Automated Knee Motion Equipment for Multidirectional Patellar Mobilization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing physiotherapeutic treatments for knee joint mobilization, particularly patellofemoral and tibiofemoral motion, are inefficient and unreliable due to dependency on human skill and frequency, leading to incomplete rehabilitation and potential post-surgery complications.
Innovation Solution
A device incorporating three motion units—flexion/extension, internal/external rotation, and multidirectional patellar mobilization—controlled by an electro-electronic and pneumatic system, enabling automated and non-invasive multidirectional knee joint mobilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual therapy techniques are used for patellar mobilization and passive tibiofemoral motion, then therapeutic benefits are achieved, but treatment consistency and reliability deteriorate due to dependency on human skill and frequency
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables automated self-administered patellar mobilization and tibiofemoral motion therapy. The patient can independently operate the device without requiring a therapist's continuous presence, achieving consistent treatment through programmed automated sequences that perform mobilization in multiple directions (superior, inferior, medial, lateral) with controlled amplitude and frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the manual mechanical system (therapist's hands) with an automated mechanical system. A motor-driven mechanism with articulated arms and contact elements performs the mobilization forces, eliminating variability in human application while maintaining the necessary therapeutic mechanical actions for patellar movement and joint motion.
2Productivity
If high frequency and precise mobilization are required for effective rehabilitation, then treatment effectiveness improves, but treatment time and professional supervision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides continuous automated mobilization therapy through programmed sequences that repeatedly execute superior-inferior and medial-lateral patellar movements along with tibiofemoral motion. The motor-driven system maintains consistent amplitude and frequency over extended periods without interruption, delivering high cumulative doses of therapy that would be difficult to achieve through manual means alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system allows patients to perform rehabilitation independently at home without requiring professional supervision during each treatment session. The device executes pre-programmed sequences automatically, enabling patients to receive precise, high-frequency mobilization therapy while eliminating the need for continuous therapist involvement.
3Ease of operation
If multidirectional patellar mobilization is performed manually, then joint mobility improves, but treatment precision and repeatability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the mobilization therapy into distinct directional components: superior-inferior movements, medial-lateral movements, and tibiofemoral flexion-extension. Each direction is controlled by separate articulated mechanisms that can be independently actuated, allowing precise control over the amplitude, frequency, and sequence of each mobilization component while maintaining ease of operation through automated coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system enables precise control and repeatability of mobilization parameters including amplitude, frequency, duration, and sequence for each directional component. The motor-driven mechanisms can consistently reproduce identical movement parameters across multiple treatment sessions, ensuring treatment precision and repeatability that cannot be achieved through manual therapy alone.
Data Source
AI summary
The present patent document relates to automatic equipment for performing orthopedic and physiotherapeutic procedures for passive motion of the knee joint (patellofemoral and tibiofemoral), incorporating three motion units: knee flexion and extension motion unit; internal and external rotation motion unit of the knee; and a multidirectional patellar mobilization unit (lower-upper and medial-lateral), an external support for multidirectional patellar mobilizer and a control unit. The flexion and extension motion unit is comprised of a mechanical and electronic structure on which the leg rests during use thereof and has at least two supports for supporting the leg located in the back region of the thigh and in the back region of the leg (calf); the internal and external rotation motion unit of the knee is comprised of a structure with a support for the leg and a support for the foot region (sole region) coupled to a knee flexion and extension motion unit; and the multidirectional patellar mobilization unit is comprised of a receptacle on which a retainer and an actuating element are disposed.