Generally, patients with osteoarthritis often fear the pain from knee replacement surgery and worry whether they will be able to walk normally again after the surgery. They are also uncertain about how long it will take to recover and return to their desired lifestyle. Nowadays, with advanced and more effective physical therapy and post-surgery rehabilitation technologies, two main tools are used: Cryotherapy and the Balance Machine.
Cryotherapy uses cold therapy to rehabilitate the knee after surgery
Cryotherapy is a rehabilitation treatment using cold vapor. The cold causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow in the treated area, which effectively reduces swelling and inflammation. At the same time, it helps reduce muscle spasms, allowing muscles to stretch and relax better. The nerve conduction speed also slows down, which helps reduce pain after surgery simultaneously.
Modern Cryotherapy machines have an infrared feedback system that controls the temperature to be appropriate—not too high to be ineffective and not too low to damage the skin from extreme cold. Therefore, there is no concern about the risk of use. The cold spray nozzle can also be adjusted according to the area needing rehabilitation. This cold therapy process takes a short time but yields high rehabilitation effectiveness. After knee surgery, patients undergoing Cryotherapy treatment experience less inflammation, pain, and swelling in the knee, allowing faster recovery and improved knee mobility.
Balance Machine: an assessment and balance training device to prevent injury from falls after surgery
After knee surgery, the rehabilitation process using cold vapor with the Cryotherapy machine helps patients gradually regain leg movement and walking ability. This period is still considered high risk. If patients rush to walk or become complacent because the pain has subsided, they risk falling and having accidents, which can cause re-injury and slower recovery. For this reason, the Balance Machine plays an important role. It is used to test balance ability and simultaneously train to improve balance. It helps assess the movement capacity after knee surgery to determine how well the patient has recovered and is ready for standing and walking. This leads to physical therapy that helps patients recover and walk normally faster. It is a key tool in preventing falls because it is the first step to clearly understanding the patient’s balance ability after surgery.
If the assessment shows poor balance, personalized training programs will be provided, such as projecting images that the trainee must track visually. This trains the coordination between the brain’s vision and muscles, making the training enjoyable and speeding up balance recovery. In treating osteoarthritis, besides surgery performed by expert doctors, proper post-surgery care, physical therapy, and rehabilitation by a specialized medical team are also necessary. This ensures patients can use their legs and knees to walk and perform daily activities normally and happily without complications that require long-term treatment.
Currently, Phyathai 3 Hospital is fully equipped with expert surgeons, tools, and rehabilitation facilities. The hospital has specialized medical personnel and technology that enhance the effectiveness of surgery and post-surgery physical therapy. There is also a robotic knee replacement surgery system that improves surgical accuracy, results in smaller wounds, and less pain. The Cryotherapy and Balance Machine help patients recover quickly and walk normally sooner after surgery.
For more information, please contact
Muscle, Bone, and Joint Center
Phyathai 3 Hospital, 1st Floor
Tel. 02-467-1111 ext. 3100 and 3112