‘LESS PAIN – MORE GAIN’ FROM REDCAM

What is the REDCAM™?

The REDCAM™ is a Rehabilitative Exercise Device that enables Controlled Active Movement by the user.  The inventor, Keith Toule, developed the device after his first total knee replacement operation in 1999.

Keith, a Lincolnshire farmer, was frustrated by the slowness of his post-operative recovery.  He set out to develop a rehabilitation device that would enable a faster and less painful recovery after lower limb surgery or injury.  The result was the REDCAM™.

How it Works

The REDCAM™ works by active rather than passive movements which gently exercise the lower leg muscles.  Movement is fully controlled by the user, allowing for increased comfort and enabling the patient to exercise at their own pace.

Benefits:

• Reduced recovery time after lower limb surgery or injury.
• Improves a a patient’s general stamina and fitness level whilst increasing joint mobility.
• Aids circulation and reduces limb swelling.
• Potentially prevents conditions that result from long periods of immobility such as DVT and muscle wasting.
• Effective exercise aid for the less mobile.
• Manually operated and simpler to use, the device can be used in any location.

Aside from rehabilitation following lower limb surgery or injury, the device can also be used to aid circulation after heart surgery or stroke or for patients suffering from vascular disease.  It can also be used to help patients with degenerative muscular diseases remain mobile for longer as well as providing gentle exercise for older people living at home or in care homes.

Rutland Plastics’ Involvement

In the beginning Keith Toule manufactured the REDCAM™ himself by machining the majority of the parts and using off the shelf standard parts where possible.  However, this was not a practical proposition as interest in his invention grew.  Apart from the time taken to produce each device, the cost of producing them was preventing access to a wider market.

Keith approached Rutland Plastics with a view to helping him develop the design of the REDCAM™ to be more cost effective in its manufacture and have a more professional appearance.  Each of the parts was redesigned to be injection mouldings or suitable alternatives resulting in an easier to assemble and cheaper product.

So far three parts have been converted to injection mouldings, and Keith is applying for development grants to complete the conversion process.  Demand for the device is starting to increase and other uses have been suggested, for example to aid rehabilitation following upper limb surgery or injury.

From a personal need to speed recovery has come an innovative and cost effective rehabilitation device that once again illustrates British inventiveness combined with manufacturing know-how.

For more information: www.lincolnredcam.com

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