Modular Postural System for Equestrian Rehabilitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current postural systems for equestrian rehabilitation, such as hippotherapy, are inadequate in providing support and correct positioning for patients with severe motor disabilities, limiting their accessibility and the therapy's effectiveness, as they fail to ensure proper stimulus transmission from the horse to the patient without continuous therapist intervention.
Innovation Solution
A modular and customizable postural system comprising a base body with removable connecting means and shapeable blocks, allowing for adjustable support and positioning to accommodate varying patient morphologies and positions, ensuring correct alignment and stimulus transmission, while being comfortable for both the patient and the horse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current saddles and postural systems are used for hippotherapy, then the therapy can be applied to patients with mild motor disabilities and sufficient trunk control, but it cannot provide adequate postural support for patients with severe motor disabilities and very little or no body control
Solution Approach 1:
The postural system is divided into multiple detachable blocks that can be independently positioned and configured. Each block can be separately attached to the base body using connecting means, allowing the therapist to segment the support structure according to the specific needs of patients with severe motor disabilities, providing reliable postural support where needed while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs movable and repositionable blocks that can be dynamically adjusted during therapy sessions. The blocks can be removed, repositioned, and reattached to accommodate changes in patient position (sitting, supine, prone) and evolving therapeutic needs, ensuring both reliability of support and adaptability to different disability levels.
2Device complexity
If current postural systems are used, then the setup is relatively simple, but continuous therapist intervention is required to guarantee correct positioning and balance, which disturbs both the user and the horse
Solution Approach 1:
The blocks are pre-configured with connecting means that enable quick and easy attachment to the base body. The standardized connecting interface allows therapists to rapidly set up the correct positioning without complex procedures, reducing the need for continuous intervention while maintaining ease of operation during therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to maintain correct positioning through its inherent structural features, including the interlocking connecting means and the stability of the block configuration. Once properly set up, the system self-maintains positioning without requiring continuous therapist adjustment, allowing the therapy to proceed undisturbed.
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed postural system is used, then the initial setup is straightforward, but it cannot be easily modified according to the specific needs of individual users and their evolution over time
Solution Approach 1:
The modular block structure allows the system to be easily reconfigured by detaching and repositioning individual blocks. This segmentation enables straightforward initial setup while simultaneously providing the flexibility to adapt to individual user needs and their evolution over time, as blocks can be rearranged without complex procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized connecting means and universal base body design allow the same system to serve multiple patients with different needs. The blocks can be universally attached and repositioned to accommodate various body positions and therapeutic requirements, making the system both easy to set up initially and highly adaptable to individual evolution.
4Device complexity
If traditional saddles and postural systems are used, then they have a simple structure, but they are unable to provide correct stimulus transmission from the horse to the patient for those with severe motor disabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented block structure allows precise positioning of support points to ensure accurate stimulus transmission from the horse to specific patient body areas. Each block can be independently positioned to match the patient's anatomy and therapeutic needs, maintaining relative structural simplicity while achieving high precision in stimulus transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
Different blocks can be positioned at specific locations on the base body to provide localized support and stimulus transmission tailored to the patient's needs. This local customization ensures precise stimulus transmission to critical areas (pelvis, back, shoulders, abdomen) without requiring complex overall structural changes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a postural system (1) for equestrian rehabilitation, said system allowing to ensure correct positioning of the patient and correct passage of stimuli from the horse to the patient, even in the case of patients with severe motor disabilities. Said postural system is modular and customizable and allows positioning the patient on the horse both in a sitting position and in a supine or prone position. According to the invention, the postural system comprises a base body (3) and a plurality of shaped or shapeable blocks (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17) adapted to be removably connected to said base body and repositioned onto said base body. Thanks to the invention, by selecting each time the number, shape and orientation of said shaped or shapeable blocks, it will be possible to take into account the specific morphology of the user and facilitate perfect placement of the body and correct weight distribution.