Rehabilitative apparatus for treating reflex sympathetic dystrophy
First Claim
1. A rehabilitative apparatus for treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy comprising;
- a) a frame that has an upper surface;
b) a plurality of support brackets extending above the frame upper surface and anchored thereto during use;
c) a pair of shafts supported for rotary motion by the brackets in a position spaced above the upper surface;
d) each of said shafts having a proximal end portion having a grip handle disposed thereon to be gripped by a user;
f) each of said shafts having a distal end portion and a rotary gear disposed thereon;
h) a gear transmission arrangement that joins the gears of the distal end portions of the respective shafts so that when one of the shafts rotates, the other shaft is rotated; and
i) a flywheel attached to the output of said gear transmission for storing energy transmitted to one of the shafts by the user.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The apparatus provides active and passive exercise to the hand, wrist and forearm of the patient. It has dual handles and an attached inertia apparatus such that both the affected arm and the non affected arm are subjected to the therapy. It is theorized that in the retraining of nerve, muscle and ligament/tendon function there is cross-training of right-left part of the systems and the healthy system can assist the afflicted part of the system in retraining. The apparatus addresses specifically the range of motion of the wrist, both for flexion-extension and pronation-supination. For pronation-supination, two conical handles, one for each hand is attached through an axis to a gear system connected to a flywheel. The gear/flywheel system allows for clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of the flywheel. The patient puts the system in motion by rotating the handles in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The rotary (oscillating) motion is transferred to the flywheel through the gears. Adjustment of the starting position of the handle allows the patient to establish the starting point as the point where the patient'"'"'s strength is maximal. The flywheel stores sufficient energy during the starting input of the patient to continue rotation after the patient'"'"'s strength and range of motion decreases to the point that no further active rotation is produced by the patient. The inertia in the flywheel then continues the rotation of the patient'"'"'s wrist, and effects a decrease in the tendon overload which normally occurs in normal physical therapy. An alternative embodiment includes a handle attachment for flexion and extension of the wrist with the orientation of the handle effectively at right angles to the flywheel gear drive of the prior embodiment, whereby the wrist is flexed and extended in causing oscillating rotary movement of the flywheel.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A rehabilitative apparatus for treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy comprising;
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a) a frame that has an upper surface; b) a plurality of support brackets extending above the frame upper surface and anchored thereto during use; c) a pair of shafts supported for rotary motion by the brackets in a position spaced above the upper surface; d) each of said shafts having a proximal end portion having a grip handle disposed thereon to be gripped by a user; f) each of said shafts having a distal end portion and a rotary gear disposed thereon; h) a gear transmission arrangement that joins the gears of the distal end portions of the respective shafts so that when one of the shafts rotates, the other shaft is rotated; and i) a flywheel attached to the output of said gear transmission for storing energy transmitted to one of the shafts by the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 29)
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10. A rehabilitative apparatus for treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy comprising;
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a) a frame that has an upper, generally flat surface; b) a plurality of support brackets attached to and extending above the frame upper surface; c) a pair of shafts supported by the brackets in a position spaced above the upper surface, the shafts forming an acute angle; d) each of the shafts having a proximal end portion that provides a grip handle to be gripped by a user; f) each of the shafts having a distal end portion; h) a transmission for reciprocal rotary motion that joins the distal end portions of the respective shafts so that when one of the shafts rotates axially, the other shaft is rotated axially; and i) one of the shafts carrying a flywheel for storing non-motorized energy transmitted to one of the shafts by the user, the other shaft and attached handle being driven with only energy transmitted to it from the flywheel via the transmission. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of treating reflex sympathetic dystrophy in a patient comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an exercise machine that includes a gear system and a pair of shafts with a respective pair of attached handles that can be gripped by the patient; (b) gripping the handles; (c) rotating the shafts with the handles so that both of the shafts rotate simultaneously; (d) using the gear system to couple said shafts for synchronous rotary movement; (e) wherein the patient'"'"'s stronger hand may control the rotation of the shafts and their angular degree of rotation. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A rehabilitative apparatus for rehabilitating a human joint and associated limbs comprising:
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a) an non-motorized inertial device for providing reciprocating resistance to energy input from a user'"'"'s limb; b) a shaft having a shaft axis and a distal end operatively connected to said inertial device for manually inputting reciprocating motion into said inertial device; c) a coupling member connected to the proximal end of said shaft, said coupling member adapted to be connected to a user'"'"'s limb; d) a limb support positioned next to the shaft and coupling member, said limb support including a support surface that is generally perpendicular to the axis of said shaft; e) whereby the coupling member enables the user'"'"'s limb to input energy through said coupling member and said shaft into said inertial device to thereby initiate motion in said inertial device in a first direction; and f) wherein the coupling member enables the user thereby to reverse the direction of shaft travel and input energy being input into said inertial device to cause reciprocal motion in a second direction in said inertial device by only overcoming said input energy. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 28)
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27. A rehabilitative apparatus for rehabilitating a human joint and associated limbs comprising:
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a) an inertial device for providing reciprocating resistance to energy input from a human limb; b) a shaft having a distal end operatively connected to said inertial device for manually inputting reciprocating motion into said inertial device; c) a coupling member connected to the proximal end of said shaft, said coupling member adapted to be connected to a limb; d) whereby the human limb may input energy through said coupling member and said shaft into said inertial device to initiate motion in said inertial device; and
reverse the input energy being input into said inertial device to cause reciprocal motion in said inertial device wherein said inertial device is a reciprocating flywheel.
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Specification