Rehabilitation apparatus and method

Abstract

A system for rehabilitative therapy including a muscle contraction or body movement sensor coupled to a converter or interface, which is in turn coupled to a computer input port. The system includes software running on the computer for obtaining patient data, obtaining real time sensor data, storing sensor historical data, and outputting the sensor data as gamepiece movement or position in an executing computer game. In one embodiment, joint flexion and extension are required to move a cursor right and left. In another embodiment, joint rotation is required to move a cursor up and down. In one system the interface outputs data to a computer serial port. In one system, the relative sensor position is reflected in gamepiece position. In another system, the sensor position relative to a threshold is reflected in gamepiece movement after the body sensor passes a threshold in muscle contraction or body movement. A preferred system includes software for analyzing the therapy data, preparing a summary, and forwarding the data and/or summary to another computer. The system encourages repetitive muscle contraction or body movement and rehabilitative therapy by requiring body movement to play a computer game. The system allows tracking and analysis of those muscle contractions or body movements over a single session and over multiple sessions over days and months.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative patient therapy activity comprising: 
 means for detecting muscle contraction or body movement;    means for operating a computer game including a display having a gamepiece, wherein said gamepiece has a position on said display;    means for setting said gamepiece display position responsive to said means for detecting muscle contraction or body movement, such that body movement can move said gamepiece on said display;    means for recording muscle contraction or body movement responsive to said body movement; and    means for retrieving said recorded muscle contraction or muscle contraction or body movement.    
     
     
         2 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative patient therapy as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising means for recording patient data.  
     
     
         3 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative patient therapy as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising means for displaying therapy trends over periods covering multiple sessions.  
     
     
         4 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting muscle contraction or body movement includes means for measuring and outputting relative muscle contraction or body position between two body position extremes, wherein said means for setting said gamepiece position sets said gamepiece at a relative display position between two display position opposite extremes.  
     
     
         5 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting muscle contraction or body movement includes means for measuring and outputting relative body position between a first muscle contraction level or body position extreme and a second muscle contraction level or body position extreme, wherein said means for setting said gamepiece position sets said gamepiece in motion in a first direction in response to said body being near said first extreme and sets said gamepiece in motion in a second direction in response to said body being near said second extreme, such that it is necessary to move near said first and second body extremes to play said game.  
     
     
         6 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting muscle contraction or body movement includes means for measuring muscle contraction or body position and outputting a first signal when said muscle contraction or body position is near a first extreme and a second signal when said muscle contraction or body position is near a second extreme, wherein said means for setting said gamepiece position sets said gamepiece in motion in a first direction in response to said first signal and sets said gamepiece in motion in a second direction in response to said muscle contraction or body being near said second extreme, such that it is necessary to move near said first and second muscle contraction or body extremes to play said came.  
     
     
         7 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting body movement detects joint flexion angle and is affixed to said joint.  
     
     
         8 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting body movement detects joint rotation and is affixed to said joint.  
     
     
         9 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting body movement detects muscle contraction and is affixed to skin near said muscle.  
     
     
         10 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting body movement is selected from the group consisting of goniometers, torsiometers, bend sensors, tilt sensors, pressure sensors, accelerometers, and force sensors.  
     
     
         11 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for detecting body movement includes means for detecting when said body position is near a first extreme and outputting a first signal in response thereto and means for detecting when said body position is near a second extreme and outputting a second signal in response thereto, wherein said means for setting said gamepiece position sets said gamepiece in motion in a first direction in response to said first signal and sets said gamepiece in motion in a second direction in response to said body being near said second extreme, such that it is necessary to move near said first and second body extremes to play said game.  
     
     
         12 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said first and second extreme body positions are positions of different body parts.  
     
     
         13 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said first and second extreme body positions are positions of the same body part resulting from opposite extremes.  
     
     
         14 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy of a patient comprising: 
 at least one movement sensor for detecting muscle contraction or movement of a human body part, said detecting muscle contraction or movement sensor generating an output signal;    a computer having an input port operably coupled to said body sensor output signal and generating body detecting muscle contraction or movement data corresponding to said body sensor output signal;    a computer game running on said computer, said game using said input port body movement data as input to said game to set the display position of a gamepiece;    computer monitoring software executing on said computer, said computer software being capable of reading said input port body movement data, storing said data, retrieving said data, and displaying said data, such that said human body part movement generates input to both said computer game to move said gamepiece and to said monitoring computer program.    
     
     
         15 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said movement sensor includes a bend sensor for measuring bend angle and wherein said sensor output signal includes bend angle information.  
     
     
         16 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said software includes a gamepiece positioning software portion for positioning a computer gamepiece along an axis at a position corresponding to said bend angle sensor output.  
     
     
         17 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein said software includes a threshold setting software portion for setting a first bend angle threshold and setting a second, opposite, bend angle threshold, and wherein said software includes a gamepiece positioning software portion for positioning a computer game piece along an axis corresponding to said bend angle sensor output, such that said gamepiece is set in motion in a first direction when said first bend angle threshold is crossed and in a second direction when said second bend angle threshold is crossed.  
     
     
         18 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said software includes a software portion for setting a first bend angle threshold and a second, opposite, bend angle threshold, and a software portion for generating a relative bend position signal corresponding to the relative position of the bend sensor between said first and second angle thresholds, wherein said software includes a display portion for setting a relative gamepiece position along an axis in response to said relative bend position signal, such that said game piece position is set by bending said sensor.  
     
     
         19 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , having a interface interposed between, and coupled to, said body sensor output and said computer input, wherein said interface has an input operably coupled to said sensor output signal and generates an output signal corresponding to said input signal, wherein said interface is a physically distinct from said body sensor.  
     
     
         20 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said sensor is a rotation sensor.  
     
     
         21 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said sensor is an EMG sensor.  
     
     
         22 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said body sensor detects movement of a body part past a threshold.  
     
     
         23 . A system as recited in  claim 22 , wherein said movement is selected from the group of movements consisting of extension, flexion, abduction, adduction, rotation, and muscle contraction.  
     
     
         24 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said software includes an analysis portion for analyzing the number of repetitions, maximum contraction or movement achieved,, and average contraction or movement achieved.  
     
     
         25 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said software includes a long-term trend portion for displaying trends over multiple sessions over at least several days.  
     
     
         26 . A system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said software includes a portion for uploading sessions data to another computer.  
     
     
         27 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient comprising: 
 providing a rehabilitation system including at least one body sensor for measuring muscle contraction or body movement having an output signal coupled to a computer executing software for receiving said output signal, and executing software for playing a computer game utilizing a display, wherein said computer game has a moveable gamepiece which moves in response to said received muscle contraction or body sensor signal, such that muscle contraction or body movement is required to play said game, wherein said computer software includes a tracking portion for storing said muscle contraction or body sensor signal;    attaching said muscle contraction or body sensor to said patient to for a session and allowing said patient to play said game by moving said computer game piece using said muscle contraction or body sensor movements; and    recording said muscle contraction or body sensor movements over time for said session using said computer.    
     
     
         28 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 27 , further comprising performing said attaching and recording steps over multiple sessions over at least multiple days and displaying said recorded muscle contractions or movements over said multiple sessions for the purpose of displaying trends in said multiple session data.  
     
     
         29 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 28 , further comprising providing communications capability to said computer and sending at least part of said recorded data to another computer.  
     
     
         30 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 29 , wherein said body sensors are selected from the group consisting or goniometers, torsiometers, bend sensors, tilt sensors, force sensors, pressure sensors, strain sensors, and EMGs.  
     
     
         31 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 28 , wherein said provided software includes a threshold setting portion for setting movement thresholds, wherein at approaching said threshold is required to move said gamepiece and play said game.  
     
     
         32 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 28 , wherein said provided software includes a trend display portion for displaying a trend of said data over multiple sessions and said method further comprises showing said multiple session trends to said patient.  
     
     
         33 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 28 , further comprising increasing said threshold when said patient is observed to easily reach an existing threshold.  
     
     
         34 . A method for rehabilitation therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 28 , further comprising decreasing said threshold when said patient is observed to experience difficulty reaching an existing threshold.  
     
     
         35 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy of a patient comprising: 
 at least one muscle contraction or movement sensor for detecting muscle contraction or movement of a human body part, said muscle contraction or movement sensor generating an output signal;    a converter or interface having an input coupled to said muscle contraction or body sensor output, and a first interface output and a second interface output, both outputs being responsive to said interface input;    a computer having an input port operably coupled to said first interface output signal and generating muscle contraction or body movement data corresponding to said first interface output signal;    a remotely controlled device;    a remote device controller for controlling said remotely controlled device, said controller being operably coupled to and responsive to said computer software generated output, such that said controller uses said muscle contraction or body movement to control said remotely controlled device; and    computer monitoring software executing on said computer, said computer software being capable of reading said input port body movement data, storing said data, retrieving said data, and displaying said data, such that said human muscle contraction or body part movement generates input to both said remotely controlled device and to said monitoring computer program.    
     
     
         36 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy of a patient as recited in  claim 35 , wherein said remotely controlled device is a remotely controlled car.  
     
     
         37 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 9 , wherein said means for detecting body movement by detecting muscle contraction includes an Electromyographic sensor.  
     
     
         38 . A system for monitoring rehabilitative therapy as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said means for setting said gamepiece display position requires detecting both said muscle contraction and said body movement in order to move said gamepiece.  
     
     
         39 . A method for rehabilitation therapy as recited in  claim 27 , wherein at least two body actions selected from the group consisting of muscle contraction and body movement are required to move said gamepiece.  
     
     
         40 . A method for rehabilitation therapy as recited in  claim 39 , wherein at least one muscle contraction and at least one body movement resulting from said muscle contraction are required to move said gamepiece.  
     
     
         41 . A method for rehabilitation therapy as recited in  claim 40 , wherein both said muscle contraction and said body movement must exceed a threshold in order to move said gamepiece.  
     
     
         42 . A method for rehabilitation therapy as recited in  claim 39 , wherein said means for setting said gamepiece display position requires detecting at least two body movements in order to move said game piece.  
     
     
         43 . A method for monitoring patient rehabilitation therapy progress comprising the steps of: 
 providing a monitoring system including at least one body sensor for measuring muscle contraction or body movement having an output signal coupled to a computer executing software for receiving said output signal, and executing software for performing a computerized test utilizing a display, wherein said computerized test has a moveable cursor which moves in response to said received muscle contraction or body sensor signal, such that muscle contraction or body movement is required to execute said test, wherein said computer software includes a tracking portion for storing said muscle contraction or body sensor signal;    attaching said muscle contraction or body sensor to said patient for a test session and allowing said patient to execute said test by moving said computer cursor using said muscle contraction or body sensor movements;    recording said muscle contraction or body sensor movements over time for said test session using said computer;    displaying a target at one display location;    displaying said cursor at an initial display location away from said target display location;    prompting said patient to move said cursor to said target; and    recording at least one metric for measuring the ability to move said cursor to said target.    
     
     
         44 . A method for monitoring patient rehabilitation therapy progress as recited in  claim 43 , wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of final cursor distance from target, total travel time of cursor, total travel distance of cursor, excess travel of cursor over an optimal path, total area between actual cursor travel and optimal cursor travel path, and maximum deviation from optimal travel path.  
     
     
         45 . A method for monitoring patient rehabilitation therapy progress as recited in  claim 43 , wherein said target is a path to be traced between at least two lines.  
     
     
         46 . A method for monitoring patient rehabilitation therapy progress as recited in  claim 43 , wherein said target is a moving target which moves during said testing.  
     
     
         47 . A method for monitoring patient rehabilitation therapy progress as recited in  claim 43 , wherein said metric is recorded at multiple sessions and later displayed as a function of time.