Method and apparatus for knee joint flexibility rehabilitation

A method of knee joint flexibility rehabilitation, the method comprising:

• orienting a patient to a supine position upon a substantially level surface;
• raising the patient's leg;
• disposing under the patient's leg a knee joint flexibility rehabilitation apparatus comprising:
• an adjustable strut including a rod and a strut tube adjustably coupled thereto, the adjustable strut having a first end and a second end with the rod and the strut tube extending therebetween, the adjustable strut having a long axis extending between the first end and the second end, the adjustable strut being adjustable so as to change a distance between the first end and the second end;
• a first support foot rigidly mounted substantially perpendicularly to the second end of the adjustable strut, the first support foot being configured for engagement of a substantially level patient support surface;
• and
• an elongate padded support bar configured to receive a knee joint posterior when the first support foot engages said substantially level surface and the adjustable strut is supported in substantially vertical orientation, the padded support bar being substantially perpendicularly mounted to the first end of the adjustable strut, the padded support bar being rotatable with respect to the first support foot about the long axis of the adjustable strut, the padded support bar being further movable toward or away from the first support foot by adjustment of the distance between the first and the second end of the adjustable strut;
• adjusting the padded support bar toward or away from the support foot so as to permit the posterior of the knee joint of the patient's raised leg to rest on the padded support bar while allowing the lower portion of the patient's leg to extend past the support bar in cantilever fashion so as to permit a gravitational force on the lower portion to promote rehabilitation of the knee joint;
• and
• with the posterior of the knee joint of the patient's raised leg maintaining contact with the padded support bar, raising and lowering the lower portion of the patient's leg so as to promote increased range of motion of such knee joint.

A knee joint flexibility rehabilitation apparatus comprising:

• a tubular main strut having a main strut foot configured for engaging a patient support surface;
• a height-adjustment bar translatably disposed in the tubular main strut, the height-adjustment bar having a plurality of first apertures extending therethrough;
• a padded knee-joint support bar fixed to the height-adjustment bar, the padded knee-joint support bar being configured to receive a knee joint posterior;
• a support strut pivotably coupled to the tubular main strut, the support strut pivotable away from a first position in which the support strut is parallel to the tubular main strut to a second position in which the support strut forms an acute angle with respect to the tubular main strut, the support strut having a support strut foot configured for engaging the patient support surface when said main strut foot is also engaging the patient support surface and when the support strut is pivoted to said second position;
• and
• a pin removably disposable in one of the plurality of first apertures to fix the height-adjustment bar against translation with respect to the tubular main strut when the knee joint posterior is disposed on the knee-joint support bar.