Method and apparatus for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of balance disorders
First Claim
1. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
- (a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions;
(b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions;
(c) means for measuring a response of the subject to the rotation of the support surface and for providing response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and
(d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the response measure signals, and generating an operator display from the response measure signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of abnormal human balance corrections. A subject is placed in a standing position on a support surface which can be moved in any combination of pitch and roll directions. Measurements of the balance response of the subject are made using, e.g., force transducers in the support surface (to measure changes in center-of-foot pressure or ankle torque), body sway sensors, such as velocity transducers, mounted on the subject'"'"'s body (to measure body sway), and EMG electrodes, mounted over muscles on the left and right sides of the subject'"'"'s body (to measure the electromyographic response of the subject'"'"'s muscles). The response measures are displayed to an operator in a highly readable form along with response measures from a normal sample population. From the display of response measures, an operator or the system may diagnose the existence, cause (e.g., vestibular, proprioceptive, CNS lesion, or aphysiologic), and side (left or right) of a balance correction abnormality. Response measure information may be provided as feedback to the test subject in visual, auditory, tactile, or electro-vestibular form. A destabilizing virtual reality visual response measure feedback image may be provided using an imaging system mounted on a pair of light excluding eyewear.
294 Citations
42 Claims
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1. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) means for measuring a response of the subject to the rotation of the support surface and for providing response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and (d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the response measure signals, and generating an operator display from the response measure signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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4. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) a body sway sensor including velocity transducers attached to the subject'"'"'s body to measure the pitch and roll angular velocity of the subject'"'"'s body in response to the rotation of the support surface and for providing response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and (d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the response measure signals, and generating an operator display from the response measure signals.
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17. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) means for measuring a response of the subject to the rotation of the support surface and for providing response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and (d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the response measure signals, generating an operator display from the response measure signals, and diagnosing the presence or absence of a balance correction abnormality from the response measure including means for classifying the response measure as belonging either to a normal group or to one of one or more groups of subjects having pathological responses including means for weighting the response measure using a weighting obtained from a step-wise discriminant analysis on known normal and pathological population groups.
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23. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions and for providing support surface angle signals corresponding to the angle of rotation of the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) body sway sensors attached to the subject'"'"'s body for measuring sway of the subject'"'"'s body in response to rotation of the support surface and providing subject body sway signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s measured body sway; (d) center-of-foot pressure measurement means for measuring changes in the subject'"'"'s center-of-foot pressure or ankle torque in response to rotation of the support surface and providing subject center-of-foot pressure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s changes in center-of-foot pressure or ankle torque; (e) EMG measurement means for measuring the electromyographic responses of a subject'"'"'s muscles to rotation of the support surface and providing subject EMG signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s muscle responses; and (f) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the support surface angle signals and the subject body sway, center-of-foot pressure, and EMG signals, and generating an operator display from the support surface angle signals and the subject body sway, center-of-foot pressure, and EMG signals. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) means for measuring left and right side responses of the subject to the rotation of the support surface and for providing left and right side response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and (d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the left and right side response measure signals, and automatically diagnosing the presence or absence and side of a balance correction abnormality from the left and right side response measure signals. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. An apparatus for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising:
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(a) a rotatable support surface for supporting the subject and capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) support surface control means responsive to support surface control signals for rotating the support surface in the pitch and roll directions; (c) means for measuring left and right side responses of the subject to the rotation of the support surface and for providing left and right side response measure signals corresponding to the subject'"'"'s response; and (d) system processor means for generating the support surface control signals, receiving the left and right side response measure signals, and automatically diagnosing the presence or absence and side of a balance correction abnormality from the left and right side response measure signals, including classification means for classifying the response measure for each of the left and right sides of the subject as belonging either to a normal group or to one of one or more groups of subjects having pathological responses including means for weighting the left and right side response measures using weightings obtained from a step-wise discriminant analysis on known normal and pathological population groups.
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33. A method for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising the steps of:
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(a) placing the subject in a standing position on a rotatable support surface capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) rotating the support surface in a plurality of different pitch and roll directions; (c) measuring a response of the subject to the rotation of the support surface; and (d) displaying the measured response of the subject to the rotation of the support surface. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising the steps of:
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(a) placing the subject in a standing position on a support surface capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) rotating the support surface in a plurality of pitch and roll directions; (c) measuring left and right side responses of the subject to the rotation of the support surface; and (d) diagnosing the presence or absence and side of a balance correction abnormality from the measured left and right side responses. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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42. A method for diagnosing balance correction abnormalities in a subject, comprising the steps of:
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(a) placing the subject in a standing position on a support surface capable of rotation in pitch and roll directions; (b) rotating the support surface in a plurality of pitch and roll directions; (c) measuring left and right side responses of the subject to the rotation of the support surface; and (d) diagnosing the presence or absence and side of a balance correction abnormality from the measured left and right side responses, including the step of classifying the measured responses for each of the left and right sides of the subject as belonging either to a normal group or to one of one or more groups of subjects having pathological responses including the step of weighting the left and right side response measures using weightings obtained from a step-wise discriminant analysis on known normal and pathological population groups.
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Specification