Method and device for rehabilitation of motor dysfunction
AssigneeOregon Health & Science University
InventorPaul J. Cordo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and device for the rehabilitation of patients that have suffered loss of motor control of an appendicular joint due to neurological damage. The method includes attempted contraction by a patient of a muscle that serves to move an affected joint coupled with the production of a perception by the patient that the joint is being moved more than it really is. The method results in dramatic non-transient improvements in motor control of the joint. The device provides an apparatus for performance of the method.
Claims28
A method for improving motor control in a patient that has suffered a neurological injury resulting in loss of motor control comprising permitting the patient to attempt to repeatedly rotate an affected joint and vibrating a tendon crossing the joint during the attempts at rotation, wherein the vibration produces a perception in the patient that the joint is being moved more than it really is.
A method for improving the motor control of a patient who has suffered a neurological injury comprising positioning an affected joint of the patient in operational contact with a device that pivots around the joint in accordance with the degree of the patient's voluntary contraction or attempt at contraction of the muscles of the joint, permitting the device to pivot around the joint to the extent that the patient voluntarily contracts a muscle to move the joint, and vibrating a muscle that crosses the joint during the time of the muscle contraction so as to provide a perception to the patient that the joint is being moved more than it really is.
A device for improving motor control in a patient that has suffered a neurological injury resulting in loss of motor control of the joint comprising a passive range-of-motion pivoting mechanism, wherein said mechanism additionally pivots in response to the efforts of a patient whose joint is positioned in operational contact with the mechanism, and a vibrator operably connected to the mechanism which vibrator vibrates when the mechanism is pivoted in one direction and does not vibrate when the mechanism is pivoted in the opposite direction.
A method for improving motor control of a joint by a patient that has suffered a neurological injury resulting in loss of motor control of the joint, comprising repeatedly rotating the joint and permitting a tendon crossing the joint to be vibrated during the attempts at rotation, wherein the vibration produces a perception in the patient that the joint is being moved more than it really is.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.