Patent Application
20250204689
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-216176 filed on Dec. 21, 2023, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to exercise chairs and lower extremity exercise systems.
Moderate exercise is essential to maintain health. However, in order to exercise regularly, it is necessary to regularly make time for it. Therefore, busy people are more prone to lack of exercise. However, even if it is difficult to regularly make time for exercise, just exercising lower extremities, even in a sitting position, will still achieve a certain level of exercise. A pedal exercise device is known as a lower extremity exercise device that allows to exercise lower extremities in a sitting position. In order to enhance the benefits of seated lower extremity exercise, the inventors of the present application focused on the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk. First, activating this kinetic chain would reduce waist size. Second, activating this kinetic chain would strengthen the rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and erector spinae, making it easier to maintain a posture with the pelvis tilted anteriorly. This would help fix an arched back and text neck. Third, activating this kinetic chain would improve the flexibility of the iliopsoas due to constant movement of the pelvis, which would improve chronic lower back pain.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-5485 (JP 2023-5485 A), the inventors of the present application describes that, fixing a seating portion on which a user is sitting during seated lower extremity exercise hinders the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk due to poor pelvic movement, and that intentionally making the seating portion unstable allows to activate the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk.
Specifically, J P 2023-5485 A discloses a pedal exercise system including a chair with a seating portion on which a user sits and a pedal exercise device that allows the user to perform a pedaling exercise while sitting on the seating portion. The seating portion is configured to rotate in at least one of the following: roll, pitch, and yaw. Intentionally making the seating portion unstable in this manner allows the user sitting on the seating portion to activate the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk.
JP 2023-5485 A also describes that securing the neck (joint between the seventh cervical vertebra and the first thoracic vertebra) and shoulder blades of the user's trunk to a backrest with a belt can effectively reduce unnecessary movement of the user's head and arms.
For efficient muscle output during exercise, it is necessary to stabilize the trunk. One way to stabilize the trunk is to secure the trunk to a backrest with a belt, as described in JP 2023-5485 A. However, when the trunk is secured to the backrest with a belt, the flexibility of the trunk and the coordination between the lower extremities and the trunk may be lost. In other words, there is a trade-off between the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and trunk and stabilization of the trunk.
The present disclosure is to provide a technique for stabilizing the trunk of a user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
A first aspect of the present disclosure is an exercise chair that allows a user to perform a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position. The exercise chair includes: a seating portion configured to allow the user to sit on the seating portion; and a first stabilizing portion configured to restrain movement of a first specific portion of the user sitting on the seating portion by contacting the user at a position facing the first specific portion in a front-back direction. The first specific portion is either a fifth thoracic vertebra or a ninth thoracic vertebra of a thoracic spine of the user. The front-back direction is a front-back direction as seen from the user sitting on the seating portion. The exercise chair is configured so as not to restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user other than the first specific portion. The above configuration allows to stabilize the trunk of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
The exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include: a support portion that holds the first stabilizing portion so as to allow the first stabilizing portion to be switched between a contact position and a withdrawn position; and a restricting portion that restricts the first stabilizing portion from switching from the contact position to the withdrawn position. The first stabilizing portion may be configured to contact the user sitting on the seating portion from a ventral side. The contact position may be the position where faces the first stabilizing portion the first specific portion in the front-back direction and where the first stabilizing portion is able to contact the user sitting on the seating portion. The withdrawn position may be a position that is different from the contact position and to which the first stabilizing portion is withdrawn to allow the user to sit on the seating portion. The above configuration allows the user to more easily sit on the seating portion.
The exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure may further include a second stabilizing portion. The second stabilizing portion may be configured to restrain movement of a second specific portion of the user sitting on the seating portion by contacting the user at a position facing the second specific portion in the front-back direction. The second specific portion may be a head of the user or either a first cervical vertebra or a fourth cervical vertebra of a cervical spine of the user. The exercise chair may be configured so as not to restrain movement of any part of the head and the cervical spine of the user other than the second specific portion. The above configuration allows to stabilize the head of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
In the exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, when the first stabilizing portion contacts the user from a ventral side, the second stabilizing portion may contact the user from a dorsal side. The above configuration allows the first stabilizing portion and the second stabilizing portion to stably contact the user.
In the exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, when the first stabilizing portion contacts the user from a dorsal side, the second stabilizing portion may contact the user from a ventral side. The above configuration allows the first stabilizing portion and the second stabilizing portion to stably contact the user.
In the exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the first stabilizing portion may be configured to protrude toward the user. The above configuration allows to implement a configuration that does not restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user other than the first specific portion.
In the exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the seating portion may be configured to rotate in at least one of the following: roll, pitch, and yaw. The above configuration allows to effectively activate the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk.
A second aspect of the present disclosure is a lower extremity exercise system. The lower extremity exercise system includes: the exercise chair according to the first aspect of the present disclosure; and a lower extremity exercise device. The above configuration allows to implement the lower extremity exercise system that can stabilize the trunk of a user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
In the lower extremity exercise system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the lower extremity exercise device may be an exercise device configured to at least apply a load for extension and flexion of hip joints and knee joints of the user. The above configuration allows to perform an effective lower extremity exercise.
In the lower extremity exercise system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the lower extremity exercise device may be a pedal exercise device or a stepper exercise device. The above configuration allows to perform an effective lower extremity exercise with a simple configuration.
The present disclosure allows to stabilize the trunk of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein:
The pedal exercise device 2 is an example of a lower extremity exercise device that allows a user U to perform a pedaling exercise in a sitting position. That is, the pedal exercise device 2 is a specific example of a lower extremity exercise device that allows to perform a lower extremity exercise involving repetitive extension and flexion of knee joints, hip joints, and ankle joints. The pedal exercise device 2 includes a device body 6, a pair of cranks 7, and a pair of pedals 8. The pedals 8 are mounted on the cranks 7 so as to be rotatable in pitch. The cranks 7 are mounted on the device body 6 as to be rotatable in pitch. The user U sitting on the exercise chair 3 places his/her both feet F on the pedals 8 and performs a so-called pedaling exercise. Namely, the user U alternately pushes the pedals 8 around using his/her right and left legs RL, LL. At this time, the knee joints, hip joints, and ankle joints of the right and left legs RL, LL are repeatedly extended and flexed. Typically, when the knee joint of the right leg RL is extended, the knee joint of the left leg LL is flexed. When the hip joint of the right leg RL is extended, the hip joint of the left leg LL is flexed. When the ankle joint of the right leg RL is extended, the ankle joint of the left leg LL is flexed. The pedals 8 are thus rotated about a crankshaft 7a shown in
The pedal exercise device 2 is merely an example of the lower extremity exercise device. The lower extremity exercise device may be any exercise device that at least applies a load alternately to the right and left legs for extension and flexion of the hip joints and knee joints of the user U. Another example of the lower extremity exercise device is a stepper exercise device. Pedaling exercise and stepping exercise are specific examples of a lower extremity exercise.
As shown in
The movable portion 10 includes a seating portion 14 on which the user U sits.
The support portion 11 supports the movable portion 10 so that the movable portion 10 is movable to the right and left. As used herein, “right and left” is defined as right and left as seen from the user U. Similarly, “front and back” is defined as front and back as seen from the user U.
The restoring unit 12 biases the movable portion 10 toward a neutral position in the left-right direction. In
The user U performs a pedaling exercise with the pedal exercise device 2 while sitting on the seating portion 14 of the exercise chair 3. Since the movable portion 10 is configured to rotate in roll, a kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk occurs when the user U performs a pedaling exercise with the pedal exercise device 2 while sitting on the seating portion 14 of the exercise chair 3. When the movable portion 10 rotates in yaw or pitch instead of rotating in roll, a kinetic chain may occur between the lower extremities and the trunk.
The support portion 11 is fixedly installed on the floor surface. The support portion 11 includes legs 20, a frame 21, and two rails 22. Since the two rails 22 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of paper of
The legs 20 are the parts that contact the floor surface on which the exercise chair 3 is installed.
The frame 21 is supported by the legs 20 and supports the two rails 22.
The two rails 22 define a trajectory of movement of the movable portion 10 to the right and left. As described above, the two rails 22 are disposed apart from each other in the front-back direction. Each rail 22 curves downward. In other words, each rail 22 is tilted downward from the middle CE in the longitudinal direction of the rail 22 toward ends EN of the rail 22. Each rail 22 is tilted downward from the middle CE in the longitudinal direction of the rail 22 such that the ends EN of the rail 22 are located closest to the floor surface. In the present embodiment, each rail 22 is formed in an inverted V-shape that curves downward and opens downward. Therefore, when the movable portion 10 moves to the right or left along the two rails 22, the movable portion 10 is guided so as to lower as it moves away from the neutral position. In other words, the support portion 11 supports the movable portion 10 so that the movable portion 10 swings to the right and left about a roll axis 10R extending in the front-back direction, that is, so that the movable portion 10 rotates in roll about the roll axis 10R. The roll axis 10R is set below the position of the movable portion 10 when the movable portion 10 is at the neutral position. Since the movable portion 10 moves to the right and left along the two rails 22, the movable portion 10 is guided so that the center of gravity of the movable portion 10 lowers as the movable portion 10 moves away from the neutral position. Each rail 22 includes a left rail portion 22c extending to the left from the middle in the longitudinal direction of the rail 22, and a right rail portion 22d extending to the right from the middle in the longitudinal direction of the rail 22.
In the present embodiment, each rail 22 has an inverted V-shape that curves downward and opens downward. However, the shape of each rail 22 is not limited to this. Each rail 22 may have an inverted U-shape that curves downward and opens downward, or may have a curved shape that curves downward and opens downward. Each rail 22 may typically extend in a circular or elliptical arc shape that curves downward and opens downward.
In the present embodiment, the right and left rail portions 22d, 22c of each rail 22 are provided as a single-piece member. Alternatively, the right and left rail portions 22d, 22c may be separate members and may be disposed apart from each other.
The movable portion 10 will be described with reference to
As shown in
The coupling portions 33, the movable portion body 30, and the seating portion 14 are arranged in this order in a direction away from the floor surface. The universal joint 31 and the coil spring 32 are disposed between the movable portion body 30 and the seating portion 14.
The movable portion body 30 is a plate interposed between the support portion 11 and the seating portion 14. The coupling portions 33 are located on the lower surface of the movable portion body 30. One of the coupling portions 33 is slidably coupled to the left rail portion 22c, and the other is slidably coupled to the right rail portion 22d. Each coupling portion 33 may include a wheel, as shown by a dashed line, that rolls on a corresponding rail 22, and a bracket that rotatably holds the wheel.
The seating portion 14 and the movable portion body 30 are coupled by the universal joint 31. The seating portion 14 is thus supported by the movable portion body 30 so as to be rotatable about a yaw axis with respect to the movable portion body 30. The seating portion 14 is rotatable in yaw. Rotation in yaw means rotation about the yaw axis. The “yaw axis” herein means an axis extending in a vertical direction that is a direction in which gravity acts. Alternatively, the “yaw axis” may be an axis extending in the thickness direction of the movable portion body 30. Similarly, the seating portion 14 is supported by the movable portion body 30 so as to be tiltable forward and backward with respect to the movable portion body 30. That is, the seating portion 14 is rotatable in pitch. Rotation in pitch means rotation about a pitch axis. The “pitch axis” herein means an axis extending in the left-right direction. The pitch axis passes through the universal joint 31. Therefore, the pitch axis is set below the seating portion 14. Similarly, the seating portion 14 is supported by the movable portion body 30 so as to be tiltable right and left with respect to the movable portion body 30. That is, not only the movable portion body 30 and the support portion 11 allow the seating portion 14 to rotate in roll, but also the universal joint 31 allows the seating portion 14 to rotate in roll. Rotation in roll of the seating portion 14 by the universal joint 31 means rotation of the seating portion 14 about a roll axis passing through the universal joint 31. The “roll axis” herein means an axis extending in the front-back direction.
The coil spring 32 that restrains tilting of the seating portion 14 with respect to the movable portion body 30 is disposed between the seating portion 14 and the movable portion body 30. The upper end of the coil spring 32 is in contact with the seating portion 14, and the lower end of the coil spring 32 is in contact with the movable portion body 30. In the present embodiment, the coil spring 32 is disposed coaxially with the universal joint 31. In other words, the coil spring 32 is disposed so as to house the universal joint 31 in the helical structure of the spring. For example, when the seating portion 14 is tilted forward with respect to the movable portion body 30, the upper end of the coil spring 32 is also elastically displaced forward, and the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 32 attempts to restore the seating portion 14 to its state before the tilting. The upper end of the coil spring 32 is not fixed to the seating portion 14 so as not to hinder rotation of the seating portion 14 about the yaw axis with respect to the movable portion body 30.
The user U sits on the seating portion 14. The seating portion 14 includes a seating surface 14a that faces the buttocks of the user U. The seating surface 14a is tilted forward so as to allow the pelvis of the user U to be tilted anteriorly when the user U sits on the seating portion 14. That is, the front part of the seating surface 14a is lower than the rear part thereof.
The restoring unit 12 is a specific example of a biasing device. The restoring unit 12 biases the movable portion 10 toward the neutral position in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the restoring unit 12 is an elastic member. That is, the restoring unit 12 includes a pair of restoring coil springs 40. The restoring coil springs 40 are mounted between the middle CE of each rail 22 and the coupling portions 33. When the movable portion 10 moves to the left, the left restoring coil spring 40 expands, and the elastic restoring force of the left restoring coil spring 40 biases the movable portion 10 toward the neutral position. Similarly, when the movable portion 10 moves to the right, the right restoring coil spring 40 expands, and the elastic restoring force of the right restoring coil spring 40 biases the movable portion 10 toward the neutral position.
In the present embodiment, the clastic member constituting the restoring unit 12 is coil springs. However, other elastic members such as rubber may be used instead of the coil springs.
In the present embodiment, the restoring unit 12 is composed of the pair of restoring coil springs 40. However, the restoring unit 12 may be composed of one coil spring. In this case, typically, one coil spring is mounted between the coupling portions 33 and is fixed to the middle CE at the middle in the longitudinal direction of the coil spring. The restoring unit 12 may be mounted between the frame 21 and the movable portion 10 instead of between each rail 22 and the movable portion 10.
With the above configuration, as shown in
When the user U pushes the pedal 8 with his/her left foot, his/her pelvis also rotates clockwise about the yaw axis as viewed in plan. Since the seating portion 14 is rotatable about the yaw axis with respect to the movable portion body 30, this rotational motion of the pelvis can be smoothly performed. The same applies when the user U pushes the pedal 8 with his/her right foot. As described above, since the pelvis moves to the right and left and rotates about the yaw axis, this facilitates anterior tilting of the pelvis, which can help maintain a good posture with the pelvis upright.
The reason why the restoring unit 12 is provided will be described. Without the restoring unit 12, it would be difficult to return the movable portion 10 to the neutral position once the movable portion 10 moves to the right or left from the neutral position. Specifically, even if the user U could momentarily remove the load on the movable portion 10, it would be difficult for the user U to return the movable portion 10 to the neutral position at that timing. However, with the restoring unit 12, the movable portion 10 is biased toward the neutral position if the user U just momentarily removes the load on the movable portion 10. The movable portion 10 can therefore be easily returned to the neutral position using the inertia generated when the movable portion 10 is biased. It is preferable that the elastic restoring force of the restoring unit 12 be adjustable according to the physique and muscle strength of the user U. That is, when the user U who does not know well how to use his/her trunk muscles uses the exercise chair 3, the spring constant of the restoring unit 12 may be set high so that the movable portion 10 actively returns to the neutral position. On the other hand, when the user U who knows well how to use his/her trunk muscles uses the exercise chair 3, the spring constant of the restoring unit 12 may be set low. When the spring constant of the restoring unit 12 is low, the movable portion 10 less actively returns to the neutral position. Therefore, activation of the trunk muscles will be required every time the user U returns the movable portion 10 to the neutral position. The load on the trunk muscles can thus be adjusted by changing the spring constant of the restoring unit 12. The restoring unit 12 may be omitted depending on the skill level of the user U.
In the present embodiment, when the movable portion 10 moves to the right, the seating surface 14a of the seating portion 14 is tilted to the right. Similarly, when the movable portion 10 moves to the left, the seating surface 14a of the seating portion 14 is tilted to the left. The tilt angle of the seating surface 14a at this time does not necessarily coincide with the natural tilt angle of the pelvis. In the present embodiment, the seating portion 14 is tiltable to the right and left with respect to the movable portion body 30 due to the universal joint 31. Therefore, the tilt angle of the seating surface 14a of the seating portion 14 will follow the natural tilt angle of the pelvis of the user U, so that the sitting comfort of the seating portion 14 during exercise will not be impaired.
Referring back to
The first stabilizing portion 4 is supported by the frame 21 of the exercise chair 3 via a support portion 50. The support portion 50 is provided with a yaw joint 51. The support portion 50 includes a movable support portion 50a located closer to the first stabilizing portion 4 than the yaw joint 51, and a fixed support portion 50b located farther from the first stabilizing portion 4 than the yaw joint 51. The movable support portion 50a is rotatable in yaw with respect to the fixed support portion 50b via the yaw joint 51.
As shown in
The yaw joint 51 is provided with a restricting portion 52. The restricting portion 52 includes a positioning hole 52a in the movable support portion 50a, a positioning hole 52b in the bracket 50d, and a positioning pin 52c. When the positioning holes 52a, 52b are aligned with each other and the positioning pin 52c is inserted into the positioning holes 52a, 52b, the movable support portion 50a is not allowed to rotate in yaw with respect to the fixed support portion 50b. When the positioning pin 52c is removed from the positioning holes 52a, 52b, the movable support portion 50a is allowed to rotate in yaw with respect to the fixed support portion 50b.
In the present embodiment, the support portion 50 holds the first stabilizing portion 4 so that the first stabilizing portion 4 can be switched between a contact position and a withdrawn position. The restricting portion 52 restricts the first stabilizing portion 4 from switching from the contact position to the withdrawn position. The contact position is a position where the first stabilizing portion 4 faces the first specific portion in the front-back direction and where the first stabilizing portion 4 can contact the user U sitting on the seating portion 14, as shown in
In
The first stabilizing portion 4 becomes movable when the positioning pin 52c is removed from the positioning holes 52a, 52b in the state shown in
As described above, the first stabilizing portion 4 restrains movement of the first specific portion, namely either the fifth or ninth thoracic vertebra of the thoracic spine, of the user U sitting on the seating portion 14 by contacting the user U at the position facing the first specific portion in the front-back direction. This will be described in detail below.
Each person has his/her own unique way of moving his/her body, and which joints are mainly moved varies depending on each person's unique way of moving his/her body. This is known as “4-stance theory.” For example, when sitting down, there are those who sit down while bending their knees forward (posterior pelvic tilt type) and those who sit down while bending forward (as if bowing) and moving their hips backward (anterior pelvic tilt type). People of the posterior pelvic tilt type often have a backward center of gravity. People of this type dominantly use their quadriceps femoris muscles, tibialis anterior muscles, and gluteus maximus muscles to maintain a stable standing posture when sitting down while bending their knees forward. On the other hand, people of the anterior pelvic tilt type often have a forward center of gravity, and use their hamstring muscles, gastrocnemius muscles, and iliopsoas muscles to maintain a stable standing posture.
Humans can choose a plurality of movements when performing the function to sit down using their skeletal structure composed of redundant joints with multiple degrees of freedom. Since the muscle groups that are dominantly used are the ones that tend to exert force, it is said that there are differences in daily movements between people of the anterior pelvic tilt type and people of the posterior pelvic tilt type.
Therefore, securing the epigastrium when a user U of the anterior pelvic tilt type performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position is effective in stabilizing the trunk without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk.
Instead of contacting the user U at the position facing the ninth thoracic vertebra in the front-back direction, the first stabilizing portion 4 may contact the user U at a position facing the fifth thoracic vertebra in the front-back direction. This is because, even among people of the same anterior pelvic tilt type, there are people whose ninth thoracic vertebra is a node during exercise, and people whose fifth thoracic vertebra is a node during exercise. In short, the first specific portion is either the fifth or ninth thoracic vertebra.
The exercise chair 3 is configured so as not to restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user U other than the first specific portion. In other words, there is nothing that contacts the user U at a position facing any part of the thoracic spine of the user U other than the first specific portion in the front-back direction. Therefore, twisting motions of the thoracic spine with the first specific portion being a node during a pedaling exercise will not be hindered.
The first stabilizing portion 4 is made of a material with cushioning properties. The first stabilizing portion 4 is typically configured to protrude toward the user U. This allows to implement a simple configuration that does not restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user U other than the first specific portion.
Referring back to
As shown in
As shown in
The second stabilizing portion 5 is made of a material with cushioning properties. The second stabilizing portion 5 is typically configured to protrude toward the user U. The second stabilizing portion 5 is thus less likely to restrain movement of any part of the head and cervical spine of the user U other than the second specific portion.
In the present embodiment, the second stabilizing portion 5 contacts the user U sitting on the seating portion 14 from the dorsal side. Since the first stabilizing portion 4 is configured to contact the user U from the ventral side and the second stabilizing portion 5 is configured to contact the user U from the dorsal side, the first stabilizing portion 4 and the second stabilizing portion 5 sandwich the user U from the front and back. This allows the first stabilizing portion 4 and the second stabilizing portion 5 to stably contact the user U.
It is desirable that, when the knee joint is extended, the foot be located on a line connecting the second specific portion and the first specific portion in a side view of a human body. This allows to perform a pedaling exercise while effectively using the muscles of the trunk.
The first embodiment described above has the following characteristics.
The exercise chair 3 allows the user U to perform a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position. The exercise chair 3 includes: the seating portion 14 on which the user U can sit; and the first stabilizing portion 4 that restrains movement of the first specific portion, namely either the fifth or ninth thoracic vertebra of the thoracic spine, of the user U sitting on the seating portion 14 by contacting the user U at the position facing the first specific portion in the front-back direction. The exercise chair 3 is configured so as not to restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user U other than the first specific portion. The above configuration allows to stabilize the trunk of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
The first stabilizing portion 4 is configured to contact the user U sitting on the seating portion 14 from the ventral side. The exercise chair 3 further includes: the support portion 50 that holds the first stabilizing portion 4 so that the first stabilizing portion 4 can be switched between the contact position and the withdrawn position; and the restricting portion 52 that restricts the first stabilizing portion 4 from switching from the contact position to the withdrawn position. The above configuration allows the user U to more easily sit on the seating portion 14.
The exercise chair 3 further includes the second stabilizing portion 5 that restrains movement of the second specific portion, namely the head or either the first or fourth cervical vertebra of the cervical spine, of the user U sitting on the seating portion 14 by contacting the user U at the position facing the second specific portion in the front-back direction. The exercise chair 3 may be configured so as not to restrain movement of any part of the head and cervical spine of the user U other than the second specific portion. The above configuration allows to stabilize the head of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
The first stabilizing portion 4 contacts the user U from the ventral side, and the second stabilizing portion 5 contacts the user U from the dorsal side. The above configuration allows the first stabilizing portion 4 and the second stabilizing portion 5 to stably contact the user U.
The first stabilizing portion 4 may be configured to protrude toward the user U. The above configuration allows to implement a configuration that does not restrain movement of any part of the thoracic spine of the user U other than the first specific portion.
The seating portion 14 may be configured to rotate in at least one of the following: roll, pitch, and yaw. The above configuration allows to effectively activate the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk.
The lower extremity exercise system 1 includes the exercise chair 3 and the pedal exercise device 2 that is a lower extremity exercise device. The above configuration allows to implement the lower extremity exercise system 1 that can stabilize the trunk of the user without hindering the kinetic chain between the lower extremities and the trunk when the user performs a lower extremity exercise in a sitting position.
The pedal exercise device 2 is an exercise device that at least applies a load for extension and flexion of the hip joints and knee joints of the user. The above configuration allows to perform an effective lower extremity exercise.
A second embodiment will be described below with reference to
In the first embodiment, as shown in
In the second embodiment, as shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-216176 | Dec 2023 | JP | national |
