GaitSmart with vGym can provide tailored rehabilitation for a wide range of patients that may have little access to physiotherapy. GaitSmart also provides a fantastic monitoring system by providing trackable objective measurements. These measurements can also be used to guide interventions, such as muscle-strengthening exercises.
At present - only a subset of patients are only provided with physiotherapy appointments. GaitSmart aims to provide affordable access to guided rehabilitation to those that would not currently recieve treatment, or would have long waits for treatment.
Our protocol involves providing 4 sets of tests, spaced every 3 weeks, and 4 sets of personalised exercises to the subject. Our control group is measured with a test at week 1 and 12 only. See our team at NNUH HERE.This clinical trial is supported by Innovate UK.
Joint replacement recovery has been typically monitored using visual inspection of gait parameters, such as maximum knee flex. For many patients, this is just not accurate enough with studies showing that many patients remain unable to walk properly 12 months post-surgery.
The objective measurements provided by GaitSmart allows accurate monitoring and informed rehabilitation and post-operative care plans. As a result of our many years in research, we also own databases recording the progress of hundreds of patients for knee and hip replacement with quantitative measurements that can help to guide these plans.
It is often a long road to surgery and prehabilitation can help in several ways. Early provision of exercises can help relieve and manage early-onset osteoarthritis. Walking with pain while waiting for surgery can cause muscular imbalances that can prevent optimal recovery post-surgery. Pre-surgical exercises can ensure that the patient is muscularly fit enough to recover from surgery and return to a normal gait pattern.
Learning to walk again is the first goal following knee or hip surgery. However, pain can lead to compensation that can result in long-term gait anomalies and an unsuccessful surgery. Early and continued rehabilitation can help prevent this.
Currently there are ~3 million people a year on surgical waiting lists with a small fraction receiving any kind of physiotherapy
Furthermore, new care procedures mean not all NHS patients recieve access to physiotherapy clinics post-surgery
Limiting the time spent in hospital settings has become a primary concern for patients and clinicians worldwide. Digitial solutions that can provide quantitative monitoring and guidance are crucial tools to use alongside virtual appointments.
