Patent ID: 9186292
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: A61H

Abstract:
1. A device for rehabilitating a human knee joint following a knee joint arthroplasty to restore range of motion to the knee joint, the device comprising: a seat for supporting a knee joint arthroplasty patient, including supporting an upper leg of the patient; a moveable lower leg support assembly sized and positioned for supporting and moving a lower leg of the patient independent of support for the upper leg of the patient, the moveable lower leg support assembly comprising a limb attachment mechanism for securing the lower leg of the patient to the moveable lower leg support assembly so as to be able to isolate and to cause both flexion and extension of the knee joint of the patient, the moveable lower leg support assembly being pivotally attached to the device adjacent the seat; a motor connected to the moveable lower leg support assembly for driving the moveable lower leg support assembly to produce both flexion and extension of the knee joint of the patient through a full range of motion of the knee joint such that the patient need not use his or her leg muscles to cause the flexion and extension of the knee joint; an encoder for measuring position and speed of the moveable lower leg support assembly when being driven by the motor; a patient control device communicating with both the encoder and the motor, wherein the patient control device comprises a display for displaying to the patient information about the position of the lower leg support assembly based on output from the encoder; and wherein the patient control device is programmed to accept user input to control the motor to control the position and speed of the moveable lower leg support assembly, such that, using the patient control device, the patient, at any and all times during use of the device, dynamically controls the motor to control specifically whether, to what extent and for how long the knee joint experiences flexion or extension, dynamically controlling the motor meaning that the user is not confined to operating the knee rehabilitation device only under operating parameters set at a beginning of a rehabilitation session, but, during the rehabilitation session, has control to move his or her own knee through a full range of motion between extension and flexion, at a desired speed, and to hold any position of flexion or extension of the knee joint for any desired duration, thereby directly managing personal factors of pain and stiffness in the knee joint following arthroplasty.