The present disclosure relates generally to physical therapy devices configured to stretch and exercise users' soleus muscles. In particular, physical therapy devices enabling physical therapy exercises and techniques that may reduce the frequency with which users suffer from leg cramps or other infirmities of the leg are described.
Many conventional physical therapy and exercise devices do not adequately impact soleus muscles in a therapeutic manner that may reduce leg cramps. Many conventional devices, rather, are designed to provide high impact strength training and lack many features that are conducive to satisfactory physical therapy operation. For example, some existing exercise devices seat users on seats placed on weighted arms and are configured for users to use their legs to drive the weighted end of the arm around pivots supported proximate the users' seats. These devices are configured, however, to direct users' work to lift weights positioned on the arm distal the user and the pivot. While such configurations may be well suited for high-impact strength training, they are ill-suited to performing physical therapy on users' soleus muscles to prevent leg cramps. Whereas strength training often support large (though often imprecise) amounts of weight to increase the impact of users' exercises, physical therapy devices must often support smaller, more finely tuned amounts of weight. Additionally or alternatively, physical therapy devices often require adjustability of such lower quantities of weight, as minute weight differences may lead to significantly different therapeutic results.
For example, many conventional designs lack adequate adjustability to allow them to ergonomically support user of various shapes and sizes in satisfactory positions for physical therapy techniques. In particular, many designs lack adjustable seats that allow users to apply selected portions of users' bodyweight to exercises. Satisfactory physical therapy operations may often require more precise weight adjustments, which many conventional devices are unable to accommodate, in part because of this lack of an adjustable seat position. Further, these many devices lack many other features adjust the devices to satisfactorily support users in desired positions for therapy purposes. As a result, many existing devices do not provide satisfactory adjustability for physical therapy applications.
Further, many conventional strength-training designs lack any biasing features that reduce the load that users drive during use. Because physical therapy exercises are often more effective with low-impact exercises, many existing devices that do not implement any impact-reducing measures may leave them ill-suited for therapeutic operation. For example, heavier individuals may, through their bodyweight alone, apply too great of a load on conventional devices for them to effectively operate as a physical therapy device. As a result, many conventional devices are further hampered with regard to physical therapy operation.
Because strength-training devices are directed primarily toward muscle strengthening, they are ill-suited for physical therapy purposes. Rather, there exists a need for leg muscle lengthening or stretching devices that apply appropriate loads to exercises to restore flexibility and use muscle fiber recruitment to restore normal soleus muscle function.
Thus, there exists a need for physical therapy devices that improve upon and advance the design of known physical therapy and exercise devices. Examples of new and useful physical therapy devices relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.
The present disclosure is directed to physical therapy devices, including vertically extending rear support structures, arm pivots supported by rear support structures at positions vertically spaced from supporting surfaces, arms pivotally supported by the arm pivots, seats resting on the arms at distances selected to apply portions of users' bodyweights the arms when the user is seated in the seat, foot rests supported above supporting surfaces at heights selected to support a forward portion of the user's foot when the user is seated in the seat, and knee saddles attached to the arms. In some examples, the knee saddles including a knee support positioned at a height selected to rest on the user's knee when seated in the seat. In some examples, the arms extend horizontally from a pivot end to a swing end distal the arm pivot. Some examples may additionally or alternatively include adjustably positioned arm pivots. Some examples may include biasing members.
The disclosed diode cell modules will become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity, each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.
Throughout the following detailed description, examples of various diode cell modules are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.
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In some examples, users may perform leg-lifting exercises by sitting in seat 150 with their knees engaged with knee saddle 185.
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Arm 130 directs users' weight to push swing end 134 downward when they are seated in seat 150 and locking pin structure 140 is in an unlocked configuration. Users may, in an example physical therapy technique, use their legs to drive swing end 134 upward to counteract the weight pushing swing end 134 downward. As previously mentioned, this technique may impact users' soleus muscles and may reduce the occurrence of leg cramps if the level of impact is appropriately set. Although
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Seat 150 is positioned at a distance selected to apply a portion of a user's bodyweight to the swing end of the arm when the user is seated in the seat. The amount of force required for a user to drive arm 130 is at least partially dependent on the distance between seat 150 and arm pivot 120. For example, users may increase the portion of their weight applied to drive arm 130 by further spacing seat 150 from arm pivot 120. Because seat 150's position on arm 130 is adjustable, users may adjust seat 150 to adjust the level of impact of physical therapy techniques performed using device 100. This, combined with arm 130's lightweight design relative those of many leg-lifting strength training devices, affords greater precision and flexibility in adjusting the level of impact compared to many) conventional leg-lifting devices.
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Further, adjusting seat 150 may allow users to configure device 100) with a seating position that is ergonomically appropriate for physical therapy applications.
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Knee saddle 185 is, in the illustrated example, spaced from seat 150 at a distance of approximately 17 inches. As
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For example, device 200 includes an arm 230 supported on a rear support structure 205 and spaced from a supporting surface 201. Similar to arm 130, arm 230 is configured to rotate about an arm pivot 220 supported on rear support structure 205. Arm 230 additionally includes a plurality of positioning bores 282 spaced along its length. As
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For example, device 200 includes a biasing member 207 defining a coil connected between arm biasing support 298 and lower bar biasing support 221. Biasing member 207 is configured to bias swing end 234 toward a raised configuration, thereby making it easier for users to raise swing end 234 of arm 230 when performing physical therapy techniques.
Although device 200 includes a biasing member, this example specifically considers additionally or alternatively attaching counterweights proximate to arm 230 on biasing side 218 of rear support structure 205; for example, weights could be attached to arm biasing support 298.
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Disclosed devices, including device 100 or device 200 may be configured to adjust the amount of force required to lift their arms. By adjusting this force, users may adjust the level of impact of exercises using the devices. By adjusting exercises' level of impact, disclosed devices may be adjusted to enable exercises that are suitable for physical therapy applications, rather than strength training exercises.
For instance, the amount of force required to raise an arm while a user is seated may, in some examples, be expressed with the following equation:
Table I, provided below, shows example results of the formula provided above where no biasing member is used. Table I illustrates the forces users must impart to drive arms given their weight and seat positions. Table I assumes that the seat and knee saddle are horizontally spaced from one another at a distance of 17 inches, though this disclosure specifically considers seats and knee saddles spaced by different lengths. Table I is provided below:
Table II, provided below, shows example results of the formula provided above in a device including a biasing member biasing with 25 pounds of force positioned 8 inches from the arm pivot. The negative values shown in Table II reflect situations where the users' weight produces insufficient weight to counteract the biasing member and drive the arm downward. Table II is otherwise similar to Table I. Table II is provided below:
Although the tables illustrate seat positions spaced in one inch increments, this is not specifically required. Because seat interfaces are slidingly supported on arms, seats may be positioned at any position on arms. For example, As Tables I and II illustrate, disclosed devices allow users to precisely adapt devices for impact levels appropriate for physical therapy applications. For most individuals of normal health, positioning a seat in one of seat positions 17, 18, 19, and 20 shown above will apply an appropriate amount of a user's weight to oppose the user's lifting action. As a result, in many cases, seat positions 17, 18, 19, and 20, as illustrated in both Tables I and II, may be particularly well adapted for physical therapy contexts. Adjusting toward or away from these positions, however, may be desirable for heavier or lighter than average users, as well as users that are taller or shorter than average.
Some examples may include locking mechanisms that vary from the pin and bore examples described above; such examples may allow users to more precisely set the distance between the seat and the arm pivot. Likewise, pin-and-bore based seat positioning systems are not required to be spaced at even, one-inch increments. For example, various devices may implement a alternative bore location, allowing users to select and use a device with bore spacings specifically tuned for physical therapy purposes given their weight and level of fitness.
Although much of this disclosure focuses the benefit of adjusting devices for physical therapy purposes, disclosed devices are not specifically limited to this purpose. For example, the adjustability discussed in this disclosure may be adapted to strength training contexts as well, including in contexts where a weight is attached to swing ends of arms. For example, as Tables I and II illustrate, moving the seat away from the arm pivot may increase the amount of weight required to drive arms upward; this may be a simple way to augment strength training. Further, adjusting the seat position may adjust the angle at which users drive arms upward, which may allow a diverse range of strength training exercises.
The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.