Boundary Community Hospital
Marketing and Community Relations
The Fry Healthcare Foundation is pleased to announce that they were able to raise the funds required to purchase the Kinetec Centura Anatomical Shoulder and Elbow Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine for Boundary Community Hospital Rehabilitation Services. The money for the CPM Machine was pledged during the Fund-An-Item portion of the Festival of Trees Gala held in December.
“The support and generosity of the community for the Fry Healthcare Foundation directly impacts the high quality of care provided by Boundary Community Hospital," said Fry Healthcare President, Carol Julian. “Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Festival of Trees such a success and giving us the
opportunity to gift the hospital with this necessary piece of equipment.”
The CPM Machine provides post-operative passive range of motion rehabilitation, which prevents joint stiffness, edema, soft tissue contractures and muscle atrophy. The color-coded patient set-up is anatomical, comfortable and easy, hand programmable, and interchangeable for right and left side use. With an estimated
25% of the Hospital’s outpatients presenting with shoulder issues, this passive range of motion machine will be a significant addition to the Rehabilitation Department.
Manager of Rehabilitation Services Petra Timmermans explains:“In the early days of orthopedic surgery, rest and immobilization were often prescribed as the most important part of the initial healing process. Over time,
ongoing research however has shown that for joints, ligaments and muscles to heal optimally, the earlier movement can be re-introduced, the better.
"Early movement helps with pain control, decreases swelling, and increases the blood flow to the area, which helps with healing. The so-called 'synovial fluid,' a fluid that is present inside joints and lubricates them, depends on joint movement for its production to be triggered. Surrounding soft tissue - ligaments, tendons and muscles - benefit from early gentle stretching to prevent cramping and tightening.
"Those who have had a knee replacement may be familiar with a CPM machine for the knee. These simpler units are often prescribed as a home unit for the first few weeks after surgery, and provide passive, gentle, slow bending and straightening of the knee within prescribed limits. This has proven to be very effective for
the early part of the rehabilitation and helps with pain control as well as regaining knee movement early on. In addition, these patients are able to start walking and actively using their muscles from day one after surgery.
"At the Boundary Community Hospital Rehab Department, we also see many patients after a shoulder injury or surgery. They are an estimated 25% of our caseload and we see more patients after shoulder surgery than hip and knee combined. Compared to the hip and knee, the shoulder is a very flexible joint with an immense range of movement. This allows us to do activities such as playing golf or tennis or reaching behind our back. The downside is that the shoulder is much more susceptible to injury and overuse. Because there are so many more small muscles and tendons surrounding and stabilizing the shoulder, injury or surgery often needs to be followed by a period of protection of the tissues that were damaged, to prevent further damage or tearing.
"A CPM machine can guide the shoulder joint through all its movements, and provide slow, gentle motion on a consistent and predictable basis. Because the patient does not need to move their own muscles, this machine can be used immediately. Thanks to the Fry Healthcare Foundation and the Festival of Trees,
this now has become a reality for our Rehab Department and we are extremely excited to have this state-of-the-art piece of equipment available to us.”