Based out of Brookfield, Connecticut, ROM Technologies ™, Inc. is one of the fastest growing companies in the telehealth sector thanks to their suite of cutting-edge telemed technologies, and they hold patents.
The company is focused on delivering at-home, remote rehabilitation systems that are cost-effective, convenient for patient use, and deliver better patient outcomes while reducing overall rehabilitation and recovery times.
ROMTech ® PortableConnect ®
PortableConnect ® is a telehealth technologies-powered remote rehabilitation device specially designed for patients undergoing post-arthroscopic repairs rehab. These include a variety of arthroscopic situations, including knee arthroscopy and arthroplasty, joint manipulations, total or partial hip replacement, foot or ankle surgery, ligament reconstruction, and more.
Pilot studies show that patients using ROMTech ® PortableConnect ® recover from these significant surgeries and regain their normal or pre-operative range of motion significantly faster than standard rehab care. Patients using the device also report experiencing lower levels of pain during the entire recovery period.
According to the recovery treatment plan created by the clinician and the care team, patients can complete their entire rehab protocol on PortableConnect ® or use it as an adjunct to physical therapy. Also, the gentle, therapeutic movements facilitated by the device mean that patients can start their rehab sessions at home immediately after surgery.
Thanks to the latest in telehealth technology used for the device, the performance of the recovering patient is monitored, recorded, and delivered online to the therapy care team. The latter can then decide whether the patient needs to adjust the prescribed protocol.
If necessary, the therapy routine can be adjusted or modified on a day-to-day basis, depending on the patient progress or setbacks. All adjustments to the exercise routine can be easily programmed and sent online to the device, and the patients will find them during their next rehab session.
With the ROM Technologies ™ PortableConnect ®, the physiotherapist can also interact with the patient when needed. All this means that the recovering patient never needs to leave their home during the entirety of the rehab period.
PortableConnect ® vs. CPM
PortableConnect ® is not the first at-home rehab device designed for arthroscopic patients. Orthopedics had already had the CPM or Continuous Passive Motion devices designed for the same purpose—patients being able to recover from the comfort of their homes.
However, there is a difference between the CPM devices and what ROMTech ® PortableConnect ® can offer. A second-generation orthopedic surgeon from Geneva, Illinois, explains that apart from the fact that the CPM machines do not feature telehealth technologies, the devices in themselves lack efficiency in patient recovery.
The surgeon in question, always willing to incorporate different non-surgical and alternative treatment methods into his practice, mentions that a CPM device is no more than a simple lay on a patient’s couch or bed. With this machine, a patient must hook her legs up to the device and keep bending and straightening her knees slowly for hours.
This made patients lazy and prevented them from taking a proactive role in their recovery. This not only prolongs the recovery time but also leads to improper recovery. Many patients also reported back pain using a CPM machine, mainly because they must continue their exercise on the device for 5-6 hours at a time.
Due to these reasons, a majority of clinicians no longer include CPM machines in their recovery protocol.
PortableConnect ® vs. Standard Rehab Care
The ROMTech ® PortableConnect ® also fares much better than modern-day, streamlined rehab care routines. As mentioned, the PortableConnect ® is proven to help orthopedic patients achieve more excellent extension, a better range of motion, faster recovery, reduced pain, and altogether better rehabilitation experience post-surgery.
By the second week of their recovery, PortableConnect ® patients regained a 112° range of motion. The number stands at 99° for patients under a standard rehab routine.
80% of ROMTech ® patients reported experiencing significantly less pain than patients following a standard rehab protocol.
Many doctors who prescribe the ROMTech ® PortableConnect ® to their patients also confirm this last piece of statistics. The most trusted testimonies come from patients who have been through these different routines. For example, some patients followed a standard rehab routine after their first knee surgery and the ROMTech ® rehab during the second.
The fact that the PortableConnect ® reduces the level of pain during the entire recovery period is also significant in light of the opioid crisis the United States has been suffering from for a good time now.
And all this started with physicians prescribing opioid drugs as pain medication following the assurance from pharma companies that these drugs are not addictive. As has been found, even legal opioid drugs indeed carry high risks of addiction!
Benefits of At-Home Rehabilitation (Especially Post-Pandemic)
A highly respected senior orthopedic surgeon who also serves on the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of councilors mentions that telehealth solutions offered by ROMTech ® Solutions are the future of rehabilitation care, not only in orthopedics but in many other medical disciplines as well.
The doctor remarks that prolonged hospital stays are fast becoming a thing of the past and point out that most orthopedic surgeries today are already performed at non-hospital settings such as day surgery centers.
Vis-à-vis post-op orthopedic recovery, the doctor maintains that patients recovering at home have the opportunity to stay more mobile, which plays an integral part in reducing pain and faster recovery. Moreover, one runs fewer risks of suffering from complications like blood clots and others when recovering from home.
In addition, receiving complete at-home rehabilitation through rehab systems like PortableConnect ® means that the patients run no risks of getting infected by others. This risk is considerably more when someone spends their recovery period in a hospital district (although this is rare these days).
However, even visiting therapy care centers during standard rehab (patients need to visit the therapy center 2-3 times a week in the first two weeks post-surgery) is no longer considered safe, especially in this post-pandemic era for elderly populations.