Sensor-Equipped Therapy Braces for Real-Time EMS Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic braces and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) systems lack real-time monitoring and feedback mechanisms, leading to sub-optimal patient treatment and rehabilitation outcomes due to subjective assessments by healthcare providers and manual adjustments by physical therapists.
Innovation Solution
A sensor-equipped brace system with integrated electrodes and control electronics that form a closed-loop electrical muscle stimulation system, providing real-time monitoring and adjustable stimulation based on measured electrical parameters, coupled with a computing platform for data analysis and user interface for feedback and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual adjustments are made by physical therapists based on personal judgment, then the brace can be adjusted without complex monitoring systems, but the treatment precision and objectivity deteriorate due to subjective assessments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through sensors that continuously monitor range of motion and muscle strength, providing real-time data to both the patient and healthcare providers. This objective feedback replaces subjective manual assessments, enabling precise measurement and tracking of rehabilitation progress without requiring complex continuous monitoring systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace system enables patients to self-monitor their own rehabilitation progress through integrated sensors and user interfaces. Patients can track their range of motion and muscle strength independently, reducing the need for frequent manual assessments by physical therapists while maintaining high measurement precision.
2Device complexity
If electrical muscle stimulation is delivered only when the patient is with the therapist, then the equipment complexity is reduced, but the treatment duration and patient convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The EMS system is designed to be self-contained and portable, allowing patients to administer electrical muscle stimulation independently at home without requiring therapist presence. The system includes integrated power sources, control interfaces, and safety mechanisms that enable patients to self-manage their treatment schedules, significantly extending treatment availability while maintaining manageable device complexity.
3Device complexity
If physicians rely on subjective analysis during visits to determine treatment progression, then the monitoring system complexity is minimized, but the treatment effectiveness and personalization deteriorate due to lack of objective data
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system provides objective feedback through sensors that continuously measure range of motion and muscle strength, transmitting this data to healthcare providers for analysis. This objective data replaces subjective visual assessment, enabling more accurate determination of treatment progression and better-informed decisions about rehabilitation effectiveness and personalization.
4Device complexity
If braces are prescribed without real-time monitoring capability, then the device complexity and cost are reduced, but the ability to provide personalized treatment plans and track recovery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The brace system incorporates sensors and communication modules that enable real-time monitoring and data transmission to healthcare providers. This feedback capability allows for dynamic adjustment of treatment parameters based on actual patient progress, enabling personalized treatment plans while maintaining reasonable device complexity through modular design and efficient data processing.
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
Enables real-time monitoring and adjustment of brace systems, enhancing the effectiveness of rehabilitation by providing objective data for healthcare providers and personalized treatment plans, improving patient recovery and treatment efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
provide electrical stimulation to mimic the action potentials normally created from neurological signals into order to activate and elicit an action potential and resultant contraction of the muscle fibers causing the muscle to contract
Implementation Method 2
measuring the at least one electrical parameter from the tissue
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments include a system with a sensor with electrodes including an active electrode and a receiving electrode that is in physical contact with skin of a patient forming an electrical circuit with control electronics of a controller that can measure an electrical parameter using an active electrode and a receiving electrode within a closed loop electrical muscle stimulation system. A sense electrical pulse can be applied to the tissue using the sensor, an electrical parameter measured from the tissue, and a stimulation pulse applied to the tissue based at least in part on the measured electrical parameter. The stimulation is adjustably controlled by the controller to maintain a constant power output to the tissue based on the electrical parameter. A good is coupled to a computer readable medium configured to store usage data, the usage data relating to the patient's use of the good.