| abstract |
A continuous passive motion apparatus for therapeutic treatment of the fingers of a patient's hand that includes a forearm hand splint. A drive unit is mounted on a palmer aspect of the splint and incorporates a motorized drive tube actuatable over a selectable range of motion. A flexion and extension assembly is connected to the tube and includes at least one finger motion assembly. The finger motion assembly is pivotally interconnected to a proximal end of the drive tube by a coupler adapted to enable movement in at least 2 degrees of freedom relative to the coupler. The coupler is further adapted to releasably engage the at least one finger motion assembly after adjustment to optimally accommodate the anatomical arrangement, size, and range and path of motion of the fingers. The finger motion assembly includes a resilient prime mover selected to be repeatedly bendable without damage but with a bend memory so that it can be adjusted to have an angle of up to about 90 degrees. In variations of the exemplary embodiment, the prime mover is interconnected to the coupler by at least one pivot ball received within the coupler and configured to move about multiple axes of motion. At least one finger splint is releasably connected to a distal end of the finger motion assembly and is adapted to receive a distal phalanx of the finger. The finger splint is preferably formed from a flexible sheet material that incorporates one or more stiffening, bend memory, and hypo-allergenic adhesive layers. |