Dynamic Hand Splint with Cooled Inflatable Bladder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Muscle spasticity, a chronic condition affecting millions, is poorly managed by conventional home treatments, leading to low user compliance and increased need for surgical intervention due to ineffective relief and complex implementation of existing devices.
Innovation Solution
A cold therapy dynamic hand splint system combining cryotherapy and kinesiotherapy, using an inflatable bladder and sleeve filled with cooled fluid, which can be easily operated by patients to relieve spasticity and prepare hands for physical therapy, with a refrigeration device maintaining the fluid within a therapeutic temperature range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hand splints and dynamic extension spring systems are used, then spasticity relief is provided, but implementation is complicated and relief is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cryotherapy (cold fluid circulation through sleeve) and kinesiotherapy (inflatable bladder stretching) into a single integrated device. The sleeve contains both fluid-tight cavities for cold fluid and an inflatable bladder, merging two separate therapeutic modalities into one system that can be operated together simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an electric pump to circulate cold fluid through the sleeve's fluid-tight cavities, providing automated cryotherapy. The inflatable bladder is also pressurized by the pump to provide stretching force. This pneumatic/hydraulic system eliminates manual operation complexity while providing reliable therapeutic effects.
2Reliability
If ice water therapy is used, then spasticity relief is provided, but it is difficult to implement without assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to be self-operating through an electric pump that automatically circulates cold fluid and inflates the bladder. The control system with thermal and pressure sensors enables the device to regulate its own operation, allowing patients to use it independently at home without requiring assistance from therapists or caregivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual ice water application with an automated electric pump system that circulates cold fluid through the sleeve. This substitution of mechanical automation for manual operation makes the therapy independent and easier to implement while maintaining or improving relief effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the inflatable bladder is large enough to stretch the hand, then spasticity relief is improved, but it cannot fit inside the contracted palm
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bladder transitions from a collapsed state (small volume) to an expanded state (large volume) during operation. This dynamic size change allows the bladder to fit inside the contracted palm initially, then expand to provide stretching force on the spastic hand muscles, resolving the contradiction between initial fit and therapeutic effectiveness.
4Reliability
If physical therapy sessions focus on working out spasticity, then spasticity relief is provided, but valuable therapy time is lost and patient becomes tired
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides spasticity relief at home before physical therapy sessions, preparing the patient's hand in advance. By using the inflatable bladder and cold therapy to reduce spasticity beforehand, less time is needed during therapy sessions to work out spasticity, preserving valuable therapy time and reducing patient fatigue.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides quick and effective relief from spasticity, increasing patient compliance and reducing the need for surgical interventions by allowing for easy, at-home use, even with contracted hands, while simultaneously stretching and cooling the hand and arm.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration device that is thermoelectric, and a fluid reservoir comprising the cold fluid. The fluid is in thermal contact with the refrigeration device and maintained within a therapeutic temperature range
Implementation Method 2
an electric pump, and a sleeve comprising PVC and having two fluid-tight cavities filled with a cold fluid pressurized by the pump
Implementation Method 3
The fluid is in thermal contact with the refrigeration device and maintained within a therapeutic temperature range... simultaneously stretching and cooling the hand and arm
Data Source
AI summary
A cold therapy dynamic hand splint system including an electric pump, a sleeve, an inflatable bladder, a refrigeration device, and a fluid reservoir. The sleeve includes a fluid-tight cavity filled with a cold fluid pressurized by the pump, and is wrapped around the forearm of a user. The inflatable bladder has an expanded state where the bladder is charged with the fluid pressurized by the pump and chilled by the refrigeration device, and a collapsed state where the bladder is substantially empty. The bladder is small enough that a portion fits inside a palm of a contracted spastic hand while in the collapsed state, and large enough to press the spastic hand open when the bladder is in the expanded state. The fluid is maintained within a therapeutic temperature range, and is in fluidic communication with the sleeve and the bladder through the pump.