Robotic joint testing apparatus and coordinate systems for joint evaluation and testing

1. A knee examination method comprising the steps of:

situating a patient on a patient support adjacent a robotic knee testing apparatus;

setting up the robotic knee testing apparatus including defining a world coordinate system based on a fixed location of a transmitter of a motion tracking system;

further setting up the patient including determining one or more local coordinate systems each based on selected anatomical points on a leg of the patient and on one or more robot based points; and

operating the robotic knee testing apparatus to manipulate a leg of the patient.

2. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of adjusting portions of a drive system of the robotic knee testing apparatus to a zero torque or neutral position relative to each knee of the patient.

3. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of setting up the patient includes holding each knee of the patient using a respective knee stabilizer of the robotic knee testing apparatus.

4. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of setting up the patient includes determining the robot based points using sensors in communication with the transmitter.

5. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of setting up robotic knee testing apparatus further includes securing a sensor of the motion tracking system to a tibia of the patient such that the sensor is used to define a first local coordinate system for the tibia.

6. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the selected anatomical points is a bony landmark.

7. A knee examination method according to claim 6 , wherein the step of setting up the robotic knee testing apparatus includes calculating a relationship between a coordinate system determined using the bony landmark and the world coordinate system.

8. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

capturing motion data of the leg while operating the robotic knee testing apparatus; and

assessing the motion data relative to the world coordinate system.

9. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

capturing motion data of the leg while operating the robotic knee testing apparatus; and

assessing the motion data relative to the world coordinate system and the one or more local coordinate systems.

10. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of obtaining data for a world view perspective for both legs of the patient using the world coordinate system and also obtaining data for a local perspective for each leg using the one or more local coordinate systems.

11. A knee examination method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of setting up the patient includes identifying and recording the selected anatomical points on the leg of the patient using a pointer having a sensor of the motion tracking system.

12. A knee examination method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of identifying and recording includes identifying one or more bony landmarks on the leg of the patient using the pointer.

13. A knee examination method according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more bony landmarks are selected from a tibial tubercle, a midpoint between a medial tibial plateau and a lateral tibial plateau, a medial-lateral midpoint of an anterior proximal tibia and posterior proximal tibia, and a midpoint of a medial malleolus and a lateral malleolus of the leg of the patient.

14. A method of setting up a patient and a robotic knee testing apparatus to examine the knees of the patient, the method comprising the steps of:

situating the patient on a patient support adjacent the robotic knee testing apparatus;

holding each knee of the patient using a respective knee stabilizer of the robotic knee testing apparatus;

restraining each thigh of the patient using a respective thigh stabilizer of the robotic knee testing apparatus;

defining a world coordinate system based on a fixed location of a transmitter of a motion tracking system; and

setting up each leg of the patient relative to the robotic knee testing apparatus in part by determining one or more local coordinate systems each based on one or more robot based points on the robot determined using sensors in communication with the transmitter.

15. A method according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of adjusting portions of a drive system of the robotic knee testing apparatus to a zero torque or neutral position relative to each knee of the patient.

16. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the step of setting up each leg of the patient includes identifying and recording one or more anatomical points on the leg of the patient using a pointer having a sensor of the motion tracking system.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the step of identifying and recording includes identifying one or more bony landmarks on the leg of the patient using the pointer.

18. A method according to claim 17 , wherein the one or more bony landmarks are selected from a tibial tubercle, a midpoint between a medial tibial plateau and a lateral tibial plateau, a medial-lateral midpoint of an anterior proximal tibia and posterior proximal tibia, and a midpoint of a medial malleolus and a lateral malleolus of the leg of the patient.

19. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the step of setting up each leg of the patient includes securing a first sensor of the sensors to a first tibia of the patient such that the first sensor is used to define a first local coordinate system for the first tibia.

20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein the step of setting up each leg of the patient includes the step of further securing a second sensor of the sensors to a second tibia of a second leg of the patient such that the second sensor is used to define a second local coordinate system for the second tibia.