Knee Brace With Removable Resistance Band
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current knee braces primarily serve as protective devices during the post-operative period and do not effectively assist patients in regaining extension and hyperextension flexibility or muscle mass lost due to knee injuries or surgeries, often requiring painful and non-quantifiable rehabilitation techniques that can lead to further injuries.
Innovation Solution
A knee brace with laterally positioned removable resistance bands that provide incremental resistance to assist in regaining knee extension and hyperextension flexibility, made from resilient materials like rubber, allowing for adjustable resistance levels and easy attachment/detachment, enabling quantifiable progress monitoring during rehabilitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional open-chain machines are used for resistance training, then muscle mass regain is accelerated, but significant shear effect on the knee occurs that can reinjure the knee
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance training function is segmented from the knee brace structure. The resistance band is a separate, removable component that can be attached to the brace, allowing resistance training without the shear forces generated by conventional machines. This segmentation enables muscle strengthening while eliminating the harmful shear effect on the knee joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The resistance band acts as an intermediary between the patient and the resistance training function. Instead of using direct machine resistance that creates shear forces, the resistance band provides a gentle, controlled resistance that can be attached to the brace, mediating the training process to avoid knee injury while still achieving muscle mass regain.
2Ease of operation
If known stretching techniques are used to regain hyperextension, then knee extension flexibility is improved, but intense and painful physical therapy is required
Solution Approach 1:
The brace with resistance band enables self-service rehabilitation. The resistance band is designed to be easily attached and detached by the patient themselves without requiring a therapist's presence. This allows the patient to perform extension exercises independently, eliminating the need for intense, painful therapist-assisted therapy while still achieving hyperextension flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The resistance band provides dynamic, adjustable resistance that adapts to the patient's progress. As the patient gains strength and flexibility, the resistance can be increased by simply changing the band, creating a progressive rehabilitation process that is less painful and more sustainable than static stretching techniques.
3Ease of operation
If known stretching techniques are used to regain hyperextension, then knee extension flexibility is improved, but quantifiable loading measures are not available to track progress
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance band system provides built-in feedback through the resistance itself. As the patient progresses through rehabilitation, the resistance band requires increasing force to maintain the same extension angle, providing a quantifiable measure of progress. This feedback mechanism allows patients and therapists to track improvement objectively without requiring complex measurement devices.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the resistance band is made removable and adjustable, then adaptability to different resistance levels is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance band is segmented as a separate, removable component rather than an integrated part of the brace. This segmentation allows the resistance element to be easily attached and detached without complicating the main brace structure. The simplicity of this modular approach provides adaptability while minimizing added complexity.
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 brace helps patients regain knee function with reduced pain and risk of injury, allowing for more efficient rehabilitation by providing controlled resistance, thus reducing the need for frequent physical therapy sessions and associated costs.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient band has an upper end and an opposing lower end such that the upper end is attached to either the first receiver or the third receiver and the lower end is correspondingly attached to either the second receiver or the fourth receiver
Data Source
AI summary
A brace assists a user in regaining extension and hyperextension flexibility in an injured joint as well as aiding in resistance training in order to regain lost muscle mass about the joint. The system uses a pair of plates that each attach to a lateral side of one of the limb-encircling sleeves of the brace. An interchangeable resistance band is attached to each plate, either in the posterior or anterior position. The resistance band introduces static loading when the user is at rest as well as dynamic loading when the user is utilizing the joint. A pivot system can be used to offer the resistance band a medially located pivot point so that the resistance band offers variable resistance during dynamic loading.