BBC features simple exercise device from AAA members Trainor Jim that “could save NHS billions”

Falls are a major cause of accident-related hospital admission and estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3bn per year. A large reason is the weakening of people’s leg muscles in later life.

In August 2025, AAA members Trainor Jim launched their solution to the problem: a simple exercise device suitable for everyone from frail elderly to rehabilitating athletes. In just a few months the product has taken off and now the BBC has featured it.

BBC Kent showed the “Shuffler” in action, following extensive trials in homes, care homes and community centres – including a six-week trial at the Romney March Community Hub.

The device allows safe, pain-free lower limb movement from a chair or the side of a bed, and can readily be used by people who find traditional exercises difficult or painful.

The programme featured co-creator Lee Trainor, who said that his disabilities caused him to fall two to three times a week, but he had “not now had a fall for 26 months”. Lee suffers with spinal stenosis – a narrowing of the spinal canal that usually affects older people.

“I ended up coming up with the idea of moving my legs whilst sitting there watching the TV,” he said.

The Shuffler has received support from Innovate UK, the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, Health Improvement KSS and Sport England.

Dr Jim Kelly, a Kent GP with a special interest in musculoskeletal medicine and co-inventor of the device, said: “Many of us lose our muscle mass, it’s called sarcopenia, from the age of about 50 onwards – and that’s the big reason why a lot of us fall in older age.”

You can watch the BBC coverage here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly1wzn1zzgo

And find out more about the Shuffler here: https://trainorjim.com/