Overview
Recently, your doctor replaced your old painful knee with a new artificial one. Now that you are out of the hospital, you should be able to stand and walk normally very soon.
However, to get the best recovery possible, you’ll need to walk frequently and exercise your knee every day.
One important part of your recovery is continued use of the GAP-FLEX® System your doctor ordered for you in the hospital. GAP-FLEX® is a simple device combination designed to help you flex your knee more and more over time. As you feel more flexible, you simply peel off layers of foam until you are able to bend your knee over the base foam.
Patient Benefits
The GAP-FLEX® System is a comfortable and convenient therapy to improve recovery from total knee replacement.
- Easy to use
- Short 6 minute sessions, up to 6 times a day
- Easy to transport the device
- Lifetime benefits you can keep your GAP-FLEX® and use it anytime you feel you might need it
How to Use
Start by lying on your back with your bed in a flat position. Lift the leg with the new knee and flex your knee approximately 90 degrees. Place the GAP-FLEX® under the knee with the GAP-FLEX® logo facing away from you. The GAP-FLEX® should touch up against the back of your thigh, and the padded “T” bar should be directly under the back of your knee, allowing the knee to bend over the padded “T” bar. Use the GAP-FLEX® for 6 minutes per treatment.
After each treatment, flex and extend your knee several times, and stand and walk around for about 2 minutes.
Then place your leg in the GAP-FLEX® Extension Block for 10 minutes. You’ll receive the maximum benefits from GAP-FLEX® if you follow these guidelines up to 6 times each day, removing layers of foam as you gain increased flexibility.
If you experience any significant pain or increased numbness in the knee, calf or foot, stop the treatment until you speak to your doctor or physical therapist.
FAQ
FAQ 1: What is the GAP-FLEX® System?
The GAP-FLEX® System is designed to accelerate range-of-motion recovery and rehabilitation with a convenient, simple device. Utilizing the brilliantly simple platform of gravity, patients using the GAP-FLEX® System notice a more comfortable and less painful method of recovery allowing them to ultimately get back to life FASTER.
FAQ 2: When was the GAP-FLEX® System developed?
GAP-FLEX® was designed in 2014 after a physical therapist treated thousands of patients who had undergone total knee replacements and observed that many of them were not complying with their surgeons’ instructions to use continuous passive motion (CPM) devices to assist with rehabilitation. The CPM was then the standard for post-operative, at-home care. Although most orthopedic surgeons agree that effective physical therapy is key to recovering quickly and fully from knee replacement surgery, many patients object to PT programs. When used in conjunction with an effective, targeted physical therapy program, the GAP-FLEX® System provides a faster and more cost-effective recovery than the CPM. Some patients have reported a recovery up to 90% faster with GAP-FLEX®.
FAQ 3: Who is the ideal user of the GAP-FLEX® System?
The GAP-FLEX® gravity flexion method is ideal for almost anyone recovering from knee replacement, ACL/MCL or other range-of-motion surgeries, but it is especially suited for use by young and elderly patients. With other post-operative treatment methods, physical therapists report young patients’ busy schedules make it difficult for them to maintain treatment commitments, and older adults fail to comply because they cannot withstand long periods of exertion. GAP-FLEX® eliminates both of these objections.
FAQ 4: How does the GAP-FLEX® System work?
The setup is simple, and the equipment takes up minimal space and is easily stored. All that is required is the GAP-FLEX® T-bar frame with removable foam and the GAP-FLEX® foam extension block. The ease-of-use, comfort and minimal session time makes the GAP-FLEX® a more pleasant experience, which leads to faster recovery and better results. Patients using the GAP-FLEX® are also able to track their sessions and monitor their progress in a convenient mobile app.
FAQ 5: Describe a typical therapy session using the GAP-FLEX® System.
A typical session starts with the patient lying flat on their back on a flat surface. The Gap-Flex® is placed under the injured knee allowing the device to be flush against the back of the thigh with the leg draped over the padded T-bar. The patient is instructed to hold this position for 6 minutes, followed by 2 minutes of slow-to-medium-paced walking. The patient then returns to lying flat on their back on a flat surface, then placing their heel in the cutout area of the Extension Block making sure the leg is completely extended and straight for 10 minutes.
Support Materials
Click on the links below to learn more about GAP-FLEX®.