Rom device

[schoust]

Hi Guy's and Gal's since I am having difficulties with my Rom I have bee looking for alternatives to going back under and I came upon this machine has anyone seen or heard of this?? It looks like an interesting torcher device.....www.getmotion.com/pc_knee.htm#pr_anch I am getting desperate and do not want to have to go back to Th Or..........Opinion please.......

 

[RickB]

Ralph,

IMO I would not touch these. Either get a CPM or use the good on rocking chair. When using the rocking chair, place you foot on a foot stool, close to the ROM you have now and then gently rock it back and forth. It works!

Rick

 

[dw6928]

My insurance is covering 80% of the rental of a CPM machine which nets down to about $10 for the month. The machine is brand new and far better than what I had in rehab. Check that option out first.

 

[ship4]

I agree with Rick. Buy the book on Total Knee Replacement & Rehabilitation and get yourself a Total Gym if you want to buy something......
I got mine on craigslist.com for $100.00
It has been a wonderful investment both pre & post op.
JMO
Best,
Crystal

 

[schoust]

I was only wondering if anyone had used it? I have had the CPM machine and used it for the max allowable time that the insurance company would allow and when I asked how much to keep it longer they told me it would be 30 bucks a day. Know matter my PT said that most people do not have as long as I had it for. I will manage with the tools I have. I am using a beach towel as my CPM machine with great success and I believe that sooner or later I will get there. I reached 95 with great excersion today! This is a record for me and as long as I continue to have a little progress I will consider the PT a success!! Thanks

 

[Josephine]

IMO I would not touch these.

Just curious, Ralph, but why not? What's wrong with them?

Never seen one before, mind, so would be interested to know.

 

[RickB]

Jo,

The reason I would not purchase them is they are not worth the expense. Like Ralph stated he would use his beach towel and myself would use a foot stool and rocking chair and would accomplish the same thing. To improve you ROM, you such start out with a CPM and then when possible, ride,ride,ride that bike. IMO!

Rick

 

[schoust]

Don't get me wrong if I had unlimited funds I would buy anything that would get me moving that much faster! The Rom machine does look like it might work pretty well but I am sure it would not be accepted by the insurance company and I know I couldn't afford to rent or buy something like this.

 

[Simon]

Hi Folks

I thought I would clear a couple of things up as I was the one that mentioned the company.

I saw the ad in a professional physical therapy magazine (I read and index medical and allied health journals for a living) so it is not a cheap consumer item. Also, they are all set up to work with your physical therapist and the insurance company.

My PT is going to check out the extension one. Right now I am using the PT one that is a long board and under the bottom end is a block of styroform so you have some slant to it. I do get the same pull as when I hang off the edge. I figure anything that works and avoids an MUA is a go. My home PT suggested the rocker and it does work at the beginning.

The pedler that you can use sitting in a chair is also good at the beginning till you can get on a bike. I have one and would be happy to send it to someone who can use it as I am now on to the bike.

Simon

 

[1jt@atime]

Ralph, You really dont need to spend a lot of money to achieve ROM. Actually, I never used a CPM. My surgeon does not like them. He would rather see his patients getting up, moving and working the ROM themselves and after two knees, I tend to agree with him. I like Rick's idea of the rocking chair and another thing I did was use a skateboard. Not to ride of course, but to slide my leg backand forth. There are many ways to work on ROM and you sometimes have to look around your house and be a little imaginative.
Karen

 

[beachcomber]

I didn't have a CPM machine either. My best ROM exercises were sitting in a dining room chair with my knee bent, then sliding forward on the seat until it stretched my knee and holding that for 30-60 seconds. I did three sets of those 3 times a day.

The other one was a wall slide. I did this on my bed since it was too hard to even think about getting back up off the floor....You need to be someplace where you can lay on your back with your feet/heels up against the wall and your butt fairly close to the wall. Slide your TKR heel down the wall until you feel a good stretch and hold it for 30-60 seconds. I also did those in sets of 3.

I have a hot tub (but a bath tub will work as well). If your OS approves--- (and mine wouldn't until 4 weeks post-op) I got in and soaked it in hot water to loosen it up, bending it gently. Then I would slide forward to push the ROM and hold it.

Be sure to ice up afterwards!

 

[schoust]

Hmm I think I will try the bath tub deal. So far I have yet to try hot water it's always been ice period. I wanted to try the swiming pool but it's been to cold since I had the surgery......

 

[Josephine]

I think you all should get together and write a book on this!

 

[schoust]

You know you might have something there Jo............Lol.

 

[ship4]

I think you all should get together and write a book on this!

Jo,
That is why I encourage others to purchase the Book already written by an OS and a PT both of whom have gone thru TKR.
As I said, I use it like a knee "bible". They have 24 ROM exercises, 41 pre & post op strengthening exercises, 20 balancing exercises, 36 hot tub & pool exercises, 12 Brazilian Futebol exercises, 4 therma band exercises, and 8 walking exercises. A great deal for less than $20.00.
As I said before, the Total Gym is highlighted as a life time piece of equipment to purchase. I found mine, a used one, on https://www.craigslist.org for $100. Well worth the money! It has helped greatly. JMO
Best,
Crystal

 

[schoust]

Hi Crystal,
I have a piece of equipment like the one that you describe if you don't mind sharing can you tell me just what exercises that can be done to aid in the Rom.
Thanks Ralph

 

[beachcomber]

Ralph,
I highly recommend that you look into purchasing that book (follow Crystal's link for the title then go to Amazon.com and order it. It is paperback and only $13). It is excellent and has pictures of all the exercises using a variety of PT "equipment" at home, in the pool, and has great explanations. It would be hard to just explain them on this site. It is like having your own home PT 24/7!

 

[ship4]

Hi Crystal,
I have a piece of equipment like the one that you describe if you don't mind sharing can you tell me just what exercises that can be done to aid in the Rom.
Thanks Ralph

Most of the ROM exercises do not use the total gym. The strengthening exercises do use the total gym.
The ROM exercises described are as follows:
Ankle pumps
broken link removed: https://wishard.kramesonline.com/3,S,85939
Short-Arc Quadriceps for ROM
Using non-operated leg for assistance
Using block in Front of TKR Foot
Active knee flexion
Passive Knee Flexion
Knee Flexion in a recliner
Knee extension in a recliner
Active knee Extension using a book or VHS
Sitting using a chair and Wall to Block TKR Foot
Flexing and Extending using a Rocking Chair
Using Stair Step for knee Flexion
Using Stair Step and lowering hips for Knee Flexion
Hamstring stretch on Stairs
Hamstring Stretch Variation
Using a 5 gallon bucket for knee flexion
Using a 5 gallon bucket for knee extension
Rocking on a stationary cycle
Using a rolled up sheet for Knee Flexion
Sitting on a counter-top for Knee Flexion
Knee Flexion while sitting
Knee flexion while standing with foot on chair

These are all the ROM exercises in the book. It is easier to buy the book than google them all.......
Best,
Crystal

 

[schoust]

Thanks Crystal, Believe it or not I'm am doing a lot of the exercises that you have shown in your post but I think I will try the five gallon bucket it looks interesting! I honestly have to say that my therapist is awesome and has shown me numerous ways to stretch the problem for me is the sheer pain that I get when I do this. That's Ok I will be seeing a new pain Doc at the end of the week that is a firm believer in procedures and very successful at doing so. With any luck he can inject the area that is giving me problems and I will be able to push the stretching further. In the mean time I will keep hammering away at the PT and making little gains........

 

[AlaskanTKR]

Ralph -
The OS prescribed a JAS brace for me (Joint active system). We are going to try this before we further consider manipulation. I enjoyed reading all the other suggestions and also found that I am doing the majority of them religously. We utilize the total gym at pt in the same way this brace works. Basically we flex for a while then drop down for a further flex and drop down again for an even deeper flex. We so the wall slides with weights and those are a hoot. It never ceases to amaz the pt that he can throw 10 pounds of weight on my ankle and t will still not slide down that wall unless he physically forces it. It have a feeling that some of us develop scar tissue faster than others - or the condition of our knees is just different - We have been pushing away at pt and at home no change - even at work the kids will remind me to rock the chair mrs d (My desk chair rolls and we used that for an exercise as well. And aren't we all big fans of the bike -

As far as I have been told our insurance companies will cover it as long as it is prescribed by the os, handles by the pt and determined medically necessary to restore rom. It should be here by the middle of the week and my pt thinks that by next Monday he should see results (he is out of town all this coming week). I will have another associate that I have worked with before and they will set me up with it once it arrives. There is also something called a dynasplint or something. It was mentioned on a thread somewhere in here - the difference is that you wear that one for 8 hours over night.

I will keep you informed - It sounds like Kevin - from Kevin'e wife has had some success with the JAS. You can google it under Joint Active Systems and see how it works.

Keep smiling -
Marianne