Functional electrical stimulation ergometer including automatic spasm control

A system, comprising:

• an extremity support configured to receive an upper or lower extremity of a subject;
• a motor assembly configured to control a speed and direction of reciprocal motion of the extremity support via a crank;
• a control unit operatively coupled to the motor assembly and configured to control the motor assembly to cause the extremity support to move the upper or lower extremity of the subject, the control unit including functional electrical stimulation leads configured to be coupled to the subject such that electrical stimulation can be delivered to muscles of the patient via the functional electrical stimulation leads;
• and
• an automatic spasm control system configured to:
• continuously monitor a torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support and to calculate a rate of change of the torque,
• identify that a monitored amount of torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support or a rate of change of torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support exceeds a predetermined value, and
• in response to identifying that the monitored amount of torque or the rate of change of torque exceeds the predetermined value, send instructions to the control unit to change at least one of a speed of the crank while maintaining a direction of reciprocal motion of the extremity support or to change an amount of electrical stimulation delivered via the functional electrical stimulation leads while continuing to deliver electrical stimulation.

A system, comprising:

• an extremity support configured to receive an upper or lower extremity of a subject;
• a motor assembly configured to control a speed and direction of reciprocal motion of the extremity support via a crank;
• a control unit operatively coupled to the motor assembly and configured to control the motor assembly to cause the extremity support to move the upper or lower extremity of the subject, the control unit including functional electrical stimulation leads configured to be coupled to the subject such that electrical stimulation can be delivered to muscles of the patient via the functional electrical stimulation leads;
• and
• an automatic spasm control system configured to detect muscle tone by continuously monitoring a torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support and calculating a rate of change of the torque, the automatic spasm control system configured to calculate, for each of a plurality of amounts of muscle tone of the subject detected by the automatic spasm control system, a maximum crank speed and a maximum electrical stimulation,
• the automatic spasm control system configured to:
• detect an amount of muscle tone from the plurality of amounts of muscle tone of the subject by identifying that a monitored amount of torque required to rotate the extremity support or a rate of change of torque required to rotate the extremity support exceeds a predetermined value, and
• in response to detecting the amount of muscle tone from the plurality of amounts of muscle tone, compare at least one of a current crank speed to the calculated maximum crank speed associated with the amount of muscle tone or a current level of electrical stimulation to the calculated maximum electrical stimulation associated with the amount of muscle tone.

A method, comprising:

• continuously monitoring a torque required for a motor assembly to move an extremity support coupled to the motor assembly via a crank, the extremity support configured to receive an upper or lower extremity of a subject;
• calculating a rate of change of the torque;
• identifying that a monitored amount of torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support or a rate of change of torque required for the motor assembly to move the extremity support exceeds a predetermined value, and
• in response to identifying that the monitored amount of torque or the rate of change of torque exceeds the predetermined value, sending instructions to a control unit operatively coupled to the motor assembly to change at least one of a speed of the crank while maintaining a direction of reciprocal motion of the extremity support or to change an amount of electrical stimulation delivered via the functional electrical stimulation leads while continuing to deliver electrical stimulation.