Claims
- 1. A device for providing enhanced movement of a person's truncal muscles and spinal joints in the lower spinal region, which comprises:
- a generally horizontal base sized to support the person in an all fours kneeling posture in which there is minimal gravity-induced axial loading of the person's spine,
- stationary rest means, fixed to said base, for engaging and supporting said person's two hands or two knees,
- pivoting support means pivotably attached to the base in substantially the same horizontal plane as the stationary rest means for pivoting in a substantially level circular arc above the base and for engaging and supporting the person's remaining two hands or two knees to permit their movement in a circular arc, the pivoting support means being spaced apart from the stationary rest means sufficiently so that the person may assume a kneeling posture with the knees and the hands supported on the pivoting means and the stationary rest means, and
- pivoting motion resistance means, attached to the base and to the pivoting support means, for providing resistance to the pivoting motion of the pivoting support means,
- wherein said pivoting motion of the remaining two hands or two knees causes relative motion in the frontal, or coronal, plane between the thoracic and pelvic portions that the person's trunk while the person remains in the kneeling posture.
- 2. The device as in claim 1 wherein
- said pivoting motion resistance means is adjustable to control the amount of resistance provided to the pivoting motion.
- 3. The device as in claim 2 wherein
- said pivoting motion resistance means comprises an elastic cord attached to the base and to the pivoting support means.
- 4. The device as in claim 1 wherein
- said pivoting motion resistance means comprises an elastic cord.
- 5. A device for providing resistance to movements of a person's truncal muscles in the person's lower spinal region comprising:
- a substantially horizontal base sized to support the person in an all fours kneeling posture in which there is minimal gravity-induced axial loading of the person's spine,
- rest means, fixed to and extending above the base, for engaging and supporting the two hands of said person in an all fours kneeling posture,
- pivoting support means, pivotably attached to said base in substantially the same horizontal plane as the rest means at a separation from the rest means approximately equal to the separation of the user's hands and knees in the all fours kneeling posture wherein the spine is positioned substantially parallel to the ground, the pivoting support means being adapted to engage and support the two knees of said person and to allow said two knees of said person to pivot together in a substantially level circular arc above the base under a force exerted by the kneeling person's truncal muscles, and
- pivoting resistance means, connecting between the base and pivoting support means, for providing resistance to the pivoting motion of the pivoting support means thus providing resistance to the force exerted by said person's truncal muscles.
- 6. The device according to claim 5 wherein
- the pivoting resistance means is adjustable in the amount of resistance provided to the pivoting motion.
- 7. A device for providing enhanced movement of a person's truncal muscles and spinal joints in the lower spinal region, comprising:
- (a) a substantially horizontal base sized to support a person in an all fours kneeling position in which there is minimal gravity-induced axial loading of the person's spine;
- (b) stationary hand rest means attached to and extending above the horizontal base, for supporting the hands of the person positioned on the horizontal base in the all fours kneeling position;
- (c) knee support means pivotably attached to the horizontal base in substantially the same horizontal plane as the stationary hand rest means, at a separation from the stationary hand rest means equal to the separation of the person's hands and knees in the all fours kneeling position, the knee support means being adapted to allow the knees of the person to pivot in a substantially circular arc above the horizontal base through exertion of the person's truncal muscles whereby the person's thoracic and pelvic muscles are moved in a frontal and coronal plane relative to each other; and
- (d) pivoting resistance means, attached to the base and to the knee support means, for providing resistance to the pivoting motion of the knee support means.
- 8. The device of claim 7 wherein the stationary hand rest means includes a pair of hand grips positioned substantially parallel to the horizontal base.
- 9. The device of claim 7 wherein the knee support means includes a pair of knee cups positioned substantially parallel to the horizontal base.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/232.861 filed on Aug. 16, 1988, which is continuation of application Ser. No. 06/843,558 filed on Mar. 25, 1986.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
232861 |
Aug 1988 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
843558 |
Mar 1986 |
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