When recovering from an injury or surgery, your physician may recommend physical therapy to help you improve mobility, movement and function. Physical therapy traditionally relied on hands-on treatment, but advances in technology are paving the way toward better outcomes for patients.

“Advanced physical therapy technology allows us to create more precise and personalized treatment plans,” said Justin Rohrberg, physical therapist at LMH Health’s West Campus. “These tools enhance therapy by providing objective data, improving decision making and offering a comprehensive approach to patient care.”

Let’s take a look at some of the technology available at LMH Health.

Assessing strength one movement at a time

When you see strength assessments done in a scientific study, researchers have likely used an isokinetic dynamometer to gather information. LMH Health offers this technology to provide strength assessment for patients, particularly for those with knee or shoulder injuries.

“We use the isokinetic machine to isolate a certain body part and really key in on how strong the patient is and the strongest part of their range of motion,” Rohrberg said.

How does it work? The dynamometer measures torque — the force a muscle produces at a specific speed — and its output throughout the patient’s range of motion.

“In layman’s terms, it measures how quickly the muscle turns on and off, and just how strong it is. We can simulate various exercises and adjust the weight, aiding in rehabilitation,” Rohrberg said.

I wanted to see for myself how the machine worked, and Rohrberg offered to let me try it out. Once I was seated and strapped in, he made some adjustments and got to work.

Rohrberg said that as I pushed my leg up, the monitor would display the power and torque I exerted.

“You start here with your knee at 90 degrees and by the time you kick it out, your knee is straight and pretty close to zero. Based on the research that’s been done, we know that you should exert most of your force at between 40 and 70 degrees, ideally around 60,” he said. “We can use this data to determine where the greatest force production is and where we need to work in order to ensure the safest possible return to running, jumping, or sport participation.”

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

Force plate technology from VALD performance is another technology in use at LMH Health. It puts Isaac Newton’s third law of motion to the test. Patients stand on a sensor plate capable of detecting differences in force output.

During a squat, the sensors determine how much force is put out on the way down, the amount of time spent at the bottom of the squat, and the force exerted on the way up. Rohrberg said that it’s similar when the patient jumps. The plates sense how much force you push off with and how much is used trying to break momentum on the way down. And it shows your symmetry between the right and left side, helping to determine where you’re loading as you land. This is far more information than a therapist can discern observing with a naked eye.

“The force plates help identify asymmetry during movements including squats and jumps,” Rohrberg said. “We can put someone who has had a knee replacement on the machine and show them that they’re loading more on one side, generally the one that was healthy and had to compensate, and that we need to work more on strengthening the other one.”

Physical therapists at the West Campus recently completed a study looking at the loading patterns (or amount of weight placed on one side of the body vs the other) over time for patients undergoing knee replacement, both pre-and post-surgery. The data will help identify common trends following total knee replacement and help improve patient outcomes.

Cutting-edge technology

Incorporating technology into patient rehab is common at LMH Health. Runners looking for expertise about their running mechanics can turn to RunStrong. Through this program, therapists perform an exam to make objective assessments and use state of the art video analysis at the motion analysis lab at the West Campus.

The video running analysis is used to measure cadence, foot strike and highlight gaps in a runner’s form and technique. It allows the team to understand strengths and weaknesses in order to help retrain their run.

So how does it work? Runners begin their analysis by answering questions about their history, including any injuries, training schedules, gear and their goals. They undergo a short exam so the team can make objective assessments about strength and flexibility and then it’s on to the treadmill.

“Video analysis allows us to look at foot placement and running efficiencies,” said Nami Stone, LMH Health physical therapy director. “We use cameras and a specialized treadmill with sensors that allows us to take measurements and hone in on the areas that a runner needs to work on. If there’s some hip weakness showing up, I can hone in on hip and core work. If the knee bend is too great, we can work on quad strengthening.”

Stone also takes a close look at a runner’s cadence, which is the number of steps per minute they take. It affects ground contact time, which is how long the foot stays in contact with the ground during each stride. Longer ground times equal lower cadence, meaning a longer time that pressure is exerted on joints and muscles, which can increase your risk of injury.

“I have found that by simply increasing cadence, some of the increased bounce and/or increased knee bend significantly improves,” Stone said. “That’s something we can easily look at with these analyses.”

Recovering without weight

If you’ve had surgery following an injury, you might not be able to return to weight-bearing activities right off the bat. The therapists at LMH Health have additional technology to help you get back on your feet.

Therapists may use a blood flow restriction device for patients who’ve undergone ACL construction. This technology mimics heavy weight lifting without actually using weight, which is beneficial for patients who are in post-surgical recovery.

“It sounds counterintuitive, but we basically cut off most of the blood flow to your arm or leg to simulate what it would be like if you’re lifting a really heavy weight,” Rohrberg said. “We’re able to do the same thing by restricting your blood flow with this machine as we may not want to lift heavy weights if you’ve just had surgery, in order to allow tissue to heal properly.”

For patients with injuries where weight-bearing activities are limited, sometimes pool therapy can help. The warm water, adjustable depth, jets and treadmill of the Hydroworx 2000 pool help patients to perform exercises in the water where buoyancy gives them an advantage. The West Campus is the only location in Lawrence to offer treatment using a pool this advanced.

“Having all this technology under one roof gives LMH Health a competitive edge,” Rohrberg said. “We can use all these different tools and we’re able to get a well-rounded picture of where patients are and need to be, both from a testing and recovery standpoint. The technology helps us to make better decisions for our patients.”

— Autumn Bishop is the marketing manager and content strategist at LMH Health, which is a sponsor of the Lawrence Journal-World Health section.