dj Orthopedics Announces Sales and Marketing Change

March 11, 2003

SAN DIEGO, Mar 11, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- dj Orthopedics, Inc. (NYSE: DJO), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of products and services for the orthopedic sports medicine market, today announced the resignation of David Derminio, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, effective immediately. The Company also indicated that it is implementing the next phase of its continuous improvement program involving the reorganization and optimization of its sales and marketing resources to accelerate the Company's growth curve. During this process, the Company's sales and marketing organization will be directed by Les Cross, President and CEO.

"We have successfully streamlined our organization and reduced our cost structure over the past several months through a focused corporate performance improvement program," said Les Cross, dj Orthopedics President and CEO. "While we have seen consistent sales growth at historical levels, refocusing our sales and marketing strategy and organization to accelerate our growth curve is an important step in our continuous improvement efforts."

About dj Orthopedics

dj Orthopedics is a global orthopedic sports medicine company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of products and services that repair, regenerate and rehabilitate soft tissue and bone, help protect against injury, and treat osteoarthritis of the knee. Its broad range of over 600 existing products, many of which are based on proprietary technologies, includes rigid knee braces, soft goods, specialty and other complementary orthopedic products. These products provide solutions for patients and orthopedic sports medicine professionals throughout the patient's continuum of care.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains or may contain forward-looking statements such as statements regarding the Company's future growth and profitability, growth strategy and trends in the industry in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements include references to the refocusing of the Company's sales and marketing strategy and organization to accelerate its growth curve as part of its continuous improvement program. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are the risk that we may not be able to successfully implement our business and organizational strategy, corporate performance improvement program, or that other risk factors could undermine gains made with our strategies and programs, including our ability to successfully develop or license and timely introduce and market new products or product enhancements; our dependence on our orthopedic professionals, agents and distributors for marketing our products; competition in our markets; our limited experience in designing, manufacturing and marketing products for the repair and regeneration segments of the orthopedic
sports medicine market; our transition to direct distribution of our products in certain foreign countries; risks associated with our acquisition strategy and international operations; the risk that our quarterly operating results are subject to substantial fluctuations; our high level of indebtedness and the restrictions imposed by the terms of our indebtedness; our ability to generate cash to service our debts; the effects of healthcare reform, managed care and buying groups on prices of our products; the uncertainty of domestic and foreign regulatory clearance and approval of our products; the sensitivity of our business to general economic conditions; uncertainty relating to third party reimbursement; pending litigation; and the other risk factors that are discussed in our Post-Effective Amendment to our Form S-1, filed on September 3, 2002 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE dj Orthopedics, Inc.

Company Investor/Media Contact:
DJO Incorporated
Mark Francois
Director of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
760-734-4766

Mark.Francois[at]djoglobal[dot]com