The Geko Device: Our Advanced Healing Tool for Enhanced Recovery at Orthopaedic Innovation

The Geko device is a small, self-adhesive, wearable neuromuscular electro stimulator. This discreet device represents a significant advancement in non-invasive patient care. We apply it to the skin just below the knee, over the head of the fibula bone.

Its design allows for simple integration into a patient's daily routine. This makes it a versatile tool for use both in clinical settings and, crucially, in the comfort of a patient's home.

The Geko device’s ingenious mechanism lies in its ability to harness the body’s natural processes, directly enhancing the conditions needed for healing. This is achieved through neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), a therapeutic technique that uses electrical impulses to activate muscles. Here’s how this advanced tool functions:

• Gentle Electrical Pulse: The device delivers a gentle, precisely controlled electrical pulse once per second.
• Targeted Nerve Stimulation: This pulse specifically targets the common peroneal nerve.
• Muscle Pump Activation: This stimulation effectively activates the calf and foot muscle pumps, which are vital for healthy circulation.
• Enhanced Blood Flow: The activation significantly increases venous, arterial, and microvascular blood flow. This means more efficient transport of oxygenated blood directly to the wound bed and its edges. It powerfully replicates the beneficial effects of exercise at a cellular level.

This targeted increase in blood flow provides the essential oxygen and nutrients necessary to accelerate the body's natural wound healing processes, making it an invaluable healing tool for our patients at Orthopaedic Innovation. 

You can learn more about how NMES works generally from sources like The Physiotherapy Place¹.

The Geko device’s ingenious mechanism lies in its ability to harness the body’s natural processes, directly enhancing the conditions needed for healing. This is achieved through neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), a therapeutic technique that uses electrical impulses to activate muscles. Here’s how this advanced tool functions:

• Gentle Electrical Pulse: The device delivers a gentle, precisely controlled electrical pulse once per second.
• Targeted Nerve Stimulation: This pulse specifically targets the common peroneal nerve.
• Muscle Pump Activation: This stimulation effectively activates the calf and foot muscle pumps, which are vital for healthy circulation.
• Enhanced Blood Flow: The activation significantly increases venous, arterial, and microvascular blood flow. This means more efficient transport of oxygenated blood directly to the wound bed and its edges. It powerfully replicates the beneficial effects of exercise at a cellular level.

This targeted increase in blood flow provides the essential oxygen and nutrients necessary to accelerate the body's natural wound healing processes, making it an invaluable healing tool for our patients at Orthopaedic Innovation. 

You can learn more about how NMES works generally from sources like The Physiotherapy Place¹.

At Orthopaedic Innovation, we incorporate the Geko device primarily as an effective treatment for patients facing hard-to-heal wounds, with a particular emphasis on conditions like venous leg ulcers (VLUs). These types of ulcers, as described by the NHS², are often challenging due to underlying circulation issues. 

The Geko device's application yields significant benefits for our patients and contributes to optimising their recovery:

• Accelerated Wound Healing: Clinical data shows the Geko device can more than double the rate of wound healing compared to standard care alone.
• Improved Patient Outcomes and Quality of Life: Faster healing leads to reduced pain and discomfort. It allows our patients to regain independence and quality of life more quickly.
• Cost Efficiency for Healthcare: By accelerating healing and reducing the need for frequent nurse visits and prolonged treatment, the device offers substantial cost savings within healthcare systems.
• Reduced Environmental Impact: Optimised wound care pathways, with less nurse travel, reduced product usage, and decreased waste generation, contribute positively to the environmental impact of patient care.
• High Patient Tolerability: The device is well-tolerated by patients, with a reported 94% concordance, indicating high patient acceptance and adherence to treatment.

Empowering Self-Care: Its simplicity allows our patients to take a more active role in their own care. It can even enable family members to assist, optimising wound care pathways in a home setting.

The Geko device aligns perfectly with Orthopaedic Innovation's overarching philosophy of joint preservation and providing comprehensive care. It serves as an advanced, non-invasive tool that supports healing and recovery. 

Just as we offer therapies like LipogemsⓇ, Advanced PRP, and ArthrosamidⓇ injections for knee pain (as highlighted on our Treatments page), the Geko device complements both non-surgical and post-surgical pathways. 

It underscores our commitment to utilising innovative tools that enhance the body’s natural healing capabilities and reduce the need for more invasive interventions, or aid recovery after them, supporting our goal to preserve and restore natural function.

Our commitment to innovation at Orthopaedic Innovation is epitomised by specialists like Professor Adrian Wilson. He consistently stands at the forefront of the latest technology, not only expertly utilising tools such as the Geko device but also inventing and patenting pioneering techniques like the "All Inside" ACL/PCL reconstruction and the "Internal Brace."

Learn more about Professor Wilson here

This active role in shaping orthopaedic advancements ensures we readily integrate valuable technologies, like the Geko device through the NHS Supply Chain. Our patients consistently benefit from the very latest in healing solutions, guided by a surgeon who actively shapes the future of orthopaedics.