Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tired of working your life around weekly physical therapy sessions? Two New York orthopedic surgeons say they have a solution: "The Knee, Home Rehabilitation Series," a DVD aimed at people who are too busy to attend regular treatment sessions.

Mark Klion, a clinical instructor in the department of orthopedics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, developed the DVD with his colleague James Cappozzi and a certified physical therapist. In the program, Klion (no white coat, but present in all the frames) points out techniques and offers encouragement to viewers, who rank themselves beginner, intermediate or advanced, then follow exercise demonstrations for that level.

Elliott Weintrob, 42, of Bethesda has been using the video three to four times a week "at a time that fits my schedule'' for his patella tendinitis, an inflammation of the patellar tendon.

Using the DVD, he says, means "I'm not either racing in the car to be on time for the appointment or racing back to work.''

Wiemi Douoguih, director of sports medicine at the Washington Hospital Center, gave the DVD high marks, but as an adjunct to treatment, not a replacement. He worries that some patients could assess themselves incorrectly -- and go too slow or too fast. And for some conditions, he says, a therapist should be present to be sure the patient gets the full knee extension needed to recover from injury.

Jennifer Rondon, a spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association, strongly advised that patients be evaluated first before they follow a DVD like this. "Without a complete examination . . . it is impossible to determine the appropriate plan of care for the patient,'' Rondon said. "It is not a one-size-fits-all approach."

Klion and Cappozzi plan more DVDs, on the back and the shoulder, within the year. Videos, $40 each, are available at http://www.spinervals.com or by calling 212-289-0700.

-- Francesca Lunzer Kritz