Patent Issued for Therapy And Physical Training Device (USPTO 10,773,122)

2020 SEP 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Business Daily -- XR Health IL Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) has been issued patent number 10,773,122, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventor is Orr, Eran (Brookline, MA).

This patent was filed on December 28, 2016 and was published online on September 28, 2020.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Many people suffer from neck pain or need to undergo neck exercises for numerous reasons. For example, people who have been involved in a motor vehicle accident or have suffered an injury while playing contact sports such as football are prone to develop a whiplash associated disorder (WAD), a condition resulting from an acceleration-deceleration mechanism or any other impact that may cause damage to the neck muscles or to neck structures. Approximately 4 million people are hospitalized annually in the United States alone for WAD, while nearly a quarter of them never fully recover. The cost for WAD injuries, including health and insurance claims, is over 100 billion USD per year.

“The majority of people who suffer from non-specific neck pain (NSNP) may have experienced symptoms associated with WAD or have an undiagnosed cervical herniated disc. For this population, the recommended treatment regimen includes a variety of exercises promoting neck movement and other functional activity training, leading to improved rehabilitation.

“Commonly these exercises may be carried out in the comfort of one’s home. However, due to the monotonic nature of these exercises, or due to the associated pain, many people do not adhere to the recommended regimen and therefore the sensation of pain is not adequately alleviated. H. Bahat et al, ‘Cervical Kinematic Training with and without Interactive VR Training for Chronic Neck Pain--A Randomized Clinical Trial’, Manual Therapy 20 (2015) 68-78, discloses a virtual reality (VR) device for use as a cervical kinematic assessment and training tool, whereby user attention is directed to an external stimulus rather than to the body movements. The hardware includes a head-mounted display with a three-dimensional motion tracker. Dynamic motion tracking data is analyzed with use of range of motion (ROM), velocity and accuracy modules to elicit cervical motion by the user’s response to visual stimuli provided by an interactive 3D virtual environment. During a VR session, a virtual object is controlled by the user’s head motion in the four directions of flexion, extension, right rotation and left rotation. A training session also involves a laser pointer that is mounted on the user’s head in order to perform a head pursuit task. The drawback of such an arrangement is the need and cost of a dedicated VR system, making the training less accessible to people who need to recover from neck injury or to prevent potential injury to the neck.

“Home training has several limitations. With no direct guidance from the clinician, the patient has no immediate feedback to confirm correct performance of required exercises. Also, lack of such guidance and supervision often leads to even lower adherence; current literature discusses the nature of low adherence to home training, suggesting that patients tend to disregard the importance of prescribed home training. Moreover, patients that suffer from chronic or other long-term conditions (such as those associated with WAD or NSNP) are even less inclined to perform recommended home training (J. Kirsten et al, ‘Barriers to Treatment Adherence in Physiotherapy Outpatient Clinics: A Systematic Review’, Man Ther. June, 2010; 15(32):220-228). As a result, the pain of an initial sensed condition may persist or even worsen--leading to other required medical interventions that could have been prevented, thus also increasing associated costs of the initial condition (‘Adherence to Long-Term Therapies: Evidence for Action’, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2003).

“The activation of muscles supporting the skeletal posture is an effective way to prevent many injuries as disclosed for example, in ‘Cervical Resistance Training: Effects on Isometric and Dynamic Strength’ (Taylor et al., Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 77, No. 11, November 2006).

“It is an object of the present invention to provide a neck therapy and physical training device that facilitates neck mobility restoration, encourages conformance to an exercise regimen, and is cost effective.

“It is another object of the present invention to provide a therapy and physical training device that facilitates rehabilitation and improved conditioning of a given body part.

“Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventor’s summary information for this patent: “The present invention provides a neck therapy and physical training device, comprising a head harness and one or more resistance applying elements which are attached to selected regions of said head harness, said one or more elements configured to provide a user-selected and location-specific level of resistance to a desired head movement that promotes neck muscle activity for a specific neck related condition.

“The head harness is preferably configured with a plurality of spaced head engageable straps, each of said straps being provided with at least one of the regions that is coupleable with a resistance applying element, the coupled resistance applying element adapted to tension a neck related muscle that is located oppositely thereto and to force said tensioned muscle to contract until the head achieves a balanced condition.

“As referred to herein, the term ‘located oppositely thereto’ means the relative geometric location of a neck related muscle or a group of muscles with respect to the coupled resistance applying element, prior to head movement, such that said neck related muscle or group of muscles coincides with or is connected to tissue located on a line extending from the resistance applying element through the head-related center of rotation while said head-related center of rotation is interposed between said tissue and said resistance applying element. When the muscle or group of muscles is tensioned by two contralaterally located resistance applying elements which may be bilaterally symmetrical to each other, the tissue coinciding with or connected to the muscle or group of muscles is located on a line medially extending between the two resistance applying elements and passing through the head-related center of rotation.

“In one embodiment, the neck therapy device further comprises a head mounted display connected to the head harness on which is viewable computer generated images, thereby allowing neck rehabilitation training in conjunction with virtual reality enhancement.

“The head mounted display may be configured with image forming lenses and with a slot in which is insertable a processor enabled device, such as a smartphone.

“The present invention is also directed to a system comprising the neck therapy device, a computer configured to generate said images, a sensor in data communication with said computer for detecting, when the head harness is bodily engaged, a real-time three-dimensional disposition of the head of the user, and an application running on a processor of said computer.

“Said application is configured to receive inputs from said sensor and to generate, in response to said real-time disposition, a virtual reality object viewable by the user on said display, said object being indicative of an additional head movement to be made by the user in order to conform to a user-specific exercise program.

“The present invention is also directed to a therapy and physical training system, comprising one or more movement sensors each of which positioned on a corresponding body part of a user, a first computer on a processor of which an application is running, and a head mounted housing which is configured with a display on which images generated by said first computer are visible to said user.

“Said application is configured to receive inputs from each of said sensors or from a second computer in data communication with each of said sensors, said application also configured to generate, in response to a real-time disposition of each of said corresponding body parts during performance of an exercise related body movement, a virtual reality object viewable by said user, said object being indicative of an additional body movement to be made by said user in order to conform with a user-specific exercise program.

“In one embodiment, the system further comprises one or more bio-feedback sensors bodily engaged with said user and in data communication with the first computer or with a processor in data communication with the first computer, each of said one or more bio-feedback sensors configured to output a signal which is indicative of a pain intensity level experienced by the user during performance of the body movement or of the additional body movement and of a level of user-specific impairment. The application is configured to receive inputs from each of the one or more bio-feedback sensors, from the first computer, or from the second computer, said application also configured to generate, in response to a real-time pain intensity level indication during performance of the exercise related body movement that is below a predetermined threshold, a virtual reality object viewable by said user to urge continuance of the exercise related body movement.

“The present invention is also directed to a system for determining a cervical range of motion, comprising a head harness configured with a plurality of spaced head engageable straps and a superiorly located and substantially horizontally disposed calvarial region from which said plurality of straps extend; a sensor block attached to said calvarial region, said sensor block comprising one or more sensors adapted to detect head movement with respect to a head-related center of rotation in a plurality of translational directions and a plurality of rotational directions, and a processor operable to receive data from said one or more sensors, and to determine, based on said received data, a cervical range of motion which corresponds to displacement of a selected neck region between a starting and ending position; and means for outputting data representative of said determined cervical range of motion.

“The present invention is also directed to an automatized method for promoting rehabilitation of neck muscles of a patient suffering from impaired cervical motion, comprising the steps of bodily engaging a head harness provided with one or movement sensors and a processor, said head harness being connected to a head mounted display on which is viewable computer generated images; bodily engaging one or more bio-feedback sensors configured to output to said processor a signal which is indicative of a pain intensity level experienced by the user during performance of a body movement; viewing said images by said display; performing a corresponding head motion that is urged by said generated images; by said processor, determining an ending position for a selected neck region and transmitting, to a computerized device in data communication with said display, signals which are indicative of said ending position and a pain intensity level experienced by said patient at said ending position; and by said computerized device, generating additional images to urge said patient in continuing the head motion beyond said ending position if the pain intensity level thereat is below a predetermined threshold.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“The invention claimed is:

“1. A therapy and physical training system comprising: one or more movement sensors each of which are configured to be positioned on a corresponding body part of a user, a first computer comprising a processor on which an application is running, a head mounted housing having a display on which images generated by said first computer are visible to said user, and one or more bio-feedback sensors configured to be bodily engaged with said user and in data communication with the first computer, a second computer or with a processor in data communication with the first computer, wherein said application is configured to receive inputs from each of said one or more biofeedback sensors or from the second computer in data communication with each of said one or more biofeedback sensors, said application also configured to generate, in response to a real-time disposition of each of said corresponding body parts during performance of an exercise related body movement, a virtual reality object viewable by said user, said object being indicative of an additional body movement to be made by said user in order to conform with a user-specific exercise program wherein each of said one or more bio-feedback sensors are configured to output a signal which is indicative of a pain intensity level experienced by the user during performance of the body movement or of the additional body movement, and each of said one or more movement sensors are configured to output a signal which is indicative of a level of user-specific impairment including a starting position and an ending position from the performance of the body movement or of the additional body movement, wherein said application is configured to encourage said user to continue motion beyond the ending position when the signal which is indicative of a pain intensity level experienced by the user during performance of the body movement or of the additional body movement is not above a predetermined intensity.

“2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one image forming lens and a slot into which a processor enabled device is inserted.

“3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the processor enabled device is a smartphone.

“4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the application is configured to receive inputs from each of the one or more bio-feedback sensors, from the first computer, or from the second computer, said application also configured to generate, in response to a real-time pain intensity level indication during performance of the exercise related body movement that is below a predetermined threshold, a virtual reality object viewable by said user to urge continuance of the exercise related body movement.

“5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first computer is a personal computer provided with a virtual reality platform and is connected to the head mounted housing.

“6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first computer is housed within the head mounted housing.

“7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display of the head mounted housing comprises at least one image forming lens through which the virtual reality object is transmittable.

“8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said application is configured to determine a displacement based on the starting position and the ending position, and compare said determined displacement to an expected displacement for a similar motion of a healthy person.

“9. An automatized method for promoting rehabilitation of neck muscles of a patient suffering from impaired cervical motion, comprising the steps of: bodily engaging a head mounted housing provided with one or movement sensors and a processor, said head mounted housing having a display on which is viewable computer generated images; bodily engaging one or more bio-feedback sensors, wherein each of said one or more bio-feedback sensors are configured to output to said processor a signal which is indicative of a pain intensity level experienced by the user during performance of a body movement and each of said one or more movement sensors are configured to output a signal which is indicative of a level of user-specific impairment including a starting position and an ending position from a head motion that is urged by said computer generated images; viewing said images by said display; performing the head motion; by said processor and said one or more movement sensors, determining a starting position and an ending position for a selected neck region and transmitting, to a computerized device in data communication with said display, signals which are indicative of said starting position and said ending position; by said processor and said one or more bio-feedback sensors, determining a pain intensity level experienced by said patient and transmitting, to the computerized device in data communication with said display, signals which are indicative of said pain intensity level; and by said computerized device, generating additional images to urge said patient in continuing the head motion beyond said ending position if the pain intensity level is below a predetermined threshold.

“10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: by said processor, receiving inputs from each of the one or more bio-feedback sensors, from the first computer, or from the second computer; by said computerized device, generating, in response to a real-time pain intensity level indication during performance of the exercise related body movement that is below a predetermined threshold, a virtual reality object viewable by said user to urge continuance of the exercise related body movement.

“11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the computerized device comprises a personal computer provided with a virtual reality platform and is operably connected to display to thereby provide the virtual reality platform through the display.

“12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the computerized device is housed within the head mounted housing.

“13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the display comprises at least one image forming lens through which the virtual reality object is transmittable.

“14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the display comprises at least one image forming lens and a slot into which a processor enabled device is inserted.

“15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the processor enabled device is a smartphone.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Orr, Eran. Therapy And Physical Training Device. U.S. Patent Number 10,773,122, filed December 28, 2016, and published online on September 28, 2020. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,773,122.PN.&OS=PN/10,773,122RS=PN/10,773,122

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