Knee rehabilitation exercise device

Abstract

A knee rehabilitation exercise device with a right and left leg brace, a rear knee strap, an upper leg strap assembly, a lower leg strap assembly, a portable rear brace assembly and an elastic resistance band. The left and right leg brace members are each comprised of an upper member and a lower member rotatably pinned together at the area of the knee joint. The left and right leg braces are attached to the upper and lower leg strap assembly. The rear knee strap is attached to the left and right leg braces at the knee joint. When a user places the elastic band onto L hooks mounted on the upper and lower strap assembly and the rear brace assembly is placed between the rear of the user's knee and the elastic band, a resistive stretching is caused when the user straightens his leg which exercises and strengthens the users leg muscles in the area of the knee joint.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . Knee rehabilitation exercise device comprising:
 a rigid upper member and a rigid lower member rotatably pinned together to provide a pinned knee joint at the area of a user's knee joint;   an upper leg strap assembly attached to the rigid upper member, which upper leg strap assembly fits around the user's leg above the knee and releasably secures the exercise device to the user's leg;   a lower leg strap assembly attached to the rigid lower member, which lower leg strap assembly fits around the user's leg below the knee and releasably secures the exercise device to the user's leg;   a spring member that is connected to the rigid upper member and to the rigid lower member and that is positioned such that the spring resists straightening of the user's leg and such that a resistive stretching is caused when the user straightens the user's leg; and   a rear brace assembly connected to the rigid upper member and to the rigid lower member, the rear brace assembly being positioned to face the rear of the user's knee.   
     
     
         16 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device of  claim 15  wherein the rear brace assembly is located behind the user's knee joint and is located between the user's knee joint and the spring. 
     
     
         17 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device of  claim 15  wherein:
 the spring member is an elastic stretch band; and 
 the elastic stretch band is positioned to hold the rear brace assembly in place behind the user's knee joint. 
 
     
     
         18 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device as claimed in  claim 17  wherein:
 the rear brace assembly is comprised of a padded first horizontal bar having left and right ends, a second horizontal bar centrally attached to the first horizontal bar and left and right knee retaining panels respectively fixedly attached to the left and right ends of the first horizontal bar; 
 the second horizontal bar terminates at its free end in an outwardly projecting post; and 
 the elastic stretch band defines an aperture that receives the post so that the first horizontal bar rests behind the user's knee joint and the second horizontal bar extends outward to engage the elastic stretch band causing the elastic stretch band to stretch and apply resistive pressure to the user's leg muscles. 
 
     
     
         19 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device as claimed in  claim 17  wherein:
 the upper leg strap assembly comprises a rear facing upwardly turned L hook; 
 the elastic stretch band defines an aperture that receives the rear facing upwardly turned L hook to attach the elastic stretch band to the upper leg strap assembly; 
 the lower leg strap assembly comprises a rear facing downwardly turned L hook; and 
 the elastic stretch band defines an aperture that receives the rear facing downwardly turned L hook to attach the elastic stretch band to the lower leg strap assembly. 
 
     
     
         20 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device as claimed in  claim 15  wherein:
 the upper and lower leg strap assemblies are each comprised of a flexible sheet plastic nylon strap; 
 the upper leg strap assembly is approximately five inches wide and the lower leg strap assembly is approximately four inches wide; 
 the upper and lower leg strap assemblies are removably retained by polyester belting and snap fastening buckles attached to the belting. 
 
     
     
         21 . The knee rehabilitation exercise device as claimed in  claim 15  wherein the spring member provides resistance and strengthening to the user's rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, intermedialis and vastus medialis oblique muscles.