Method for enhancing compliance of home-based physical therapy regimen

• US 6,971,972 B1
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven L. Mayes, Thomas P. Mcgovern
• Original Assignee: Steven L. Mayes, Thomas P. Mcgovern
• Inventors: McGovern, Thomas P., Mayes, Steven L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richman, Glenn E.
• Application Number:
  US10/990,602
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 482 1- 9, 482900-902
• US Class Current: 482/3
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/90 Ergometer with feedback to load or with feedback comparison

Abstract

A methodology is disclosed for providing a physical therapy practitioner with practice-specific prescriptive exercise routine depictions as an effective way to enhance compliance of a home-based physical therapy regimen. The method comprises various steps, including assessing a given practitioner'"'"'s commonly prescribed home-based exercise prescriptions, selecting certain of the exercises for comparison relative to a previously compiled digitized motion picture library containing excerpts showing various exercises. A decision is then made as to whether a representative exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner. If the excerpt(s) are deemed satisfactory, DVD'"'"'s are developed and provided to the practitioner. The practitioner may then properly prescribe a home-based physical therapy regimen during an office visit at which time a select set of the developed DVD materials are delivered to the patient. The practice-specific compilations may be periodically updated to reflect ongoing changes or requirements of a given therapist'"'"'s practice.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing compliance of a home-based physical therapy regimen, the method comprising the steps of:

compiling a digitized motion picture library, the digitized motion picture library comprising a plurality of visual best-practice exercise excerpts, each visual best-practice exercise excerpt visually demonstrating a prescriptive physical therapy exercise;

assessing home-based exercise prescriptions, the home-based exercise prescriptions being endemic to a physical therapy practitioner, the home-based exercise prescriptions comprising a plurality of best-practice exercises;

selecting at least one best-practice exercise, the best-practice exercise being selected by the physical therapy practitioner, the best-practice exercise being demonstrated by a representative best-practice exercise excerpt;

reviewing the representative best-practice exercise excerpt, the representative best-practice exercise being reviewed by the physical therapy practitioner;

deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner;

determining nomenclature for the representative best-practice excerpt when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the nomenclature being defined by the physical therapy practitioner;

developing digital versatile disc materials endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the digital versatile disc materials comprising the representative best-practice exercise excerpt, the representative best-practice exercise excerpt being identified in the digital versatile disc materials by the nomenclature;

providing the developed digital versatile disc materials to the physical therapy practitioner;

prescribing a home-based physical therapy regimen, the home-based physical therapy regimen being prescribed for a patient by the physical therapy practitioner, the patient having contact with the physical therapy practitioner during a physical therapy appointment; and

delivering a select set of developed digital versatile disc materials to the patient during the physical therapy appointment, the select set of developed digital versatile disc materials for enhancing compliance of the home-based physical therapy regimen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of developing and reviewing additional best-practice exercise excerpts when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is not endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional best-practice excerpts being developed until the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is deemed endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the representative best practice exercise excerpt comprises auditory sensory information, the auditory sensory information being endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the auditory sensory information comprises instructional language, the instructional language for enhancing compliance of the home-based physical therapy regimen.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of deciding whether the auditory sensory information is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the process of deciding whether the auditory sensory information is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of developing additional best-practice exercise excerpts when the auditory sensory information is not endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two best-practice exercises are selected during the step of selecting at least one best practice exercise, the method comprising an additional step after the step of determining nomenclature for the representative best-practice excerpt, the additional step comprising the process of determining an exercise order.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the at least three best practice exercises are selected during the step of selecting at least one best practice exercise, the step of determining exercise order comprising the process of determining an exercise grouping.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital versatile disc materials comprise at least one digital versatile disc and at least one navigation-comment sheet.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of prescribing a home-based physical therapy regimen comprises the processes of prescribing patient-specific exercises and recording patient-specific comments on the navigation-comment sheet.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of providing the developed digital versatile disc materials to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of updating the developed digital versatile disc materials, the process of updating the developed digital versatile disc materials being periodic.

12. A method for providing a physical therapy practitioner with practice-specific prescriptive exercise routine depictions, the practice-specific prescriptive exercise routine depictions for enhancing compliance of a home-based physical therapy regimen, the method comprising the steps of:

compiling a digitized motion picture library, the digitized motion picture library comprising a plurality of visual best-practice exercise excerpts, each visual best-practice exercise excerpt visually demonstrating a prescriptive physical therapy exercise;

assessing home-based exercise prescriptions, the home-based exercise prescriptions being endemic to a physical therapy practitioner, the home-based exercise prescriptions comprising a plurality of best-practice exercises;

selecting at least one best-practice exercise, the best-practice exercise being selected by the physical therapy practitioner, the best-practice exercise being demonstrated by a representative best-practice exercise excerpt;

reviewing the representative best-practice exercise excerpt, the representative best-practice exercise being reviewed by the physical therapy practitioner;

deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner;

developing digital versatile disc materials endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the digital versatile disc materials comprising the representative best-practice exercise excerpt;

providing the developed digital versatile disc materials to the physical therapy practitioner;

prescribing a home-based physical therapy regimen, the home-based physical therapy regimen being prescribed for a patient by the physical therapy practitioner, the patient having contact with the physical therapy practitioner during a physical therapy appointment; and

delivering a select set of the developed digital versatile disc materials to the patient during the physical therapy appointment, the select set of developed digital versatile disc materials for enhancing compliance of the home-based physical therapy regimen.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of determining nomenclature for the representative best-practice excerpt when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the nomenclature being defined by the physical therapy practitioner, the representative best-practice exercise excerpt being identified in the digital versatile disc materials by the nomenclature.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of developing and reviewing additional best-practice exercise excerpts when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is not endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional best-practice excerpts being developed and reviewed until the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is deemed endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein at least two best-practice exercises are selected during the step of selecting at least one best-practice exercise, the method comprising an additional step after the process of determining nomenclature for the representative best-practice excerpt, the additional step comprising the process of determining an exercise order.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least three best-practice exercises are selected during the step of selecting at least one best-practice exercise, the step of determining exercise order comprising the process of determining an exercise grouping.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the digital versatile disc materials comprise at least one digital versatile disc and at least one navigation-comment sheet.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of prescribing a home-based physical therapy regimen comprises the processes of prescribing patient-specific exercises and recording patient-specific comments on the navigation-comment sheet.

19. A method for providing a physical therapy practitioner with practice-specific prescriptive exercise routine depictions, the practice-specific prescriptive exercise routine depictions for enhancing compliance of a home-based physical therapy regimen, the method comprising the steps of:

assessing home-based exercise prescriptions, the home-based exercise prescriptions being endemic to a physical therapy practitioner, the home-based exercise prescriptions comprising a plurality of best-practice exercises;

selecting at least one best-practice exercise, the best-practice exercise being selected by the physical therapy practitioner;

selecting a representative best-practice exercise excerpt, the representative best-practice exercise excerpt being selected from a compiled digitized motion picture library, the digitized motion picture library comprising a plurality of visual best-practice exercise excerpts;

deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner;

developing digital versatile disc materials endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the digital versatile disc materials comprising the representative best-practice exercise excerpt;

providing the developed digital versatile disc materials to the physical therapy practitioner;

prescribing a home-based physical therapy regimen, the home-based physical therapy regimen being prescribed for a patient by the physical therapy practitioner, the patient having contact with the physical therapy practitioner during a physical therapy appointment; and

delivering a select set of the developed digital versatile disc materials to the patient during the physical therapy appointment, the select set of developed digital versatile disc materials for enhancing compliance of the home-based physical therapy regimen.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of selecting a representative best-practice exercise excerpt is repeated after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner until the selected representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of developing and reviewing additional best-practice exercise excerpts when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is not endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional best-practice excerpts being developed and reviewed until the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is deemed endemic to the physical therapy practitioner.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the method comprises an additional step after the step of deciding whether the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the additional step comprising the process of determining nomenclature for the representative best-practice excerpt when the representative best-practice exercise excerpt is endemic to the physical therapy practitioner, the nomenclature being defined by the physical therapy practitioner, the representative best-practice exercise excerpt being identified in the digital versatile disc materials by the nomenclature.