.jpg)
LOAD MONITORING DEVICE, ATTACHABLE TO CRUTCHES AND/OR WALKING STICKS, FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WALKING IN PATIENTS
WO21234208 (PCT/ES2021/070368) (U202031029)
The present invention relates to a rehabilitation device that enables patients undergoing the rehabilitation of an injured lower limb to assess whether the load applied when supported by their lower limb while walking is within the range stipulated by the physiotherapist and/or physician. Specifically, the load monitoring device attachable to crutches and/or walking sticks comprises: a bar with a cylindrical upper end configured to be attached to the support bar of a crutch and/or walking stick, a tightening means installed at the upper end of the bar in order to attach the bar to the support bar of a crutch and/or walking stick, and a ferrule made of an elastic material attached to the lower end of the bar, and a pressure transducer located within the ferrule, in such a way that the transducer can measure the pressure exerted on the bar in the direction of the pressure transducer.
The device object of the present invention has an important application in the field of therapeutic rehabilitation of the lower extremities in humans. The problem that arises during the rehabilitation process of many lower limb injuries is known, since currently patients who use crutches support the injured leg with total subjectivity, without having a certainty or objectivity of the amount of load that it carries out, and if it is within the ranges indicated by the physiotherapist and/or doctor. This is a major problem that affects the recovery of numerous musculoskeletal injuries of the lower limbs, such as bone injuries, capsule-ligamentous injuries or cartilage implants, in which the fact of not carrying out a correct load has a negative impact and sometimes even irreversibly in the healing process. The invention solves the aforementioned problem, providing a device that can be adapted to any type of crutch or cane, and that allows control, knowledge and correction in real time of the percentage of load carried out by a patient on each support during ambulation.