Tell us a bit about yourself so we can provide more relevant information .
If you’ve reached a stage where your knee is severely worn, injured or damaged by arthritis, then you may be considering total knee replacement surgery. Whilst this procedure represents one of the most impressive orthopaedic surgical advances of the twentieth century, the essential role rehabilitation plays in both pre and post-operative stages cannot be underestimated. AposTherapy helps ensure an optimal surgery outcome by preparing the patient’s muscles for maximum rehabilitation and the highest possible quality of life post knee replacement.
Currently 70,000 patients in Britain, mainly women and mostly over 65, undergo knee replacement surgery each year. Despite the fact that this number is growing, it remains a treatment decision that is never taken lightly by medical practitioners, or patients themselves. Having opted for surgery, it’s critical to understand how important preparation in the build-up to the operation, as well as post-operative rehabilitation is for a positive long-term outcome. AposTherapy prepares the muscles around the joint for effective rehabilitation and following surgery, trains the patient to walk evenly using both the operated and non-operated limbs equally.
The majority of total knee replacement surgeries result from symptomatic degenerative arthritis, however many other conditions can lead to joint replacement, including trauma and rheumatoid arthritis. In the UK, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, advices that a total knee replacement should only be considered when at least two or more conservative treatments have proved unsuccessful and daily functioning is limited.
As with any surgery the outcome is not guaranteed and many risks are involved. Research indicates an orthopaedic success rate of 90-95%, lasting for about 10 years. Nevertheless, many patients say they still feel pain and limited function following surgery. Even after a successful total knee replacement surgery, the patient’s muscle function remains impaired, in both the operated and non-operated knee, significantly compromising the rehabilitation process. AposTherapy offers an effective rehabilitation approach in these cases by re-educating the body to incorporate the operated limb in renewed and optimal patterns of motion.
The aim of surgery is to resurface the damaged area of the knee. To achieve this, the upper surface of the tibia (lower leg bone) and the lower surface of the femur (thigh bone) are removed with artificial joint surfaces then implanted. The prosthesis varies to suit the patient and the operating surgeon’s preference and can be implanted with or without the use of cement, depending on the patient’s age and bone quality. The procedure takes about one to one and a half hours in the operating room, and the patient can expect to be out of bed the next day.
It is very important to realise the significant impact that pre-operative conditions have on post-operative outcomes. For this reason, it is essential that the patient maintain normal levels of activity and complete therapeutic exercise to effectively prepare the muscles and joint for the operation. The surgical procedure does not involve replacement or repair to any soft-tissue. Therefore any limitations to the range of motion, due to muscle, or tendon shortening or the presence of impaired neuromuscular control and weakness will still be present after the surgery. In order to achieve the best operative outcome, following total knee replacement, it is essential to focus on rehabilitation through appropriate therapeutic exercise.
Post operative expectations include correct prosthetic alignment, together, with reduced pain and increased function - a perception shared by AposTherapy. It is quite common that the area around the joint may continue to be painful immediately after the joint replacement surgery, even up to months, or years later. As a reaction to pain and arthritis, pathological muscular movement patterns develop prior to and post surgery. A valuable rehabilitation process will address and, where possible, reverse these soft-tissue pathologies, ensuring an extended life-span for the new knee and protecting the non-operative knee from damage.
Ideally, the role of AposTherapy with a total knee replacement begins in the run up to surgery. The aim being to best prepare the patient’s muscles to achieve maximum rehabilitation and the highest possible quality of life post-knee replacement. AposTherapy addresses the distribution of loads across all the joints in the lower limb, pelvis and back, reducing the chances of joint problems in the future.
AposTherapy can then be re-introduced as early as 3 weeks following surgery with the intention of training the patient to walk evenly using both the operated and non-operated limbs equally. By introducing micro-instability, AposTherapy re-designs the way the patient walks, aligns the body and re-educates the muscles around the joint. By carrying out treatment in the patient’s own environment, as part of their ordinary daily life, AposTherapy can overcome the challenge of matching suitable therapeutic exercise with the functional use of the affected muscles, during ordinary routine.
As a long-term treatment, AposTherapy can also be used in conjunction with other treatments to maintain the health of the replaced joint, provide pain relief and ensure the highest level of functional ability.
During your initial consultation at an AposTherapy Centre your AposTherapist, a specially trained... read more
During your initial consultation at an AposTherapy Centre your AposTherapist, a specially trained physiotherapist, will conduct a clinical evaluation, including pain, function and quality of life questionnaires, in order to develop a personalised therapy programme that responds to your unique treatment needs.
Utilising state-of-the-art computerised equipment, we obtain an in-depth analysis of your: Step length (knee pain can cause shorter steps); load distribution on each leg (less weight tends to be placed on an injured leg); walking velocity (injuries often make people walk slower); and gait symmetry (which can assess any limping).
This gives us a clearer picture of how the way you move may be causing your pain, and how we can provide a long-lasting solution to treat it.
Based on the evaluation you’ll receive your personally-calibrated foot-worn biomechanical system to help relieve pressure from your knee, and re-train the muscular system around the joint. close
2
Treatment as part of daily life
AposTherapy blends into your everyday life, for around an hour a day, making treatment easy to... read more
AposTherapy blends into your everyday life, for around an hour a day, making treatment easy to comply with for the best results. AposTherapy transforms your ordinary daily routine into a positive, highly effective rehabilitation process. You decide the time and place, fitting therapy in with your lifestyle, as opposed to having to fit your life around therapy. As you continue with your everyday routine activities such as walking from room to room and getting up from a chair, while wearing your biomechanical system, your body is learning, without you even noticing it, correct movement patterns as the joints perform hundreds of repetitions. With every step, in your own environment and following your typical daily schedule, AposTherapy is instilling optimal walking patterns for lasting pain relief and imprved mobility. close
3
Ongoing patient care
AposTherapy is a dynamic treatment, constantly appraised and adjusted to ensure optimal success... read more
AposTherapy is a dynamic treatment, constantly appraised and adjusted to ensure optimal success throughout your pathway of care. In addition to follow-up consultations scheduled by the Patient Liaison Centre, your AposTherapist regularly initiates phone check-ups to personally monitor your progress more closely. During follow-up consultations at the AposTherapy Centre your therapy programme is reassessed. Your AposTherapist will conduct several examinations similar to those performed during the initial consultation, such as repeating the computerised gait analysis test, as well as pain, function and quality of life assessments to provide an objective and subjective reflection of your progress. Throughout the process, wherever necessary your biomechanical system is adjusted and your personalised therapy programme updated to ensure you reach your treatment goals. close
4
Be yourself again
Independent surveys in the UK show that 85% of AposTherapy patients experience pain reduction... read more
Independent surveys in the UK show that 85% of AposTherapy patients experience pain reduction following treatment, most of them in just over a month. In some cases patients tell us their pain relief is immediate during their very first consultation. With AposTherapy, every step you take with the system relieves the stress on your painful joints. In parallel, your muscles are trained to become more synchronised so that they correctly control your movements, even when you are not using the device. Treatment has minimal interruption to daily life and maximum rehabilitation. In fact, you won’t feel like you’re working your muscles at all. You’ll just stop noticing the pain so you can move with confidence and be yourself again.
close
