Land and Water for Post Knee Replacement Therapy

No doubt that obesity, physically demanding work and traumatic knee injury are major risk factors for knee osteoarthritis. Undoubtedly, rehabilitation of knee-replacement patients is a science in and of itself. As such, it requires serious consideration about how best to address one basic need: Getting the individual to function normally as soon as possible.
ONE of the methods used in rehabilitation is aquatic therapy. It allows patients to use the healing properties of water in an effort to reduce pain, increase range of motion, improve strength, control edema and promote improved functional activity, tolerance and endurance.
It has been found that rehabbing and exercising in a pool environment (as a SUPPLEMENT to a land-based program) is more beneficial for those recovering from knee replacements than exercising on land alone.
Water buoyancy assists in supporting the weight of the patient. Therefore, even if a patient is overweight or obese, joint stress is minimized, as is the risk of falling. Following surgery, patients regularly experience difficulty with their balance as well as control of the surgical limb.
The pool provides a challenging environment in which the physical therapist can work on balance, proprioceptive control and safety. This can translate to a reduced risk of falls and improved patient safety. It also equates to patients improving their mobility, strength and function rapidly throughout their rehabilitation.
It is also known that knee osteoarthritis can place a great strain on a person, possibly leading to depression and poor self-esteem. The positive physiological benefits of therapy actually spill over into the psyche of patients which can decrease their anxiety levels and improve their body image.
Therapy, in general, gives people hope of a full recovery. A patient once said,”Land therapy was beneficial; however, the aqua therapy helped warm up my joints and muscles to prepare me for land therapy.
The other therapeutic method that has shown much help to knee replacement patients is the TUTOR system. It has been designed to get the patient to function normally as soon as possible. It can reduce pain, increase range of motion, improve strength, balance and control of the limb. Once that happens there can be less risk of falling and a feeling of more security.
The LEGTUTOR with its sister devices (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) allows the physical therapist to prescribe a leg rehabilitation program customized to the patient’s knee and hip movement ability at their stage of rehabilitation. The LEGTUTOR uses biofeedback to keep the patient motivated to do the exercise practice in the form of challenging games. They are suitable for a wide variety of other neurological and orthopedic injuries and diseases as well as post trauma and orthopedic surgery. The TUTOR system is used by many leading rehabilitation centers worldwide and has full FDA and CE certification. It is designed for children and adults and can be used at home supported by telerehabilitation.
See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.