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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1



                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS


         We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this
Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated January 28, 2000 relating
to the financial statements, which appears in Encore Medical Corporation's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999.


/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP


Austin, Texas
October 18, 2000