Exercise apparatus for a person with muscular deficiency

• US 20040023759A1
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neopraxis Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Neopraxis Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Duncan, Michael Robert, Parker, Simon Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,497,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/57
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance

Abstract

An exercise system (10) for exercising at least one limb, such as the legs, of a subject with spinal cord injury or deficiency. The system (10) comprises an exercise bicycle (20) having a crank (17) and pedals (16) to which the feet of the subject can be mounted, and a functional electrical stimulation (FES) system (30). The FES system (30) stimulates the muscles of the legs and includes a transducer (51) mountable to at least one of the legs of the subject (12) that outputs signals representative of the position and/or movement of the leg when performing the exercise. The FES system (30) further includes a control means that receives and processes the signals output by the transducer (51) and outputs control signals to a stimulator (35) that through electrodes (53) provides electrical stimulation to the legs of the subject (12) so as to cause the legs to drive the crank (17) of the bicycle (20).

Claims

1. A functional electrical stimulation system for exercising the limbs of a subject, the system comprising:

limb monitoring means having at least one sensor mountable to at least one limb of the subject that outputs signals representative of the position and/or movement of said at least one limb during exercise; and

a control means that receives and processes the signals output by the monitoring means and outputs control signals to a stimulating means adapted to provide electrical stimulation to said at least one limb in response to the position and/or movement of said at least one limb detected by the monitoring means;

wherein the control means has a storage means having at least one predetermined action sequence storable therein such that on receipt of signals from the monitoring means, said at least one predetermined action sequence is provided to the stimulating means.

2. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 1 wherein two or more predetermined action sequences are storable in the storage means and further wherein the system includes a selector means that allows selection of one of the sequences depending on the type of exercise being provided to the limb of the subject.

3. A functional electrical system of claim 2 wherein one of the predetermined action sequences is adapted to stimulate said at least one limb to cause rotation of a rotatable means.

4. A functional electrical system of claim 3 wherein said at least one limb is a leg and the rotatable means is a pedal and crank arrangement of an exercise device.

5. A functional electrical system of claim 4 wherein the monitoring means continuously monitors the changing orientation of the thigh of the subjects leg relative to a predetermined plane as the leg rotates the rotatable means.

6. A functional electrical system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is implantable within said at least one limb of the subject.

7. A functional electrical system of claim 1 wherein the stimulating means is implantable within the subject.

8. A functional electrical system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is an inertial sensor.

9. A functional electrical system of claim 5 wherein the at least one predetermined action sequence results in stimulation of the quadriceps, the hamstrings and the gluteal muscles of the subject'"'"'s legs in order so as to enable a pedalling motion of the leg to cause the rotation of the pedal and crank arrangement.

10. A functional electrical system of claim 1 wherein the control means is a microprocessor.

11. A functional electrical system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises operating means including at least one sensor that monitors the position of a portion of the subject'"'"'s body other than said at least one monitored limb and outputs predetermined signals in response to detection of predetermined movements by said portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

12. A functional electrical system of claim 11 wherein detection of a predetermined movement of the torso of the subject'"'"'s body leads to activation or deactivation of the system.

13. A functional electrical stimulation system for exercising the legs of a subject by causing the legs to move in a pedalling motion to cause rotation of a rotatable means of an exercise means, the system comprising:

leg monitoring means having at least one sensor mountable to at least one of the legs of the subject that outputs signals representative of the position and/or movement of said at least one leg during the pedalling motion;

a control means that receives and processes the signals output by the monitoring means and, during the exercise, outputs control signals to a stimulating means adapted to provide electrical stimulation to the legs of the subject to cause them to move in the pedalling motion in response to the position and/or movement of said at least one leg detected by the monitoring means.

14. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the control means has a storage means having at least one predetermined action sequence storable therein.

15. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 14 wherein two or more predetermined action sequences are storable in the storage means and the system further comprises a selector means that allows selection of one of the sequences from the storage means depending on the control signals output by the control means.

16. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the exercise means has at least one wheel driven by the rotation of the rotatable means.

17. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the at least one sensor is implantable within the at least one leg of the subject.

18. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the stimulating means comprises one or more electrodes implantable within the legs of the subject.

19. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the at least one sensor is an inertial sensor.

20. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the at least one predetermined action sequence results in stimulation of the quadriceps, the hamstrings and the gluteal muscles of the legs in order so as to enable the pedaling motion of the legs.

21. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the control means is a microprocessor.

22. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 13 wherein the system further comprises operating means including at least one sensor that monitors the position of a portion of the subject'"'"'s body other than said at least one monitored leg and outputs predetermined signals in response to detection of predetermined movements by said portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

23. A functional electrical stimulation system of claim 22 wherein detection of a predetermined movement of the torso of the subjects body leads to activation or deactivation of the system.

24. A method of exercising at least one limb of a subject comprising the steps of:

monitoring the position and/or movement of said at least one limb using at least one sensor mounted to the limb and outputting signals representative of said position and/or movement;

processing the signals and selecting an action sequence from one or more predetermined action sequences; and

outputting a sequence of stimulation signals corresponding to the selected action sequence to at least said at least one limb.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said at least one limb is stimulated to cause rotation of a rotatable means of an exercise device.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said at least one limb is the leg of a subject.

27. A method of exercising at least one limb of a subject comprising the steps of:

mounting said at least one limb to an operable member of an exercise means;

externally driving the operable member and so causing an exercising movement of said at least one limb;

monitoring the position and/or movement of said at least one limb using at least one sensor mounted to the limb and outputting signals representative of said position and/or movement;

processing the signals and providing electrical stimulation to said at least one limb so as to cause said at least one limb to drive the operable member; and

discontinuing external driving of the operable member.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of discontinuing external driving of the operable member occurs after the step of providing electrical stimulation to said at least one limb.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the operable member comprises a pedal and crank arrangement of an exercise means.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said at least one limb is a leg of the subject.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the position and/or movement of one leg of the subject is monitored.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the electrical stimulation is output to both legs of the subject.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the exercise means has a driving means to drive the pedal and crank arrangement of the exercise means.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of providing electrical stimulation to said at least one limb so as to cause said at least one limb to drive the operable member occurs for a predetermined period of time.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein following commencement of the step of providing the electrical stimulation, the intensity of the stimulation gradually increases to a predetermined maximum.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein prior to the end of the predetermined period of time of providing the electrical stimulation, the intensity of the stimulation gradually decreases.

37. An exercise system for exercising at least one limb of a subject with spinal cord injury or deficiency, the system comprising:

an exercise means comprising a movable operable member drivable by a driving means, said at least one limb being mountable to the operable member; and

a functional electrical stimulation (FES) means for stimulating the muscles of said at least one limb, the FES means comprising limb monitoring means having at least one sensor mountable to said at least one limb that outputs signals representative of the position and/or movement of said at least one limb and a control means that receives and processes the signals output by the monitoring means and outputs control signals to a stimulating means adapted to provide electrical stimulation to said at least one limb of the subject so as to cause said limb to drive the operable member.

38. An exercise system of claim 37 wherein the operable member comprises a rotatable pedal and crank arrangement that drives at least one wheel.

39. An exercise system of claim 38 wherein said at least one limb is a leg of a subject.

40. An exercise system of claim 39 wherein the position and/or movement of one leg of the subject is monitored by the monitoring means.

41. An exercise system of claim 40 wherein the electrical stimulation is provided by the stimulating means to both legs of the subject.

42. An exercise system of claim 37 wherein the driving means is operable by the subject.

43. An exercise system of claim 42 wherein the driving means comprises a hand crank.

44. An exercise system of claim 37 wherein the driving means comprises a motor.

45. An exercise system of claim 44 wherein the motor is an electric motor.

46. An exercise system of claim 37 wherein the control means further detects and monitors the movement of the operable member when driven by the driving means and activates the stimulating means following a predetermined time period.

47. An exercise system of claim 46 wherein the control means on activating the stimulating means gradually increases the intensity of the stimulation to a predetermined maximum.

48. An exercise system of claim 37 wherein the at least one sensor is implantable within said at least one limb of the subject.