Joint Dislocation Rehabilitation Enhanced by ArmTutor

Drs.Katsumi Takase etal writing for the EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY & TRAUMATOLOGY report on a research project involving joint dislocation.
Generally, the surgical treatment for traumatic acromioclavicular joint dislocation is recommended for type 5 according to Rockwood’s classification. We believe that anatomical restoration of coracoclavicular ligament could best restore the function of the acromioclavicular joint. We attempted to correctly reconstruct the anatomy of the coracoclavicular ligament (trapezoid and conoid ligaments) in which the ipsilateral palmaris longus tendon and Endobutton were used as the reconstructing ligament and fixation material, respectively.
They conducted a cross-sectional study. The subjects were 16 patients (15 men and one woman). The mean age at the time of the surgery was 38.6 years. The mean time of the surgery from the injury was 16.3 days. The mean duration of postoperative follow-up was one year and 5 months.
The Results they found were that the reduction in the acromioclavicular joint was complete in 10 of 16 patients. Meanwhile, the subluxation that represented less than 5 mm superior translation of the clavicle, occurred only in 5, that represented 5–10 mm superior translation in none, and the complete dislocation occurred in one patient. Concerning the range of motion, mean forward flexion was 171°, mean abduction was 165°, mean internal rotation was Th11, and mean horizontal adduction was 132°. Pain, fatigues on the shoulder girdle, and impairments with shoulder motion on the affected side disappeared one month after surgery.
The conclusion they arrived at was that although it requires excision of the ipsilateral palmaris longus for graft, we believe that anatomical restoration of both coracoclavicular ligaments could best restore the function of the acromioclavicular joint.
Joint dislocation rehabilitation therapy can be greatly enhanced through the use of the newly developed ArmTutor.
The ArmTutor™ system has been developed to allow for functional rehabilitation of the upper extremity. The system consists of an ergonomic wearable arm brace and dedicated rehabilitation software. The ArmTutor™ system allows for a range of biomechanical evaluation including speed, passive and active range of motion and motion analysis of the upper extremity. Quantitative biomechanical data allow for objective evaluation and rehabilitation treatment follow up. The ArmTutor™ rehabilitation concept is based on performing controlled exercise rehabilitation practice at a patient customized level with real time accurate feedback on the patient’s performance. The exercises are designed in the form of challenging games that are suitable for a wide variety of neurological and orthopedic injury and disease.The games challenge the patient to perform the exercise task to their best ability and to continue exercise practice.
The ArmTutor™ allows for isolated and a combination of elbow and three directional shoulder treatment. The system provides detailed exercise performance instructions and precise feedback on the patients exercise performance. Controlled exercise of multijoints within the normal movement pattern prevents the development of undesired and compensatory joint movement and ensures better performance of functional tasks.
The ArmTutor™ system together with its sister devices (HandTutor, LegTutor, 3DTutor) is used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. See www.HandTutor.com for more information.