This invention relates to isometric exercise, and in particular to devices and methods for providing user feedback during isometric exercise.
Isometric exercise is widely recommended and used for a variety of reasons. Isometric exercise is the application of a force against resistance with little or no motion. For example, in isometric exercise, an individual may apply pressure with a foot, hand or leg against another foot, hand or leg, or against a wall or other immobile object. One of the most widely applicable uses of isometric exercise is in the management of the disease of arthritis. Other uses of isometric exercise include rehabilitation after injuries and general muscle conditioning, after joint replacement, tendon or ligament injury.
In order to be effective, isometric exercise is preferably performed on a multiple time per week basis. A session of isometric exercise, to provide maximum benefit, generally includes exerting force within a particular range, by a particular muscle group, for a particular time period, over a particular number of repetitions. It is not practical for every individual who would benefit from frequent isometric exercise to be supervised by a physical therapist or trainer for each of these frequent exercise sessions. As a result, individuals must engage in isometric exercise often without supervision. With or without professional training, in practical experience, individuals who are instructed in isometric exercise and would benefit from such exercise, fail to follow the exercise routine at all, or do so incorrectly. Because of the known lack of compliance, many medical professionals hesitate to recommend isometric exercise even when it could be beneficial. As a result, isometric exercise is used much less frequently than would be desirable. The inventors believe that among the reasons for the failure of individuals to follow a routine of isometric exercise is the tedious nature of such exercise, particularly when performed on a solitary basis. Moreover, for isometric exercise to be most effective, the amount of force applied and the time the force is applied must be consistent. There is typically no way for the users to monitor the forces being applied, and therefore they cannot apply the proper amount of force for the specified time periods. Many individuals are also believed to experience difficulty in remembering such items as the required time periods for exertion and rest between exertions and numbers of repetitions. Additionally, isometric exercise can raise blood pressure if contraction is sustained too long. Compliance with the xe2x80x9cBRIMExe2x80x9d (brief resistive isometric exercise) is known not to raise blood pressure appreciably, and consists of six second contractions followed by 20 seconds of rest. Therefore control of contraction and rest time periods is desirable.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for use in isometric exercise that renders isometric exercise more pleasant and makes the user more compliant to the exercise.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such an apparatus and method for home use, under little or occasional therapeutic supervision.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for use in isometric exercise that assists the user to determine whether the exercise is being conducted in accordance with instructions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for use in isometric exercise that is easy to operate.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for convenient setup and customization for individual users of an apparatus for assistance in the performance of isometric exercise.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become evident from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment which follows.
A method for performing isometric exercise comprises the steps of sensing an applied force, providing a signal representing the applied force, receiving the signal and comparing the applied force to a predetermined force, and displaying the result of the comparison to a user.
A device for use in isometric exercise includes a device for sensing an applied force and providing an output signal representing the applied force, electronics for receiving the signal and comparing the applied force to a predetermined force, and displaying the result of the comparison to a user.
A method for programming a device for use in isometric exercise by an individual user includes the step of storing in the device the values of desired target forces to be applied during isometric exercise. Other values may also be stored in the device.