SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING PATIENT REHABILITATION

• US 20150343266A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iso Technology Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Isotechnologies Incorporated (Interlogics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vardy, Terence
• Granted Patent: US 10,398,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/706 Indicia not located on the patient, e.g. floor marking
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2214/00 Training methods
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 26/003 for improving balance or equilibrium balance beams A63B4/00; apparatus for rope dancing A63B7/08; balancing drums, balancing boards or the like A63B22/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0054 Features for injury prevention on an apparatus, e.g. shock absorbers mats or the like for absorbing shocks for jumping A63B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0005 Adaptation of holography to specific applications holographic optical element G02B5/32; holographic scanner G02B26/106; recognition using holographic mask G06V10/88; holographic memories G11B7/0065, G11C13/042

Abstract

A system and method for rehabilitating a patient. In some embodiments, a patient or other subject can stand on a balance plate and perform one or more tests in response to instructions or visual stimuli on a display screen. Data, such as Centre of Pressure data, can be obtained from the balance plate and processed by a processor in tandem with the progression of a test presented on the display screen. The information can be correlated and used to assist in diagnosing or rehabilitating the patient or subject.

Claims

1. A system for patient rehabilitation, the system comprising:

a balance plate for measuring Center of Pressure (COP) dynamic weight distribution data of the patient, said balance plate including at least one load cell;

a visual display;

a processor in operative communication with said balance plate, said processor being configured to generate data pertaining to the ability of the patient to conscientiously move their COP from a first predetermined point to at least a second predetermined point as displayed on said visual display, the data being generated using the COP dynamic weight distribution data measured by said balance plate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to portray the patient'"'"'s COP as an icon moving across said display in tandem with movement of the patient'"'"'s COP.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to cause said display to show the first predetermined point and the second predetermined point.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined points each represent a letter in which the patient moves their COP from letter to letter to spell a recognizable word.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined points include a start point and a finish point in which the patient moves their COP from the start point to the finish point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein movement of the patient'"'"'s COP from the first predetermined point to at least the second predetermined point is tracked by said processor and represented as a trace on said display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said balance plate is configured to measure an extent of variation of the COP of the patient over a predetermined time period.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic database of patient profiles, each profile including at least one record having the data generated by said processor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each patient profile includes a plurality of records, said processor being configured to compare more than one of the patient'"'"'s records in order to permit an evaluation of the patient'"'"'s rehabilitation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said display is wearable by the patient.

11. A method for evaluating a patient'"'"'s rehabilitation, the method comprising:

showing, on a display, a first predetermined point and at least a second predetermined point;

measuring, with a balance plate, the patient'"'"'s center of pressure;

representing the patient'"'"'s center of pressure as an icon on the display;

detecting movement of the patient'"'"'s center of pressure above the balance plate; and

moving the icon representing the patient'"'"'s center of pressure in tandem with the movement of the patient'"'"'s center of pressure detected above the balance plate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing, with a processor, the patient'"'"'s ability to conscientiously move their center of pressure from the first predetermined point to at least the second predetermined point along a set pathway of increasing level of difficulty.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a trace of the movement of the patient'"'"'s center of pressure from the first predetermined point towards at least the second predetermined point along a set pathway of increasing level of difficulty.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each predetermined point represents a letter, and the trace connects the letters to form a recognizable word.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating at least a second trace and comparing at least two traces to ascertain the patient'"'"'s balancing ability.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating at least a second trace and comparing at least two traces to measure the patient'"'"'s rehabilitation.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing, in a patient profile on an electronic database, data relating to the patient'"'"'s movement of their center of pressure from the first predetermined point towards at least the second predetermined point along a set pathway which may be increased in level of difficulty.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising comparing data from the patient'"'"'s profile with standardized data from a plurality of other patients to ascertain the patient'"'"'s balancing ability relative to the standardized data.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising comparing data from the patient'"'"'s profile with standardized data from a plurality of other patients to ascertain the patient'"'"'s rehabilitation relative to the standardized data.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising instructing the patient to move their center of pressure, as represented by the icon on the display, through a plurality of the predetermined points on the display to form a predetermined word, where each of the predetermined points represents a letter.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising having the patient wear the display while the patient'"'"'s center of pressure is being measured.