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Clinical Evidence

KNEEHAB® XP QUADRICEPS THERAPY SYSTEM HAS SIGNIFICANTLY ACCELERATED PATIENT RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY WHEN PRESCRIBED FOR AT-HOME REHABILITATION.1

Experimental Methods

To determine isokinetic strength of the knee extensors of the injured and uninjured leg at 90 and 180 deg/s, along with functional tests of proprioception, were assessed at baseline and at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months postoperatively:

■ Control – Standard rehabilitation program plus at-home volitional exercise program

■ Polystim – Standard rehabilitation program plus conventional NMES product superimposed on isometric volitional contractions during 20-minute sessions, 3 times a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks

■ Kneehab XP – Standard rehabilitation program plus Kneehab XP superimposed on isometric volitional contractions during 20-minute sessions, 3 times a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks

Results

 

 Injured Leg: At 12 weeks post-op, Kneehab XP patients gained 10% strength improvement over baseline, while the other 2 groups averaged 15% strength loss.

Uninjured Leg: Kneehab XP patients exceeded strength of their uninjured leg at 12 weeks (+3%) and continued gains (+13%) at 6 months post-op. Neither the Control or Polystim groups achieved these milestones.
Patients in the Kneehab XP group achieved consistently better results for functional performance measures at all time points.
Kneehab XP patients were 15% more compliant than Polystim patients with their at-home therapy.

Conclusions

■ The Kneehab XP group demonstrated less of a strength deficit compared to the other groups at the 6-week follow-up point, concluding that NMES in the early stages of rehabilitation help build capacity.

■ The convenience of use with Kneehab XP may account for improved patient therapy compliance.

■ Intensive garment-integrated stimulation combined with standard rehabilitation is effective at accelerating recovery after knee surgery.

Published Results: NMES Treatment of Muscle Atrophy

  1. Bruce-Brand R. Walls R. Ong J. Emerson B. O’Byrne J. Moyna N. Effects of home-based resistance training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation in knee osteoarthritis:. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders2012, 13:118
  2. Walls. McHugh G. O Gorman D. Moyna N. O’Byrne J. Effects of preoperative neuromuscular electrical stimulation on quadriceps strength and functional recovery in total knee arthroplasty. A pilot study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010, 11:119
  3. Stevens-Lapsley, J. Balter J. Wolfe P, Eckhoff D. Kohrt W. Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Improve Quadriceps Muscle Strength After Total Knee Arthroplasty:PHYS THER.2012 92:210-226
  4. Hasegawa S, Kobayashi M, Arai R, Tamaki A, Nakamura T, Moritani Effect of early implementation of electrical muscle stimulation to prevent muscle atrophy and weakness in patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Journal of Electromyography & Kinesiology 2011 Vol. 21, Issue 4, Pages 622-630
  5. Mintken, Carpenter K. Eckhoff D. Kohrt W. Stevens J. Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Optimize Quadriceps Muscle Function Following Total Knee Arthroplasty. Journal of orthopaedic& sports physical therapy 2007; 37(7), pp364-371.
  6. Snyder-Mackler L. Dellitto A. Bailey S.Stralka S. Strength of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle and Functional Recovery after Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 1995. Vol 70a(8), pp 1166-1173.
  7. Stevens J. Mizner R. Snyder-Mackler L. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Quadriceps Muscle Strengthening After Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 34 • 1 • 2004, pp21-29
  8. Rainsford G. The use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation as an adjunctive therapy for muscle strengthening in knee rehabilitation. Physiotherapy Ireland. 2012;33(1)
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