Kinomatic and WHOOP Partner for Orthopedic Surgery Post-Op Patient Recovery Pilot

• Post-operative recovery from joint replacement is the highest-friction, lowest-supported phase of orthopedic care
  

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif., July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kinomatic, a pioneer in AI- and VR-driven orthopedic surgery planning and concierge recovery, in partnership with WHOOP, the human performance company, today announced the launch of the Kinomatic RESTORE pilot. RESTORE is the first concierge recovery program purpose-built for joint replacement that integrates continuous biometric monitoring into the post-operative experience to close the gap between a successful surgery and consistently great outcomes.

Joint replacement is one of the most successful procedures in modern medicine, but post-operative recovery has not kept pace. Patients are limited to a follow-up appointment at two weeks, and maybe physical therapy a few times a week. There is no continuous connection between the patient and care team, leaving surgeons with limited visibility into how their patients are actually recovering. The Kinomatic RESTORE pilot is designed to demonstrate that a high-touch, data-informed recovery model can improve outcomes, accelerate healing, and reduce reliance on opioids.

RESTORE is a clinically grounded protocol that combines continuous biometric monitoring, dedicated patient navigators, evidence-based protocols, and AI-powered care coordination to support patients throughout the recovery phase after joint replacement surgery.

WHOOP Unite platform will provide surgeons and patient navigators visibility into each patient’s continuous heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, strain, and recovery data. These insights, which are not typically available during patient recovery, will provide continuous recovery monitoring between visits, giving real-time visibility into how each patient is actually healing. The result is higher quality check-ins grounded in data, earlier identification of recovery anomalies, and a personalized protocol for each patient, rather than a one-size-fits-all discharge plan.

"One of the critical moments in patients' health journeys is the path leading up to surgery and the recovery afterward," said Dr. Dan Henderson, Head of Medical Innovation of WHOOP. "This partnership with Kinomatic RESTORE will help patients and their care teams unlock better outcomes through improved readiness for surgery and more fine-tuned recovery afterward."

Patient Outcomes Beyond the OR
A total hip or knee surgery is a 3,000-hour journey, and only one of those hours is spent in the operating room. Under the current standard of care, the majority of a patient’s experience happens without any meaningful connection between them and the provider.

Kinomatic RESTORE changes that equation by giving practices a connected, concierge service they can offer as a meaningful differentiator, with the infrastructure to reduce readmissions, improve patient satisfaction scores, and hit the value-based care metrics that payers and health systems are increasingly prioritizing.

An Opioid-Sparing Approach
Patients recovering from joint replacement face a difficult transition home, often with inadequate pain management guidance, a prescription for opioids, minimal discharge instructions, and no clear point of contact when something feels off.

A key focus of RESTORE is the opioid-sparing approach, which is based on Dr. Andrew Wickline’s more than 10 years of opioid-sparing recovery research. The protocol has virtually eliminated the need for heavy narcotics, rejecting aggressive physical therapy in favor of self-paced home exercises, which prevent the severe joint inflammation that typically drives opioid demand. As a result, patients experience faster, safer recoveries at home while significantly mitigating the risks of narcotic dependency and addiction.

A recent study of total knee arthroplasty patients showed that the average patient used 110 oxycodone 5mg tablets during recovery. Patients taking between 80 to more than 160 tablets face a 37% chance of developing opioid dependency. By contrast, 86% of total knee arthroplasty patients following the protocol take 10 or fewer opioid tablets during recovery, with many taking none at all.

The benefits of this approach extend beyond the patient, delivering measurable, documented outcomes that matter to practices navigating an increasingly value-based care environment.

In addition to improving outcomes for individual patients, the large-scale data generated through the partnership will help optimize recovery protocols and improve decision-making for surgeons. Synthesizing large volumes of population-level data will deliver key insights, create faster and more powerful AI-learning loops, and help speed the adoption of best practices in orthopedics, providing benefits for both surgeons and patients.

“For decades, progress in orthopedics has been constrained by small, expensive clinical studies that take years to translate into everyday practice. By combining continuous real-world population-level data from WHOOP with Kinomatic’s surgical planning and recovery protocols, we’re setting up a new AI-driven standard in orthopedic care,” said Shaun Lea, CEO of Kinomatic. “Learning from thousands of patients at once to continuously refine the care pathway gives RESTORE the ability to use information that was previously locked away into actionable guidance for both surgeons and patients.”

The pilot will run for 12 weeks and include more than 100 patients receiving either a total hip or knee replacement surgery. It will be conducted across 3 clinics in California, including Sah Orthopedic Associates in Fremont, CA. Outcomes will measure range of motion in knee flexion (target 115 degrees) and hip flexion (90-100 degrees) at 2 weeks post-op, with 10 or less opioids used by patients, and a net promoter score of over 85, with follow-up lasting 1 year post-op.

“The RESTORE pilot is focused on changing the status quo in total joint replacement surgery, shifting expected outcomes from good enough to consistently great,” said Dr. Alexander Sah. “The approach is designed to keep patients engaged and pain-free, aligning with the growing movement to reduce opioid dependency in post-surgical orthopedic care.”

Founded in 2021, Kinomatic is the only end-to-end pre- and post-surgical partner purpose-built around the recovery phase of joint replacement, where long-term outcomes are ultimately determined.

About WHOOP
WHOOP delivers a wearable membership to help people live healthier, longer lives and unlock extraordinary potential. Through a powerful 24/7 wearable with a 14-day battery life, WHOOP provides intelligent health guidance across sleep, recovery, strain, fitness, and longevity. The health platform includes an FDA-cleared ECG, a Healthspan longevity feature, Blood Pressure Insights, and Advanced Labs blood biomarker analysis. Research shows that people who wear WHOOP daily log more than 90 additional minutes of exercise per week, get over two extra hours of sleep, and have 10% higher heart rate variability.

Trusted by millions of members worldwide including athletes, global leaders, military operators, executives, and artists, WHOOP has become a modern symbol of disciplined, intentional living. WHOOP was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Boston. The company has raised more than $950 million in venture capital, ships to 56 countries, and operates in six languages. To learn more or start a one-month free trial, visit whoop.com and connect with WHOOP on Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Kinomatic
Kinomatic is an AI- and VR-driven orthopedic surgery planning and aftercare company dedicated to optimizing outcomes for knee and hip joint replacement patients. As the only end-to-end pre- and post-surgical partner purpose-built around the recovery phase, Kinomatic combines service-enabled technology with a concierge patient experience that wraps around the surgeon’s workflow. For more information, visit www.kinomatic.com.

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