Arizona Tribune - As WCI 2026 Turns to Non-Surgical, Opioid-Sparing Care for Injured Workers, ZetrOZ Brings the Outcomes Data to Booth #701

TRUMBULL, CT / ACCESS Newswire / August 24, 2026 / Reducing reliance on opioids and surgery for injured workers is one of the throughlines of this week's WCI 2026 conference. ZetrOZ Systems, developer of the FDA-cleared sam® (Sustained Acoustic Medicine) wearable ultrasound platform, is exhibiting at the 80th Annual Workers' Compensation Educational Conference (WCI 2026), held Aug. 23-26 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, where the company is introducing sam® Recover to workers' compensation professionals alongside a growing body of peer-reviewed clinical research on non-opioid, non-surgical recovery.

sam® is a wearable, low-intensity, long-duration ultrasound device that uses mechanobiological technology to increase blood flow to injured tissue, with the goal of supporting faster, more natural healing and reduced pain, according to ZetrOZ. The device has been studied in more than 30 clinical studies and, per company figures, has been used to treat more than 300,000 patients.

That research includes a 2024 randomized, multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, in which 65 patients with chronic discogenic low back pain who used sam® showed significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life, along with a significant reduction in NSAID and opioid use, compared to a placebo group over eight weeks (Ortiz et al., 2024). A separate 2023 study in Orthopedics & Muscular System found that athletes who added sam® to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection therapy returned to play 21.33 days faster on average than those who received PRP alone, with greater pain reduction and improved overall health scores (Krystofiak et al., 2023). Additionally, a 2022 survey of athletic trainers published in The Open Orthopaedics Journal, covering musculoskeletal injuries in collegiate, professional, and military settings, found sam® use was associated with a 50% reduction in pain medication in 63% of cases, and clinical improvement within two weeks in nearly 69% of cases (Walters et al., 2022).

"Too many injured workers are still offered opioids or surgery as the first option instead of the last one. sam® Recover gives case managers, adjusters, and physicians a non-invasive alternative that's already covered under many workers' comp plans. We're at WCI this week to make sure more of the people in this room know it exists," said Dr. Lewis.

sam® Recover is already covered under many workers' compensation and personal injury insurance plans, so healthcare providers who want to put it to use can do so without the reimbursement fight that slows down most non-drug alternatives in this space. Introducing sam® treatment early in a workers' comp case was associated with a reduction in treatment costs of roughly two-thirds, from nearly $40,000 to about $12,000 per case.

At Booth #701, ZetrOZ is showcasing the device and that track record for the workers' comp case managers, claims adjusters, occupational medicine physicians, orthopedic and PM&R providers, third-party administrators and workers' comp networks, and insurance and carrier decision-makers who stop by. ZetrOZ founder and CEO Dr. George K. Lewis, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer, is attending along with members of the ZetrOZ team.

About ZetrOZ Systems
ZetrOZ Systems is leading the way in sports medicine healing innovations, developing wearable bioelectronic devices for sustained acoustic medicine (sam®). Researched and funded by the federal government, ZetrOZ is built on proprietary medical technology, with 46+ patents, and is the exclusive manufacturer and developer of the sam® product line, designed for the treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions. sam® is a cost-effective, non-invasive, drug-free modality used to treat soft tissue injuries and chronic pain.

Media Contact:
Catherine Hoblin
[email protected]

SOURCE: ZetrOZ Systems

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