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ROM3 for the Knee ROM3 for the Hip ROM3 for the Shoulder/Elbow Multimedia Access ROM3 Newsletters Contact Information |
  
Background One of the most significant and the most common athletic injury is the knee. Published data continues to report knee injuries at 27% in men and 29% in women, with ankle - the next closest site of injury - at 10% for both genders. For comparison in frequency, back injuries occur at 9%. Rehabilitation and surgical intervention continue to keep pace with the increasing demands individuals continue to place on their bodies. This includes interventions necessary to address a rapidly aging population in developed countries, as joint diseases account for half of all chronic conditions in the elderly. Accordingly, 10.8 million office visits per year in the United States alone are for knee injuries. Treatment and rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and knee arthroscopy for associated meniscal injury, as well as osteoarthritis and resultant total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a mainstay with busy Orthopedists and Physiatrists. Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey projects annual TKA's increasing from 270, 000 to greater than 474,000 such surgeries by 2030. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates $13-$20 billion in expenditures with time lost and compensation. U.S. costs of all musculoskeletal conditions are $300 billion, necessitating establishment of an internationally endorsed platform - the Bone and Joint Decade. As we continue to increase our life expectancy, in combination with epidemic proportions of Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle in the United States, the prevalence of such necessary procedures to restore function will continue to escalate. The impact of the abovementioned social dilemma on the largest joint in our body - the knee - and has prompted establishment of a rehabilitation device - the ROM3 Catalyst LE. Goals include minimizing obstacles in the treatment and rehabilitation process, while improving patient compliance with necessary exercise. By rapidly affecting passive, assisted active, and active ROM (PROM, AAROM, AROM, respectively), this adaptation to cycle ergometry (stationary "bicycle") is hypothesized to accomplish the following objectives:
2) More rapidly improve measurable outcomes such as pain, ROM, edema, proprioception, return to unassisted gait activities, initial FIM (functional independent measures) scores, strength, and conditioning, and 3) Produce a significantly measurable financial impact (i.e. less overall inpatient and outpatient costs and more rapid return to vocational or avocational activities, etc.). 4) The impact on quality of life and the psychological importance of more rapid return to autonomy is a very important outcome as well, and will be included in the research discussion.
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