TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to medical treatment devices and more specifically to rehabilitation and exercise devices, systems, and methods configured to address ailments caused by proprioceptive dysfunction and vestibular disorders.

BACKGROUND

The proprioceptive sense refers to the sensory input and feedback that tells the human body about movement and body position and could be considered the “position sense.” This sensory input and feedback is provided when receptors (i.e., proprioceptors) located throughout the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues of the human body are activated. However, some persons suffer from proprioceptive dysfunction, which manifests itself in a variety of ways. For example, persons suffering from proprioceptive dysfunction may appear clumsy or uncoordinated or may have difficulty performing basic or normal tasks/activities.

Proprioceptive dysfunction occurs when the proprioceptive sense does not receive or interpret input correctly within these muscles and joints. When proprioceptive input is not received correctly, it is often the result of a lack of proper messages being provided by the receptors, such as providing a proper indication that muscles are being stretched, joints are bending or straightening, and/or how much of each of these actions is happening (e.g., how far muscles are being stretched or joints are being bent/straightened). Persons suffering from proprioceptive dysfunction may often exhibit the following “clinical” signs: postural stability, motor planning, grading movement, and motor control.

Another ailment is vestibular disorders or balance disorders. Vestibular disorders can cause dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, problems with hearing, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, problems with concentration, and other symptoms. For example, such a disorder may cause a person to have poor balance and spatial orientation, which may cause difficulty maintaining a straight posture, cause vertigo and dizziness (e.g., the sensation of being pulled in one direction), or cognitive and psychological difficulties, such as concentrating and emotional maturity. These symptoms can significantly impact a person's day-to-day functioning, ability to work, social relationships, and quality of life.

SUMMARY

In the description below, embodiments providing systems, methods, articles of manufacture, and apparatuses configured to address at least some of the various ailments described above are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a wearable article is provided and includes various features configured to aid in the treatment of the aforementioned ailments. The wearable article may include one or more limb sections (e.g., one or more legs of a pair of pants, one or more sleeves of a shirt, etc.). The one or more limb sections may include a resilient member disposed along a length of the one or more limb sections, such as along a sideseam of a sleeve or pant leg, along an inseam of the pant leg or sleeve, or both the sideseam and the inseam. The resilient member may be a shock cord or some other material designed to stretch when appropriate force is applied and then return to its original form when the force is released.

An appropriately sized resilient member may be provided for the one or more limb sections, such as by attaching first and second ends of the resilient member to the limb section(s) (e.g., by sewing the first end of the resilient member to a first end of a limb section and sewing the second end of the resilient member to a second end of the limb section). However, in some instances, dynamically adjustable resilient members may be provided. For example, a cord lock may be provided on one end of the resilient member and the cord lock may be configured to slideably engage the resilient member. To facilitate the slidable engagement of the cord lock to the resilient member, the cord lock may include a housing having a hole sized to allow the resilient member to be passed through it. A locking mechanism may be configured to lock the cord lock at a desired position along the length of the resilient member, such as by applying a pinching force that prevents the resilient member from being advanced through or pulled out of the hole of the cord lock housing.

The resilient member may be configured to provide or create a desired amount of resistance force. For example, the wearable article may be worn by a user and as the user moves around, the limb section corresponding to the resilient member may be moved causing the resilient member to stretch, creating the desired amount of resistance force. The resilient member(s) may include a plurality of indicators designed to identify locations where the cord lock should be positioned to ensure the appropriate amount of force is provided by the resilient member.

In addition to the wearable article described above, a system facilitating monitoring of a user's utilization of the wearable article is disclosed. The system may include one or more strain gauges (e.g., one strain gauge for each resilient member). The one or more strain gauges may be configured to determine an amount of strain placed on the resilient member, which may indicate the amount of resistance force provided by the resilient member. The strain gauge may be configured to provide information regarding the measured strain of the resilient member(s) to a remote device. To facilitate the providing of the information to the remote device, a communication interface may be provided with or integrated with the wearable article. The communication interface may be communicatively coupled with the one or more strain gauges and may receive information associated with a resistance force provided by the resilient member(s) associated with each strain gauge. Once received from the strain gauge, the communication interface may transmit the resistance force information to the remote device for presentation via a graphical user interface. The presentation of the resistance information at the graphical user interface of the remote device may facilitate various types of monitoring of the system, such as to verify that the resilient members are properly engaged with the cord locks and that the resilient member(s) is providing the correct resistance force. Additionally, the monitoring may enable the progress of the user to be tracked and adjustments to be made as the user improves in one or more areas relevant to the aforementioned ailments.

The wearable article and system briefly described above are configured to addresses various affliction commonalities. One such affliction is postural stability (e.g., the ability to hold and maintain one's postural muscles and responses), which may improve one's sense of security and safety during movement. For example, children with proprioceptive dysfunction may be unable to move and use their body effectively, which may cause them to become easily frustrated, give up, lose self-confidence and experience an impaired sense of “emotional security.” Another affliction addressed by embodiments of the present disclosure is motor planning (e.g., conceptualizing and figuring out what each part of one's body needs to do in order to move a certain way or complete a task, also referred to as “grading movement”.) Embodiments may enable the user to learn how much pressure is needed to complete a task (e.g., hold a cup of water, hold and write with a pencil, turn the page of a book, hit a golf ball into the hole, etc.) By treating such afflictions with the wearable articles, systems, and methods disclosed herein, the users' ability to overcome these ailments and improve their quality of life may be realized and the negative impact that proprioceptive dysfunction and vestibular disorders have may be mitigated.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.

