The present invention relates to wrist, elbow and forearm stretching devices and apparatuses to encourage proper stretching form and thus benefit the most from stretching to improve the rehabilitation of injuries to muscles and tendons in the forementioned body parts.
Elbow tendinitis sometimes referred to as Tennis elbow or Golfer's Elbow. Each ailment effects different tendons. Tennis elbow, is medically referred to as Lateral Epicondylitis and effects the Outside tendon of the elbow. Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) is a pain associated with the tendon on the inside of your elbow. Both ailments are normally caused by excessive use. Despite the obvious references to sport, the injuries aren't limited to golfers or tennis players, you could experience Elbow Tendinitis because of a work or hobby overuse scenario. Part of the accepted physical therapy to improve these ailments include specific stretches of the wrist and forearm thus effecting the tendons in the Elbow. Additional treatments include massage of the affected area.
Although these ailments are normally treated with physical therapy that involves stretching the wrist and forearm and thus the connected tendons of the elbow. The need to stretch the wrist and forearm can be part of treatment for other injury or surgical recovery plans. One example, would be as part of a recovery plan for wrist surgery. In addition, the use of the stretching can also be a way to avoid injury in the first place.
The physical therapy technique of stretching of the wrist and forearm is currently done using different poses depending on the injury and the affected area. These poses often require the use of the unaffected hand to pull and force the stretch of the area on the affected arm/wrist. For example, if your right elbow or wrist was injured, you would stretch with the assistance of the left hand pulling back the right wrist with either the palm up or down. In addition to using the opposite hand to initiate the stretch, a vertical surface/wall can be used for resistance and to cause the wrist to stretch. One Pose for Tennis elbow as well as for other wrist related surgeries and conditions also involves the making of a first to increase the pull/stretch of the tendons.
In addition to the stretching aspect of the physical therapy, massage of the affected area is often performed to aid recovery. The option to do this massage while stretching is now only possible with the assistance of another person, or using the wall technique. This is because the first technique requires the use of your other hand or the hand of the therapist.
The use of the wall technique to stretch is sub-optimal for two reasons. The first reason is that the use of the hard wall surface is uncomfortable. The second, is that it does not promote the optimal stretch. In the case of the stretch for tennis elbow, (arm extended and palm facing toward the body) the wall technique also does not encourage the proper first closure to achieve maximum stretch. In the case of golfer's elbow, the wall technique does not allow the fingers to be pulled back towards the body while the palm is facing upward.
The present invention comprises a novel device that consists of foam or otherwise soft material in combination with more firm foam or hard plastic/metal other materials attached to a wall in the proper configuration to assist the user in correctly stretching the wrist and forearm. In different embodiments of the invention, the devise is designed with different features. For example, with tennis elbow in mind (palm facing toward the body), the device has a configuration which gently positions the hand into a fist. In the palm facing away from the body and fingers up stretch (used for golfers elbow), the device's configurations allows the fingers to be pushed toward the body in a gradual way simulating the action of the traditional stretch that previously requires the use of your opposite hand. In all embodiments of the invention, the device is mounted to a vertical surface. This frees up your opposite hand to perform a massage on the effected elbow. It is also envisioned that the various embodiments of the invention have adjustable elements. In the case of the version for golfer's elbow an adjustable feature would change the degree that the fingers are pushed back ward toward the body. In the case of the tennis elbow versions the degree of angle causing the fingers to form a first might be adjustable.
Any technique to mount the device to the wallor vertical surface is possible. In a situation like a physical therapist office a more permanent mounting with for example screws or strong tape makes sense. Due however, to the temporary nature of the injury for one person, a releasable tape system or suction cup mount is preferred. These would encourage the mounting and use of the device in the shower, or to mount it on the refrigerator as a built-in gentle reminder to stretch. The use of the device in the shower gives the additional benefit of warm water flowing on the injury at the same time as a massage and stretch optimizing the benefit of the basic stretch to speed recovery.
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of design elements are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed elements. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely Within the scope of the invention and the claims.
New devices to assist in proper stretching of tendons in treatment of lateral epicondylitis also known as tennis elbow and medial epicondylitis also known as golfers elbow are described below. In addition, these new devices may aid in the treatment of wrist related injuries as well as a method to avoid injury to the wrist and elbow.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
The present invention will now be described by referencing the appended figures representing preferred embodiments.
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