, where I stayed from 1994-2002 under the direction of co-owners Andrew Einhorn, PT, and Michael Mandas, PT.

I brought the product there and refined it quite a bit. They supported the venture while I was working full-time at the clinic by allowing me to use the ActiveWrap with individual patients, getting feedback and results. Eventually patients were looking for the ActiveWrap to buy for home use. I think having the support of my therapy mentors was crucial to the eventual success of the product. The product was critically evaluated with many different professional opinions that were absorbed in its design.

As therapists and students, we're taught to challenge ideas and methods, devising different ways to achieve wellness that is individualized and specific to our patients. So product design and invention seems to tie that all together for me. I believe therapy professionals have many good ideas and encourage them to take the next step and not be afraid to put something out there.

ADVANCE: In terms of actually making the ActiveWrap a mass-market product, how did you hook up with a manufacturer and did you pursue a patent?

Hickling: I was fortunate to have a family member who works for a patent and trademark attorney. She helped me become familiar with the entire lengthy process. Basically during lunch breaks and evenings while I was working full-time as a PTA, I would gather leads and make phone calls. The advent of the Internet also produced different leads to help bring the product to market.

The patent process itself took close to two years. Many of those details you can actually take care of yourself if you have the initiative, so a majority of the patent process was individual effort on my part. Then once you submit your technical drawings, it's kind of a hurry-up-and-wait process with the government.

I applied for a patent in 1996 and received it in 1998. After you're awarded a patent, there are intervals — 3.5, 7.5 and 10 years Ð where you pay fees to help maintain it. There are two types of patents, utility and design. The ActiveWrap has a utility patent, which is the harder and more expensive route to take. Utility patents protect the "construction and function" of an invention. Design patents are basically intended to protect the appearance of a product, which makes them easier to write and obtain. Design patents also have no maintenance fees as above.

We have one current patent and several others pending right now for domestic and international protection. We started with a foot and ankle wrap and over the past few years have developed an entire line of products to include knee/leg, low-back, and wrist and hand. Later this month, we will also release a new shoulder wrap, which has a waiting list and huge demand.

We focus on trying to provide the highest-quality thermal compression wrap on the market. In the past, therapists basically had to refer patients to a local drug store, where they would find a cheaply made, inexpensive product they might be able to use one or two times and then have to throw away. Our goal is to bring professional-grade wraps to the everyday end-user.

An ActiveWrap product is designed to get day-in, day-out usage for several years and provide the patient with a more comfortable quality alternative to a traditional ice pack or ice cup. Our product is based on targeted relief, so it's completely injury-specific. The individual can easily position and create any type of configuration utilizing heat and/or ice inside each compression support wrap.

As a result, compliance becomes a lot easier. I specialized in aquatic therapy for years, so I tended to deal with the older population, who are not always receptive to cold therapy. The ActiveWrap allows users to get a conforming treatment that combines compression and cold in an easy-to-use package. That means patients can use the ActiveWrap at home and carry on the treatments we provide in the clinic.

The quicker we can get the pain and swelling down, the faster we can move to increase range of motion and strength. So all those factors really play off each other. ActiveWrap designs are much more specific than traditional wraps. The product is also able to provide continuous cold treatments and even contrast treatments in a far less expensive fashion than more technical cryo-therapy products. Furthermore, ActiveWraps are reimbursed through Medicare, which ultimately saves big dollars for taxpayers.

ADVANCE: Prior to getting the original patent in 1998, had you tried to mass-produce the product?

Hickling: No. You can't market a product for more than a year and file for protection. We got started locally in southern California with individual wetsuit companies, producing 300 or 400 products at a time. It's obviously a very expensive process. Back then, I wasn't thinking about going into the hot/cold therapy business as a full-time endeavor. It was more a word-of-mouth basis with patients through my home and local clinics. That it became more than that was just the way it worked out and has shown me there are different ways to utilize your educational background. I think the various experiences I've had really help me with marketing and being able to compete with big companies.

ADVANCE: At what point did running ActiveWrap Inc. become your full-time job?

Hickling: About five years ago. We took the big step and moved from a crowded garage/home office to our current warehouse in Orange County, CA. My wife and I basically said, "Let's see if this thing is really going to take off by giving it a full 100 percent," as opposed to just chipping away at it on lunch hours and evening time. When I was working out of my home, I was still a per diem PTA for RPT PRN. So I would pick up a few shifts during the week and keep my skills honed. The off days, I would market ActiveWrap, develop new items, work on Web design, create advertising and pursue sales.

In my opinion, PTs and PTAs could benefit from increased business education in addition to knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. There are many hurdles you can run across with any business, including therapy.

We've been fortunate to align ourselves with excellent manufacturing and professional organizations to further push the brand. In 2004, we became the Official Therapy Wrap for USA Gymnastics and the United Spirit Association. We are currently securing this same title with USA Track & Field. Some of our athletes include former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig and the current Olympic champion in gymnastics, Carly Patterson, who we have worked with since 2003.

ADVANCE: Looking back, what are your thoughts on the whole sequence of events since you invented ActiveWrap?

Hickling: It's been a fantastic experience dealing with many great people from around the world. We've had tremendous feedback on all of our items. It's been great to see the satisfaction and hear the testimonials we get from customers who are so excited to receive a quality product completely different from what they've used before.

The move from being a PTA to business owner certainly is not for the weak of heart. Leaving a successful career and a steady paycheck to pour money into your company month after month was tough. It definitely takes wherewithal and fortitude. But the nice thing is, putting your work in and seeing the results is completely gratifying. Whether you assist the masses or a mere handful of people with your idea, there is definite reward. This country allows us to put our ingenuity to use, which should never be taken for granted.

Brian W. Ferrie is managing editor of ADVANCE and can be reached at bferrie@merion.com