Venous thromboembolisms are serious complications of arthroplasty of the lower extremities. Although early ambulation and active leg exercise is recommended, postoperative patients with surgical pain have difficulty in moving their legs. Therefore, we developed a novel leg exercise apparatus (LEX) to facilitate active leg movement even during the early postoperative period (Fig 1). LEX is a portable apparatus that allows patients to actively move their legs while in the supine position. LEX enables dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, combined eversion and inversion of the ankle, and multi-joint movement of the leg. To describe how LEX facilitates active movement of the leg and thereby increases venous flow in the lower extremities.Background
Objectives
