KAATSU Protocols for Total Knee Replacements
For who? Baby Boomers, retirees or athletes who have a total knee replacement (TKA)
For what? rapid recovery in order to regain mobility and flexibility, and maintain strength
Some surgeries are minimally invasive and others are much more so.
KAATSU can significantly help the skin and underlying tissue quickly repair and recover – so much so that experienced surgeons who know their patients who do post-surgery KAATSU will have to get their stitches removed more quickly than those patients who do not do KAATSU.
“What happens is the skin recovers and grows back more quickly,”
explains Steven Munatones.
“This is due to the systemic effects of KAATSU and the biochemical reactions that occur as the result of Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets, repeatedly and consistently done during rehabilitation and recovery.”
These Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets help enhance the natural healing process. “If the stitches are left in the leg for the ‘normal’ amount of time, your skin will grow over the stitches. In these cases, the surgeon will have to go back in and remove the overgrown sutures. This can cause infection that is best avoided,” Munatones said.
“One thing that we have seen time and time again is how quickly the skin and wound heals. The skin around the wound can heal so quickly with repeated KAATSU Cycle sets that the skin grows over the sutures – much faster than what is normally expected by physicians.
When physicians schedule the normal removal of the sutures, patients utilizing Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets will often experience faster than normal healing of wounds and incisions. So, a patient should inform their attending physician of this phenomenon.”
The five periodically taken photographs shown on the left demonstrate the rapid recovery of the sutures and skin on a 49-year-old military veteran who had total knee replacement (TKA) surgery at a Veterans Administration hospital in Florida.
Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) or a total knee replacement is when the end of the femur bone and end of the tibia are removed and replaced. Pain, muscle weakness, and reduced function can result from a disease or an injury that leads to a total knee replacement surgery where the diseased or injured knee joint is replaced with artificial material.
Key Points with KAATSU for Patients who undergo TKA
- Do physical therapy utilizing all the traditional and proven therapeutic procedures.
- You can augment their physical therapy with Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets up to 3 times per day in the comfort of your home or before or during your physical therapy sessions.
- Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets consist of repeated 30 seconds of inflation of the KAATSU Air Bands followed by 5 seconds of deflation. There is a slight increase in pressure during each subsequent inflation interval.
- Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets can be performed in the morning, afternoon and evenings for a total integration of KAATSU with regularly
- 3-6 Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets are first done on your arms and then followed by 3-6 additional Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets on your legs.
- All standard KAATSU protocols (i.e., Do’s and Don’ts) should be strictly followed:
- remain well hydrated before and during the KAATSU session
- ‘one-finger tightness’ is recommended when applying the KAATSU Air Bands on your arm and leg bands
- your skin tone should turn darker (i.e., pinker, redder, or more purple) as your vascular tissue becomes engorged with blood
- breathe normally while doing KAATSU; holding of your breath is strictly prohibited
“You always want to start off with your arms,”
said Munatones.
“That is key for optimization of the effects on your lower body, although that may seem counter-intuitive. Also, seemingly counter-intuitive is to start slowly with the KAATSU pressure. There is no need to start off with high pressure; in fact, that is not good. You always need to start with light, conservative pressure. You can start off with low pressure on the first one or two sets – each set is between 5-7 minutes. Then you gradually increase the pressure on the subsequent sets.
On the KAATSU Cycle 2.0, KAATSU Master 2.0, KAATSU C3, and KAATSU B1 models, there are 8 sets of 30 seconds of pressure on, followed by 5 seconds of pressure off.
These KAATSU Cycle sets can be performed in the mornings and again in the afternoon and evenings – as you sit down to work, watch television, read, and any number of normal household and work responsibilities as well as integrate KAATSU to regularly scheduled physical therapy sessions.
All the usual KAATSU protocols should be followed:
- always be well hydrated before and during KAATSU
- * always start KAATSU on your arms, then do KAATSU your legs
- * always have good KAATSU color (i.e., have a pinker or redder skin color)
- always feel comfortable doing KAATSU; never feel uncomfortable or lightheaded
- always start off with conservative pressure and gradually increase
- do simple movements during KAATSU Cycle sets; you do not have to do intense, vigorous exercises
- incorporate KAATSU into your standard physical therapy exercises, as you and your therapist wish
- do 3-6 KAATSU Cycle sets on your upper and lower limbs during each KAATSU session
- do 1-3 sessions per day as time permits
- do either Single-limb KAATSU Cycle sets on only one leg or Standard (Dual-limb) KAATSU Cycle sets on both legs. That is, you can focus on only one limb at a time if you and your therapist wish. If time permits, doing repeated Single-limb Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets on the leg being rehabilitated is ideal.
- always start conservatively with KAATSU: either with low pressure or only 1 KAATSU Cycle set per day
- gradually increase the number of KAATSU Cycle sets over the course of several weeks
- do various kinds of movements – or no movement at all as you desire. However, doing KAATSU Cycle sets repeatedly and daily, and especially before and during the physical therapy sessions is especially helpful.
- you can do simple Standard KAATSU 3-Point Exercises (e.g., Hand Clenches, Biceps Curls, Triceps Extensions, Toe Curls) or other movements (e.g., Head or Foot Rotations, Balancing on One Foot, Stretching, Walking, Standing Up and Sitting Down, Handwriting). Additionally, isometric exercises and muscle contractions are also used.
- it is very important avoid any painful movements or any sudden movements. KAATSU is best done with slow, easy, gentle movements. You can think of KAATSU as slow stretching of the muscular and connective tissue.
- you can – and should – begin this rehabilitation protocol before your surgery as an ideal form of prehab