The inventor of the GenuTrain has died
At the age of 94, Prof. Heinrich Heß has passed away
Last week, we heard the sad news that Professor Dr. med. Heinrich Heß, the inventor of our GenuTrain knee support, died on April 13 in Saarbrücken at the age of 94.
The sports physician was involved with Bauerfeind right to the end. And, right to the end, product developers as well as product managers were looking for his advice, in meetings, by phone, or fax (and he always had an answer for everyone).
Bauerfeind AG’s Medical Scientific Advisory Board meetings were completely unimaginable without Professor Heinrich Heß. His eyes would light up when he was talking about new ideas. The experienced orthopedist commented on – or rejected – suggestions dryly with a sound medical basis. He wanted to take part remotely in the Supervisory Board meeting on April 20. Bauerfeind was always important to him as a company. The journey from Saarland to Zeulenroda was never too far for him. Even as a nonagenarian, he drove to Thuringia several times per year.
“We were shocked to hear about Professor Heß passing away. In him, Bauerfeind has lost its most loyal companion, developer, advisor – and special friend,” commented Rainer Berthan. Bauerfeind AG’s Chief Executive Officer highlighted: “His unique work will continue in our products. We will always remember Professor Heß fondly.”
Hans B. Bauerfeind, who died in July 2023, and Professor Heß had a wonderful friendship for many decades. Heß, with his ingenuity, and Bauerfeind, with his entrepreneurial courage, launched a groundbreaking development at the end of the 1970s: Heinrich Heß, Team Physician for the National German Football Team at that time, noticed that injuries would heal more quickly when players took part in regulated training while wearing a padded compression bandage. He asked himself: How can the principle of functional treatment be transferred from a compression bandage to a support that you can don yourself and reuse? In Textile Engineer Hans B. Bauerfeind, Heinrich Heß found the perfect partner to turn his idea into a product ready for series production. The team was rounded out with orthopedist Professor Wolfgang Krause who gave the new product its name: In 1981, Bauerfeind presented the first GenuTrain, the forerunner of modern orthopedic knee supports, thus revolutionizing the medical products market. The GenuTrain’s effective principle is used in all of Bauerfeind’s supports.