Patent ID: 7695416

Claim:
A device for increasing the range of motion of a patient's knee joint, comprising: a frame including a front end and a back end; a seat coupled to the frame and configured to support the patient in a manner that allows motion of the patient's knee joint; a thigh support assembly projecting upwardly from the frame and configured to support an upper surface of the patient's thigh when seated on the seat; a lever member pivotally coupled to the thigh support assembly at a pivot point; a transverse leg support coupled to the lever member and configured to bear against a portion of the patient's body below the patient's knee joint when the patient is supported on the seat; an actuator including no more than two pivotal connections and generating a translational input movement between the two pivotal connections generally along a vertical plane defined by a centerline of the seat, the first pivotal connection being with the frame at a location between the front and back ends and the second pivotal connection being with the lever member at a location between the pivot point and the transverse leg support; and a controller configured to operate the actuator, wherein the translational input movement generated by the actuator rotates the lever member relative to the frame and thereby stretches the patient's knee joint in a desired direction.