Wellbone Targets the Blue Ocean of Sports Rehabilitation Through Integrated Sports-Medicine Innovation
In 2014, China proposed the concept of “promoting the integrated development of sports and fitness with healthcare, culture, and other sectors,” and elevated “National Fitness” to a national strategy. According to data provided in the State Council’s “National Fitness Plan (2016–2020),” the number of physically active individuals in China was projected to reach 435 million by 2020, with sports consumption reaching RMB 1.5 trillion. Meanwhile, data from “Output Scale of the Fitness Industry (2009–2014)” indicated that the incidence rate of sports injuries among regularly active individuals was approximately 85%. Based on this estimate, the population suffering from sports injuries in China could theoretically reach 370 million by 2020. This vast population has spurred a huge market for sports rehabilitation, which remains in a blue-ocean stage.
In the sports rehabilitation market, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center is one of the early pioneers. As a leading provider of comprehensive sports rehabilitation solutions in China, Weibao specializes in sports medicine research, orthopedic rehabilitation, diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, pain management, and medical support for competitive events.
It is reported that Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center, established in February 2017, is a chain of specialized sports medicine medical institutions designated as a “medical insurance provider” in Nanjing and serves as the Secretariat of the Sports Rehabilitation Professional Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Association of Rehabilitation Medicine. It has established strategic partnerships with major hospitals in Jiangsu Province, sports science research institutes, sports colleges, and professional sports clubs. Over the past three years since its establishment, it has primarily provided professional, cutting-edge, and efficient sports rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment services to competitive sports organizations.
The decision to launch a venture in the field of sports rehabilitation stemmed from Jiang Zhihua’s team identifying key market pain points and recognizing the substantial growth potential of the sports rehabilitation market.
Jiang Zhihua, founder of Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center, told VCBeat, “After returning to China, I observed a rapid surge in the fitness craze, with sports events proliferating and an increasing number of office workers engaging in physical activity, culminating in a nationwide fitness boom. However, this trend has also led to a rise in injuries and pain caused by people jumping on the fitness bandwagon without proper guidance.”
Subsequently, Jiang Zhihua’s team conducted a survey of rehabilitation departments in hospitals across China. Jiang Zhihua stated, “Rehabilitation departments in Chinese hospitals primarily focus on neurological rehabilitation, while treatment options for sports injuries remain relatively limited. In developed countries in Europe and the United States, there are multidisciplinary sports rehabilitation clinics where senior rehabilitation therapists possess expertise in both exercise training and medical care. These professionals provide services to sports training bases and professional clubs, while also offering services to the general public. Rehabilitation therapists tailor daily exercise programs for clients and provide face-to-face guidance to ensure effectiveness. However, China lacks similar specialized institutions and qualified personnel, falling far short of meeting the consumer demand driven by the national fitness campaign. This has revealed an opportunity for us.”
After conducting market research in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other cities, Jiang Zhihua’s team reached a consensus that the sports rehabilitation market holds immense potential, driven by the upgrading of consumer demand for health-related services. Consequently, Jiang Zhihua’s team founded Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center to complement the service chains in both rehabilitative medicine and sports services, providing professional solutions for groups including elite athletes and the general public engaged in sports.
During its initial operational phase, Weibao’s strategic focus was on serving the competitive sports community as its primary target audience, as professional athletes bear the mission of competitive sports and their daily high-intensity training can lead to soft tissue injuries involving muscles, joints, tendons, bursae, nerves, and other structures.
VCBeat has learned that Weibao has provided event support services for the national team or Jiangsu representatives in over 100 competitions, including the 2nd National Youth Games, the Australian Open, and the FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup. Meanwhile, Weibao has signed long-term contracts with more than twenty national and provincial competitive sports teams to provide them with medical services. Furthermore, Weibao supported the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with technology-driven solutions, delivering event support services.
(Photo provided by the company)
In the process of providing professional sports rehabilitation services to various institutions and teams, Weibao has also received numerous honors:
In June 2018, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center was recognized as a key enterprise above the designated size in Nanjing’s modern service industry;
In September 2018, appointed to the Secretariat of the Sports Rehabilitation Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Association of Rehabilitation Medicine;
In October 2018, it was appointed as a Vice President Unit of the Jiangsu Sports and Fitness Industry Association;
In December 2018, won the First Prize in the Qihang Award at the China Business School Medical Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, organized by the Yangtze River Delta Medical and Health Management Academic Alliance.
Jiang Zhihua stated, “Over the past three years, Weibao has deeply cultivated the field of sports rehabilitation and provided services to professional teams, gaining a profound understanding that this is a comprehensive and complex systematic engineering endeavor. To deliver comprehensive support, elements such as training, scientific research, and medical care are all indispensable, while other related tasks must also be effectively managed.”
In the future, Weibao will firmly adhere to the integrated development of sports and medicine, achieving a multi-modal convergence of information technology, sports medicine, and scientific fitness services. The Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center primarily offers four categories of services: diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, post-operative orthopedic rehabilitation, physiotherapy for neck, shoulder, waist, and back conditions, and correction of posture and gait.
The diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries primarily cater to competitive athletes and the general fitness population. Among these, the competitive athletes served by Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center include teams from Jiangsu Province, the National Track and Field Team, the National Tennis Team, and national winter sports programs. In the future, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center will provide medical support services for major events such as the National Games, the Olympic Games, and the Winter Olympic Games. As for the general fitness population, enthusiasts of sports such as basketball, soccer, and running also constitute the client base of Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center.
The primary clientele for post-orthopedic surgery rehabilitation consists of patients who have undergone orthopedic procedures. For instance, while surgical intervention for joint injuries can restore normal daily functioning, achieving full recovery requires engagement with professional rehabilitation institutions. Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center develops targeted training programs tailored to each patient’s specific condition, aiming to restore and even surpass their pre-injury physical status.
Neck, shoulder, lower back, and spinal physiotherapy primarily targets individuals in a sub-health state, particularly office professionals who engage in prolonged sedentary work. Unlike conventional massage services available on the market, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center features experienced physicians, internationally standardized rehabilitation facilities, and specialized sports medicine rehabilitation techniques from the United States and Canada. Furthermore, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center holds medical institution licensing and provides medical-grade services.
Posture and Gait Correction primarily targets conditions such as scoliosis, aiming to promote healthy living among adolescents and individuals in a sub-health state. Currently, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center collaborates with other institutions to provide free spinal screening services for adolescents.
It is reported that Weibao has established sports rehabilitation centers at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center and the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau. It has obtained a Medical Institution Practice License and is approved to operate key departments in sports medicine, orthopedics, and traditional Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center has been honored by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China as one of the “Top 100 Clinics in China” and awarded the title of “Four-Star Clinic.”
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Compared with other competitors, continuous innovation is V-Bao’s core competitive advantage. Over the past three years of immersive service delivery, V-Bao has continuously explored and summarized practical issues in sports medicine management, focusing on the collection of big data in sports information and the development of related platforms. The company has specifically developed a practical sports medical support system for athletic teams, providing a scientific basis for injury prevention, precise rehabilitation, and enhanced training outcomes. Jiang Zhihua stated, “This system can also be utilized in other rehabilitation clinics. For instance, after collecting comprehensive client information, clinics can deliver more scientific and personalized services, thereby improving customer satisfaction.”
Beyond this, the core advantage of Weibao Sports Rehabilitation Center lies in its talent. Jiang Zhihua explained, “I believe that talent is the core of our company. We have a full-time, multidisciplinary team of medical experts, including PhDs in exercise physiology, American Physical Therapy Association-certified therapists, rehabilitation therapists, clinical physicians, surgeons, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, biomedical engineering technicians, psychological counselors, and nutritionists. This multidisciplinary medical team possesses extensive clinical experience. We have established strategic partnerships with multiple professional sports teams, sports science research institutes, numerous hospitals, sports universities, and professional sports clubs, providing them with sports medical support and training in sports rehabilitation talent. This clearly demonstrates Weibao’s strength in talent.”