Linkage type electrical stimulation gait training equipment for spinal cord injury

Abstract

The invention discloses linkage type electrical stimulation gait training equipment for spinal cord injury, and belongs to the technical field of medical rehabilitation instruments. The equipment comprises an I-shaped frame, the I-shaped frame is symmetrically sleeved with a supporting frame and a movable frame, the movable frame is connected with a thigh connecting rod through a bearing support, and the thigh connecting rod is hinged to a length-adjustable shank connecting rod and a sole supporting plate; the left and right thigh connecting rods are linked with a traction rope through a pulley to realize collaborative movement of double lower limbs, and a detachable clamping block is arranged at the end part of the traction rope to switch a linkage / independent training mode; an electrical stimulation controller, an integrated electrode patch and a myoelectricity sensor patch are mounted on the outer side of the thigh and shank connecting rod, and electrical stimulation parameters are dynamically adjusted by combining a control module; the H-shaped frame and the movable frame are respectively provided with a width adjusting mechanism and a height adjusting mechanism to adapt to patients with different body types. Through fusion of mechanical linkage and electrical stimulation, a patient is assisted in gait training, neuromuscular control is enhanced, the training intensity can be dynamically adjusted, and the rehabilitation effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of medical rehabilitation equipment, and in particular relates to a spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device. Background Art

[0002] Spinal cord injury is a serious neurological injury that often leads to motor and sensory impairments below the level of injury. Loss of gait function is a key issue affecting patients' ability to live independently. Due to interrupted or damaged nerve conduction, spinal cord injury patients' lower limb muscles are unable to receive effective commands from the brain, resulting in partial or complete loss of walking ability. Long-term wheelchair dependence not only leads to complications such as muscle atrophy and joint stiffness, but also significantly reduces patients' quality of life and social participation.

[0003] In the existing spinal cord injury rehabilitation training, gait training is one of the core links, and its goal is to reconstruct the neuromuscular control pattern through external auxiliary means and restore the patient's walking ability. The current mainstream technologies include electrical stimulation therapy (such as functional electrical stimulation FES), mechanically assisted gait training (such as gait trainers, lower limb exoskeletons) and a combination of the two. However, the existing gait training equipment has shortcomings in the combination of mechanical assistance and electrical stimulation, especially for patients with spinal cord injury. There is a lack of linkage auxiliary structure that can achieve coordinated movement of both lower limbs, and the existing equipment is difficult to meet the patients' higher demands for neuromuscular function recovery and gait training effects in rehabilitation training during use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems mentioned above, the present invention proposes a spinal cord injury linkage electrical stimulation gait training device, which can provide synchronous linkage of lower limb movements, and can change the linkage mode of synchronous linkage as needed, simulate normal gait and targeted training, and combine electrical stimulation therapy during the training process, and adapt to patients of different body shapes through adjustable structure.

[0005] In order to achieve the technical objectives in the above content, the present invention is realized through the following technical solutions: a spinal cord injury linkage electrical stimulation gait training device, including an I-shaped frame, the left and right sides of the I-shaped frame are symmetrically sleeved with the same support frame, the upper end of the support frame is sleeved with a movable frame, the movable frame is in a downward U-shape, and a bearing support is installed on the lower surface of the middle of the top horizontal part of the movable frame, the bearing support is connected to a thigh connecting rod through a bearing, and a calf connecting rod is hinged at the end of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod. The lower end of the calf connecting rod is hinged with a foot support plate, and the inner sides of the thigh connecting rod and the calf connecting rod are both installed with leg fixing straps, which can fix the patient's thigh and calf respectively. The foot support plate is connected with a self-elastic foot fixing strap, which can fix the patient's foot and the foot support plate to each other. The structures on the left and right support frames are symmetrical and the same, so that the patient's lower limbs can be placed on the foot support plates for gait training. An armrest is installed on the top of the movable frame for the patient to hold on to; the middle inner part of the vertical part on the front side of the two movable frames The same pulleys are symmetrically installed on the sides, and a traction rope passes between the two pulleys, and the two ends of the traction rope are respectively connected to the lower parts of the thigh links on the left and right sides. The rear vertical parts of the two movable frames are symmetrically installed with the same pulleys and are also connected with traction ropes. The traction ropes and pulleys cooperate to make the thigh links on the left and right sides form a linkage movement. When the left thigh link swings forward, the right thigh link swings backward to achieve coordinated movement of both lower limbs; an electric stimulation controller is installed on the outer side of the thigh link and the calf link, and a number of electrode patches and electromyographic sensor patches are connected to the electric stimulation controller through wires. During gait training, the electrode patches and electromyographic sensor patches can be attached to the corresponding parts of the patient's legs, and the patient's legs are electrically stimulated according to the mode set in advance by the electric stimulation controller. The electromyographic signals during training are monitored by the electromyographic sensor patches and fed back to the electric stimulation controller, thereby accurately controlling the electrode patches. A control module is installed on the upper outer side of the movable frame, and the control module can control the start of the electric stimulation controller.

[0006] Furthermore, a first rotary damper is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the connection between the thigh connecting rod and the bearing support. The first rotary damper can control the damping magnitude when the thigh connecting rod moves, thereby increasing the thigh training intensity during training.

[0007] A second rotary damper is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the connection between the thigh link and the calf link. The second rotary damper can control the damping effect of the thigh link and the calf link when they move, thereby increasing the calf training intensity during training.

[0008] The calf connecting rod comprises an internally sleeved telescopic rod, the telescopic rod is provided with a plurality of penetrating positioning holes, the lower end of the calf connecting rod is provided with holes identical to the positioning holes and pins are installed in the holes, the telescopic rod is clamped to the calf connecting rod by the pins, and the height between the calf connecting rod and the foot support plate can be adjusted by fixing different positioning holes with the pins to accommodate different patients;

[0009] Furthermore, a plurality of width adjustment holes are symmetrically opened on the left and right sides of the front end of the I-shaped frame and run through the front and back. The inner end of the support frame is opened with the same hole, and a first bolt is installed in the width adjustment hole. The first bolt passes through the different height adjustment holes and is fixed to the holes on the support frame, so that the widths of the left and right support frames can be adjusted to accommodate patients of different body shapes.

[0010] The movable frame is symmetrically provided with a plurality of height adjustment holes extending therethrough on both the front and rear sides. The top end of the support frame is provided with a same hole, and a second bolt is installed in each of the height adjustment holes. The second bolt passes through different height adjustment holes and is fixed to the holes on the support frame, thereby achieving height adjustment of the movable frame to accommodate patients of different heights.

[0011] A torso fixing frame is symmetrically mounted on the inner side of the middle portion of the horizontal portion of the movable frame. The torso is semicircular in shape. The left and right torso fixing frames can clamp the torso of the patient. Adjustment belts with ladder buckles are connected to the ends of the torso fixing frames. The torso fixing frames on both sides are connected to each other through the adjustment belts to fix the torso of the patient.

[0012] Furthermore, a clamping block is connected to the end of the traction rope, and the clamping block is in a transverse T-shape. A cross slot is provided on the outer side of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod. The clamping block at the end of the traction rope can be clamped into the cross slot. The traction rope can be removed by cooperating with the clamping block and the cross slot, so that training can be carried out when the two legs are not coordinated. The recovery status of the patient's two legs can be analyzed through the different electromyographic signals on the left and right sides, so as to further target the training.

[0013] Furthermore, an angle sensor is installed inside the connection between the thigh link and the bearing support, which can collect the angle data of the thigh link swing. The same angle sensor is installed at the hinge between the thigh link and the calf link, which can collect the angle data between the thigh link and the calf link. The angle sensor is connected to the control module, and the control module can control the first damper or the second damper according to the pre-set angle change difference. When the angle change difference is too small, it means that the patient has difficulty in moving. At this time, the damping can be reduced to facilitate the patient's training.

[0014] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0015] 1. The present invention comprises a support frame, a movable frame, a thigh connecting rod, a calf connecting rod, a foot support plate and other structures symmetrically connected on the left and right sides of the I-shaped frame, and the cooperation of the front and rear pulleys and the traction rope of the two movable frames. When the left thigh connecting rod swings forward, the traction rope drives the right thigh connecting rod to swing backward via the pulley, thereby achieving the coordinated movement of both lower limbs, simulating the linkage of both lower limbs during normal walking, helping patients establish a correct gait pattern, solving the problem of the existing equipment lacking an auxiliary structure for the coordinated movement of both lower limbs, and improving the effectiveness of gait training. The first rotary damper on the outside of the connection between the thigh connecting rod and the bearing support can control the size of the active damping of the thigh connecting rod, and the second rotary damper on the outside of the connection between the thigh connecting rod and the calf connecting rod can control the size of the active damping of both. During training, the training intensity of the thigh or calf can be increased according to the patient's condition, meeting the training intensity requirements of different rehabilitation stages and enhancing the targeted nature of the training.

[0016] 2. The calf connecting rod includes an internally sleeved telescopic rod with several positioning holes on the telescopic rod. The lower end of the calf connecting rod is connected to the positioning hole by a pin. The height between the calf connecting rod and the foot support plate can be adjusted by fixing different positioning holes with a pin, which can adapt to the differences in the length of the lower limbs of different patients. The width adjustment holes on the left and right sides of the front end of the I-frame are fixed to the holes on the inner end of the support frame by a first bolt, which can adjust the width of the left and right support frames. The height adjustment holes on the front and rear sides of the movable frame are fixed to the holes on the top end of the support frame by a second bolt, which can realize the height adjustment of the movable frame, thereby adapting to patients of different body shapes and heights, thereby expanding the scope of application of the equipment.

[0017] 3. The clamping block at the end of the traction rope is T-shaped and can be clamped into the cross groove on the outer side of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod. The traction rope can be connected or removed by installing and removing the clamping block. When the traction rope is removed, the left and right legs can be trained without coordinated assistance. The angle sensors installed inside the connection between the thigh connecting rod and the bearing support and at the hinge with the calf connecting rod can collect the swing angle of the thigh connecting rod and the angle data between the thigh and the calf, and feed the data back to the control module. The control module controls the first damper or the second damper according to the pre-set angle change difference. When the angle change difference is too small, the damping is reduced to facilitate patient training and realize dynamic adjustment of training difficulty according to the patient's actual activity situation.

[0018] 4. The electrical stimulation controller on the outside of the thigh link and the calf link is connected to the electrode patch and the electromyographic sensor patch through wires. The electrode patch is attached to the corresponding part of the patient's leg. The electrical stimulation controller electrically stimulates the patient's leg according to the pre-set pattern. The electromyographic sensor patch monitors the electromyographic signal during training and feeds back to the electrical stimulation controller to accurately control the electrode patch. Combining electrical stimulation therapy with gait training promotes the recovery of nerve function and improves the effect of rehabilitation training. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the left half of Example 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a part of the structure of embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 1 is a schematic diagram of the pull rope structure of embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a torso fixing frame according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0025] The structural names represented by the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are:

[0026] 1-I-frame, 101-width adjustment hole, 102-first bolt, 2-support frame, 3-movable frame, 301-bearing support, 302-height adjustment hole, 303-second bolt, 304-armrest frame, 305-trunk fixing frame, 306-adjustment belt, 4-thigh connecting rod, 401-cross slot, 5-calf connecting rod, 501-telescopic rod, 502-positioning hole, 503-pin, 6-foot support plate, 601-foot fixing belt, 7-pulley, 8-traction rope, 801-block, 9-electric stimulation controller, 901-electrode patch, 10-electromyoelectric sensor patch, 11-first rotary damper, 12-second rotary damper, 13-leg fixing belt, 14-control module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] See Figures 1 to 5As shown, and according to the contents of this specification, a spinal cord injury linkage electrical stimulation gait training device is provided, including an I-shaped frame 1, which is made of high-strength aluminum alloy to ensure structural stability. The I-shaped frame 1 is symmetrically sleeved with the same support frame 2 on the left and right sides. The support frame 2 is a rectangular steel pipe structure with a through hole on its inner end. A number of width adjustment holes 101 that pass through the front and back are symmetrically provided on the left and right sides of the front end of the I-shaped frame 1. A first bolt 102 is installed in the width adjustment hole 101. The first bolt 102 passes through the width adjustment holes 101 at different positions and is fastened to the through hole on the inner end of the support frame 2. The spacing between the left and right support frames 2 can be adjusted to accommodate patients with different body widths.

[0030] The upper end of the support frame 2 is connected to the movable frame 3, which is shaped like a downward U. Several height adjustment holes 302 are symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the movable frame 3. A corresponding hole is opened at the top end of the support frame 2, and a second bolt 303 is installed in each of the height adjustment holes 302. By fixing the different height adjustment holes 302 with the second bolt 303, the movable frame 3 can be raised and lowered vertically to accommodate patients of different heights. A bearing support 301 is mounted on the lower middle surface of the top horizontal portion of the movable frame 3. The bearing support 301 is connected to the thigh connecting rod 4 via a bearing. The thigh connecting rod 4 is made of a lightweight carbon fiber tube to reduce the movement load. A first rotary damper 11 is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the connection between the thigh connecting rod 4 and the bearing support 301. This electrorheological fluid damping structure can dynamically adjust the resistance strength of the thigh swing. An angle sensor is also embedded in this connection to collect real-time thigh swing angle data.

[0031] The lower end of the thigh link 4 is hinged to the calf link 5. The calf link 5 consists of an inner and outer sleeve: a telescopic rod 501 is sleeved internally, with several locating holes 502 extending through it. The lower end of the calf link 5 has corresponding through-holes and is fitted with pins 503. These pins 503 are inserted into the locating holes 502 at varying heights to adjust the length of the calf link 5 to the patient's lower limb size. A second rotary damper 12 (using an electrorheological fluid damping structure) is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the hinge between the thigh and calf links 4 and 5 to control knee joint motion damping. An angle sensor is also mounted at this hinge to monitor knee flexion angle. The lower end of the calf link 5 is hinged to a foot support 6, to which is attached a self-elastic nylon foot strap 601. Both the thigh and calf links 4 and 5 are fitted with leg straps 13 on the inner sides to secure the patient's lower limb.

[0032] Pulleys 7 are symmetrically mounted on the inner side of the middle portion of the front vertical portion of the left and right movable frames 3. A traction rope 8 passes between the two pulleys 7, and the two ends of the traction rope 8 are connected to T-shaped clamps 801. A cross slot 401 is provided on the outer side of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod 4. The clamp 801 can be inserted into the cross slot 401 to form a detachable connection, so that the left and right thigh connecting rods 4 are linked by the traction rope 8: when the left thigh connecting rod 4 swings forward, the traction rope 8 pulls the right thigh connecting rod 4 backward via the pulley 7, simulating normal gait coordination. The same pulleys 7 and traction ropes 8 are symmetrically mounted on the vertical portion of the rear side of the movable frame 3 to enhance the stability of the linkage. By removing the clamp 801, the linkage between the two lower limbs can be released, facilitating single-leg independent training.

[0033] A semicircular trunk fixing frame 305 is symmetrically installed on the inside of the middle part of the horizontal part of the movable frame 3, lined with soft sponge. Its end is connected to an adjustment belt 306 with a ladder buckle. Tightening the adjustment belt 306 can stabilize the patient's trunk. An armrest frame 304 is installed on the top of the movable frame 3 for the patient to support. An electrical stimulation controller 9 (with a built-in microprocessor) is installed on the outside of the thigh connecting rod 4 and the calf connecting rod 5. The controller is connected to a conductive gel electrode patch 901 and a surface EMG type electromyographic sensor patch 10 by a wire, which is used to apply electrical stimulation and collect electromyographic signals respectively. A control module 14 (including a display screen and operation buttons) is installed on the outside of the movable frame 3. It is electrically connected to the electrical stimulation controller 9 and the angle sensor, and can coordinate electrical stimulation and mechanical movement according to a preset program.

[0034] To use this device, first adjust the equipment to the patient's body shape: loosen the first bolt 102, move the support frame 2 to the appropriate width, and then tighten it. Use the second bolt 303 to raise and lower the movable frame 3 to hip height. Pull out the pin 503, adjust the length of the telescopic rod 501 so that the foot support 6 fits the sole of the foot, and then secure the pin 503. The patient stands on the foot support 6, secures the lower limbs with the leg straps 13 and foot straps 601, and secures the torso with the torso mount 305 and adjustment straps 306. Hold the handrails 304 with both hands. Apply the electrode patches 901 and the electromyographic sensor patches 10 to the target muscle groups in the patient's lower limbs and connect them to the electrical stimulation controller 9. After the control module 14 is started, the electrical stimulation controller 9 outputs electrical pulses according to the preset mode, and the electromyoelectric sensor feeds back the electromyoelectric signal in real time to dynamically adjust the stimulation parameters; when the patient takes an active step, the left thigh swings forward and drives the right thigh to swing backward through the traction rope 8, forming a gait coordination; the angle sensor continuously collects hip / knee joint angle data. If the swing amplitude is insufficient (the angle change difference is too small), the control module 14 automatically reduces the resistance of the first / second rotary damper 12 to reduce the training difficulty; when single-leg training is required, remove the traction rope 8 block 801 to release the linkage mode.

[0035] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and variations can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these modifications and variations should all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device, characterized in that: The invention comprises an I-shaped frame (1): the left and right sides of the I-shaped frame (1) are symmetrically sleeved with the same support frame (2); the upper end of the support frame (2) is sleeved with a movable frame (3); the movable frame (3) is in a downward U-shape; a bearing support (301) is installed on the lower surface of the middle part of the top horizontal part of the movable frame (3); a thigh connecting rod (4) is connected to the bearing support (301) through a bearing; a calf connecting rod (5) is hinged at the end of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod (4); a foot support plate (6) is hinged at the end of the lower end of the calf connecting rod (5); a leg fixing belt (13) is installed on the inner side of the thigh connecting rod (4) and the calf connecting rod (5); the front vertical parts of the two movable frames (3) are The same pulley (7) is symmetrically installed on the inner side of the middle part, and a pulling rope (8) passes between the two pulleys (7), and the two ends of the pulling rope (8) are respectively connected to the lower part of the thigh connecting rod (4) on the left and right sides. The same pulley (7) and the corresponding pulling rope (8) are symmetrically installed on the rear side of the two movable frames (3); the outer sides of the thigh connecting rod (4) and the calf connecting rod (5) are both installed with an electric stimulation controller (9), and a plurality of electrode patches (901) and electromyographic sensor patches (10) are connected to the electric stimulation controller (9) through wires. A control module (14) is installed on the upper outer side of the movable frame (3), and the control module (14) is electrically connected to the electric stimulation controller (9).

2. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first rotation damper (11) is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the connection between the thigh connecting rod (4) and the bearing support (301); a second rotation damper (12) is coaxially mounted on the outer side of the connection between the thigh connecting rod (4) and the calf connecting rod (5).

3. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calf connecting rod (5) comprises an internally sleeved telescopic rod (501), the telescopic rod (501) is provided with a plurality of penetrating positioning holes (502), and the lower end of the calf connecting rod (5) is provided with holes corresponding to the positioning holes (502), and pins (503) are installed in the holes.

4. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the I-shaped frame (1) is symmetrically provided with a plurality of width adjustment holes (101) extending front to back, on both left and right sides, and the inner end of the support frame (2) is provided with holes corresponding to the width adjustment holes (101), and first bolts (102) are installed in the width adjustment holes (101).

5. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable frame (3) is symmetrically provided with a plurality of height adjustment holes (302) extending therethrough on both sides thereof, and a hole corresponding to the height adjustment hole (302) is provided at the top end of the support frame (2), and a second bolt (303) is installed in the height adjustment hole (302).

6. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A trunk fixing frame (305) is symmetrically installed on the inner side of the middle of the horizontal part of the movable frame (3), and the trunk is in a semicircular arc shape. The end of the trunk fixing frame (305) is connected to an adjustment belt (306) with a ladder buckle.

7. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the pulling rope (8) is connected to a clamping block (801), which is in a transverse T-shape; and a cross groove (401) is provided on the outer side of the lower end of the thigh connecting rod (4).

8. The spinal cord injury linked electrical stimulation gait training device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An angle sensor is installed inside the connection between the thigh connecting rod (4) and the bearing support (301), and the same angle sensor is installed at the hinge between the thigh connecting rod (4) and the calf connecting rod (5). The angle sensor is electrically connected to the control module (14).

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