METHOD FOR ASSESSING DEGREE OF REHABILITATION USING ACTIVE EXOSKELETON IN PATIENTS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC A61B5/00 A61H3/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to medicine, namely to rehabilitation science, and can be used in assessing the degree of rehabilitation using an active exoskeleton in patients with locomotor disorders. For this purpose, between the patient's feet and the supports of the foot of the active exoskeleton there are sensors measuring pressure or force, at least in the heel and metatarsophalangeal part of the foot. First transducer signals are recorded for each leg when a patient moves in an active exoskeleton for a given time or a predetermined number of steps at the beginning of the rehabilitation cycle with a given walking pattern. Second transducer signal is recorded when a patient moves in an active exoskeleton for a given time or a predetermined number of steps at the end of the rehabilitation cycle or a preset number of rehabilitation sessions with a given walking pattern. Based on the recorded data, the first and second time characteristics of the locomotory cycle are determined and these characteristics are compared to each other and to the time characteristics obtained for a healthy person on the given type of active exoskeleton with a given walking pattern. Based on the recorded data for each leg, the first and second averaged characteristics of the locomotor cycle are determined as a function of the vertical component of the time reference reaction or a function of the ratio of the vertical component of the support reaction to the patient's weight as to time on the support phase. First and second pressure distribution under the foot is determined in the middle of the support phase for each leg. Evaluation indicators are: change of time characteristics of locomotor cycle towards time characteristics for healthy person; increased amplitude of averaged ratio of vertical component of support reaction to weight of patient or averaged vertical component of support reaction for both legs; alignment of amplitudes of averaged ratio of vertical component of support reaction to weight of patient or averaged vertical component of support reaction of both legs; detecting, in the second averaged characteristics of both legs, three distinct extrema corresponding to a front shock, a rear shock and a median minimum; enlarging the contact spot in the lateral and metatarsophalangeal portions at the second pressure distribution as compared to the first one. Rehabilitation is considered satisfactory in the presence of one or two indicators, as good - if there are three or four indicators, as excellent - if there are more than four indicators.

EFFECT: method provides effective rehabilitation ensured by considerable improvement of dynamic walking parameters, namely, in shift of all extreme values to the left along the time axis, increase of the value of front and rear tremors on both legs, reduction of time for support on crutches, which indicates high degree of mastering the exoskeleton.

1 cl, 5 dwg, 1 ex