Equipment for joint mobility training does not include

Equipment for joint activity training does not include independent dumbbells with weights of more than 1kg, medical high-power whole-body vibration devices, and pulse shortwave therapy devices that are often confused. Whether other tools with seemingly similar functions fall into the category must be determined based on the actual use scenarios and training purposes, and cannot be generalized.

I have been in the rehabilitation department for almost five years, and I have met at least dozens of times when patients or their family members asked me if the above three categories of things were used to practice joint movement. Especially for patients after surgery for rotator cuff injuries and ankle fractures, the family members always felt that "adding weight and pressing down will make the joint movements easier." "The joints loosen faster." Last week, there was a patient who was 3 weeks after rotator cuff surgery. The family member came over with a 10lb dumbbell and said that he wanted to lift the patient's arm to increase the range of motion. I quickly stopped him - if he really hung it up, the newly sutured tendons might be torn.

In fact, the sports rehabilitation circle has always had two different views on this classification. One is the "tool attribute theory", which believes that anything that can assist in completing joint activities is considered. For example, if you use a mineral water bottle filled with water as a light counterweight to stretch the wrist joint, the mineral water bottle can also be regarded as a temporary training tool.； The other school is the "exclusive functional theory", which believes that only equipment designed to improve joint mobility can be included in the category, and the rest, even if they occasionally make cameo appearances, are not considered essential. The current mainstream rehabilitation equipment classification standard adopts the second logic, and our discussion today will also follow this.

Let’s talk about the most confusing weight-bearing dumbbells first. Its own design logic is to increase load on muscles and improve muscle strength and muscular endurance. Unless light dumbbells below 0.5kg are used as counterweights for passive traction of joints, independent dumbbells above 1kg sold on the market do not belong to the category of joint activity training equipment at all. There was a patient who was two months after surgery for an ankle fracture. He used a 2kg dumbbell to press his feet to practice dorsiflexion at home. Originally, he was only 5 degrees short of the full angle. However, after the hard press, he became swollen for 3 days, and his range of motion returned to 10 degrees. It was a loss.

Let’s talk about the medical high-power whole body vibration machine. Many rehabilitation departments have this equipment. Standing on it and shaking for a few minutes can relieve muscle tension problems a lot, so many people mistakenly think that it is used to increase joint mobility. In fact, its core function is to improve muscle tension and enhance proprioception. It is a tool for muscle strength and proprioception training. Even if it indirectly relaxes the muscles around the joints during use, making subsequent joint activities smoother, it itself is not an exclusive device for joint activity training. Of course, there are also a small number of children's rehabilitation therapists who use low-frequency vibrators to assist in stretching the spastic joints of children with cerebral palsy. They feel that this scenario can be classified as an auxiliary tool, but this view has not yet been generally recognized by the industry.

Needless to say, the pulse short wave therapy device is a typical physical factor therapy device. It relies on the thermal and non-thermal effects of electromagnetic waves to reduce inflammation, analgesia, and relax deep soft tissues. You just need to lie still during the entire process. There is no active or passive joint movement process at all. Even if the joint stiffness is relieved and the temporary range of motion is increased after the treatment, it has nothing to do with joint movement training equipment.

When I usually educate patients, I always like to talk about a lazy person’s judgment: when you use this device, does the target joint move within the tolerable range throughout the entire process? If so, even an old towel or a plastic bottle filled with half a bottle of water can be used as an auxiliary tool for joint movement. ； If you rely on external force to heat and shock your muscles, or simply add load to your muscles to build strength, then no matter how good the seller is, it is not considered a serious joint mobility training device.

If you really want to practice joint mobility, you don’t have to buy any internet celebrity artifacts. Ask your therapist first what is suitable for you. Don’t just carry everything home. In the end, if you fail to practice it well, you will injure your joints, which is not worth the gain.