The healing process after knee replacement surgery is often slow. Unfortunately, having one or both knees go through the recovery process means the patient cannot participate in strenuous activities until both knees are healthy and stout.
Most patients will allow their bodies to heal naturally by staying home, lying around, and entertaining themselves with TV, electronic devices, or crossword puzzles. However, an option that few explore is combining their doctor’s recommendations with a device from ROM Technologies ™ to speed up the recovery process without overexertion.
Read on to see if a ROMTech ® device is a good knee replacement recovery option.
The Healing Process Post-Knee Replacement Surgery
The recovery process is divided into two parts: the hospital and home/rehabilitation. The hospital part of recovery requires the knee to move after surgery because an active knee helps it to heal. However, a patient cannot overexert it because it will cause injury, forcing the person to get a second surgery.
During the hospital portion of healing, a physical therapist will guide a patient toward recovery over the course of several days. The therapist will plan knee-safe exercises for the patient to keep the joint moving and healing properly, as well as a CPM machine, which is a continuous passive motion machine (CPM) that moves the knee up and down while a patient rests in bed, to complement the routines.
Additionally, prescribed medications will assist with pain at or around the knee joint.
Doing those two things will strengthen the knee to help the patient continue therapy at home or a rehabilitation center. However, the physical therapy exercises must continue after being discharged from the hospital to build muscle strength and range of motion until the knee joint is strong enough to walk, stand, sit, and move without it.
A rehabilitation center will continue these physical therapy routines until the knee is strong enough to heal at home. At home, the patient needs to continue physical therapy on their own and check in periodically with their doctor to ensure the knee is recovering at the desired rate.
Modifications may be necessary if the knee is healing slower or faster than expected, but typically the healing process at home will take several months.
Holding onto a rail, handle, cane, or walker while moving around the house is one way to reduce the pressure on the patient’s knee joint. It’s also essential to remove any items that may cause a fall, such as electrical cords or rugs, to ensure that no falls occur in the home.
A doctor will want the patient to perform washing and cleaning maintenance on the knee. Adhere to the instructions on bathing around the knee’s stitches, casts, and staples. Follow the instructions if the doctor wants the leg elevated or ice on the knee to prevent swelling.
Additionally, the patient should take any pain medication recommended by the doctor and follow specific instructions based on the knee’s condition.
What Are Some Worrisome Symptoms To Look Out For?
There may be worrisome warning signs during knee recovery that can be linked to complications from the surgery or recovery process.
This may include:
Fever
Pain around the incision
Drainage and bleeding at the incision
Redness and swelling at the incision
Patients need to contact their physician if they have any worrisome symptoms and let the physician decide if they need to schedule an appointment or come in immediately to clear up the issue. The doctor may recommend a second surgery, clean the infection, prescribe medication, or may recommend a ROMTech ® device to assist with rehabilitation.
What Does The ROMTech ® PortableConnect ® Do?
Approved by Peter Arn, CEO of ROM Technologies ™, PortableConnect ® is an exercise machine designed to speed up physical therapy sessions. This allows a patient to return to an active lifestyle faster. However, PortableConnect ® does not overexert the leg to achieve this feat, ensuring proper knee recovery.
Attached to the PortableConnect ® is a monitor with button controls that will guide the patient through the entire physical therapy and recovery process. The monitor keeps track of health metrics, range of motion, and recovery progression. The doctor learns about the patient’s knee progression because the device sends over electronic information with permission from the patient.
PortableConnect ® reduces in-person doctor visits because the physician and patient can chat through the monitor. The doctor can access the medical files and jot down essential information through the chat.
The answers given by the patient and PortableConnect ® allow the doctor to adjust their recommendations based on how fast or slow the recovery is going. Additionally, the device is portable, allowing the patient to move the device anywhere.
Assuming the patient follows the recommended 3 to 5 therapy sessions daily, they will only need to use the device for 3 to 6 weeks. That’s less than doing several months of physical therapy exercises advised by the physical therapist and doctor.
Based on recent research, 50% of patients healed faster and improved their range of motion in their knees after two weeks of using the PortableConnect ®. In addition, 80% reported less pain while using PortableConnect ® versus traditional therapy methods.
While the PortableConnect ® and traditional methods are equally effective at solving the patient’s issues, traditional methods will have the patient progressing at a slower rate.
Mixing conventional physical therapy exercises with the PortableConnect ® activities will help a patient’s joints. By ensuring that the patient follows a recovery plan prescribed by their doctor that involves using the RomTech ® machine for rehabilitation, recovery time can be significantly improved.
How To Determine Eligibility?
The doctor will decide if the patient is a good candidate for PortableConnect ®. If recommended, the doctor contacts a field clinician from ROM Technologies ™ to bring the device to the patient’s residence. The field technician will teach the patient how to use it and customize it to the patient’s specifications.
The device is easy to operate for all ages, and if there are any issues, the patient or doctor can contact a ROM Tech ® representative to fix them.