Patent Application
20170239126
Not applicable
Not applicable
The present invention relates to therapeutic and exercise equipment, and more particularly to equipment for the treatment and relief of maladies of the lower spine.
Many spinal maladies present a stiffness of motion due to the nesting of vertebral prominences that causes a resistance to flexure. Spinal traction is a commonly applied therapeutic technique intended to relieve this stiffness. Traction stretches the ligaments, muscles, and connective tissues surrounding the spine to promote separation of the vertebrae. Separation of the vertebrae by traction is intended to improve the range of motion. Exercises that flex the spine are often prescribed between traction treatments to enhance the flexibility promoted by traction.
It is known of many lumbar traction treatment techniques that an immediate treatment response to the user's subjective physical feelings yields an effective and efficient result in the treatment. Conversely, a delay between sensation by the user and adjustment of the treatment can cause the user to resist the treatment as it is proceeding or even to forego the treatment altogether so as to avoid the incipient pain.
There are many devices for treatment of spinal maladies in prior art and the application of traction is a feature of the many of them. How traction is applied varies considerably among these devices. For example, van Zuilichem's U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,524, consist of a table with longitudinal tracks. The user's upper torso is restrained on a fixed portion of the table and the user's pelvis is bound to a moving portion. The moving portion is pulled by the machine under the control of an external operator to apply traction to the user's spine. Such a device is quite large, not generally portable, and requires an attendant to apply bonds and to control the traction force. Traction is applied in a single dimension: axially, in line with the spine. The subject on the table does not have control of the amount of traction applied and must communicate reactions to the degree of stretching to the operator, who then may adjust the force.
Saunders's U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,671 has a sled, a thoracic girdle, and a pelvic girdle similar to those in Zuilichem's apparatus, but traction is applied by the user through a lever actuated by the user's legs.
Self-actuating traction devices, such as Leier's U.S. Patent Application 2013 0079205, employ the user's body weight as a source of traction force by inclining the body on a table that pivots on a horizontal axis. With the user's ankles bound to the table, the table is inclined in a head-downward angle. The weight of the user's upper body applies a traction force to the spine. The user has control of the angle of depression reached by the table with an adjustment that shifts the user's center of mass with respect to the pivot axis of the table, as well as a pre-positioned tilt-stop block. Getting a suitable adjustment of this body position requires experience or training with the apparatus; an unpracticed user may inadvertently be positioned inappropriately and induce an excessive tilt and an undesirably large and potentially painful traction force. In addition, the head-down position of this apparatus is disquieting to many users and the gravity-induced increase of blood pressure in the brain is inappropriate for users with hypertension. Also, this device applies more traction force to the user's knees and ankles than to the spine, due to the mass of the user's legs. This excess traction in the extremities may be unsuitable for some users.
Other self-actuating devices, such as Eberling's U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,763, suspend the user's upper body on a ramp and use the weight of the user's lower body to apply a traction force to the spine. The inclination of the ramp and effort in the user's legs control the amount of traction applied. The weight of the hips, being less than that of the torso implies that the traction applied by this device is less than that of Leier's head-down device. In Eberling's apparatus, the lumbar spine receives traction force only from the weight of the user's pelvis and legs. Also in Eberling's apparatus, the thoracic spine receives greater traction than the lumbar spine from the weight of the user's torso, in addition to the weight of the user's legs. This is undesirable if the focus of the therapy is the lumbar spine. The harness around the user's rib structure and its attachment to the ramp may raise fears of confinement in some users. Such aversion may be common to other devices with similar restraints.
Anthony's U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,898 has the user bend over a torso-support table that includes a sled that carries the user's upper torso. The user pulls on ropes that run over pulleys such that the sled is drawn away from the user's hips, thus applying traction to the spine.
McGuire's U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,564 has a pelvic girdle attached to a block and tackle anchored at the top of a convenient door. The user pulls a downfall to hoist the pelvis and apply traction to the spine. Though not apparently an intended consequence, this apparatus also imposes an anterior curvature of the spine, as the user's pelvis is lifted from a horizontal to a vertical position by the hoist.
Starr's U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,683 has a pelvic girdle pulled by a user-controlled ratchet and spring that are anchored in a convenient door frame. Friction between the user's upper body and the floor provide the counterforce for the traction in the spine.
Herbst's U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,999 bends the user's spine over a bowed surface to have the user's upper body on one side of the bow and the lower body on the other side of the bow. This applies a posterior curvature to the portion of the spine over the bow. The bowed surface applies a bend in the spine that stretches the tissues anterior to the spine and compresses tissues on the posterior surface. Similarly, the yoga wheel or a large exercise ball can be used to perform the same function. Controlling the force applied to the spine is possible if the legs are kept bent and the feet flat on the floor so as to adjust the elevation of the pelvis with respect to that of the bowed support. The weight of the head and shoulders cannot be adjusted, however, and once they are cantilevered beyond the bow so as to place the bend low in the spine, they may impose an undesirably large force in the spine. These devices apply no traction to the spine, only bending.
Graham's U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,841 bends selected segments of the user's spine with pneumatic bladders placed between the user and a floor pad. The user or an attendant controls the degree of anterior bow of the spine by adjusting fluid pressure in the bladder. Increased pressure inflates the bladder and lifts the local segment of the lower spine while the weight of the user's body above (toward the user's head) and below (toward the user's pelvis) the bladder apply counterforce. For use on the cervical spine, the device includes a restraint strap to hold the user's head against the floor pad while the bladder lifts the user's neck.
Dunfee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,993 uses linear-extension pneumatic bladders to apply spinal traction between a rib-girdle and a pelvic girdle. The user or an attendant applies traction to the spine by inflating the bladders, which causes them to lengthen and apply a spreading force between the ribs and the pelvis.
None of the above devices provide lateral flexure to the spine. Although, Abdo's U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,303 is an exercise device upon which the user sits and rotates the torso to exercise abdominal muscles and to rotate the spine on its axis about a fixed-position pelvis. His U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,047 includes a torsion spring for muscle resistance training.
Lateral leg movement with mild traction is the motion that massage therapists often use to relax pressure in the spine. The therapist lifts the subject's feet and pulls on the lying subject's ankles while swinging the legs in an alternating sideways motion. The pulling opens the spinal joints and the swinging stretches spinal ligaments and muscles.
None of the prior-art items apply both self-actuated traction and lateral spinal flexure. None provide direct, positive, and precise real-time control of the traction and flexure forces by the user.
The present invention is a therapeutic apparatus and an associated method for self-treatment of disorders and discomfort of the lumbar spine. The apparatus provides means to deliver force from the user's arms to impose two types of force to his or her legs: a traction force and an alternating lateral-displacement force. The traction force on the user's legs pulls on the user's pelvis, which applies traction to the user's spine. The lateral-displacement force on the user's legs rotates the user's pelvis, which flexes the user's spine. With this device, the user applies both traction and lateral flexion to the spine to improve vertebral positioning and to increase the flexibility of ligaments and muscles in the lumbar region. The user controls directly the amount of traction with arm force applied to the handles of the apparatus. Similarly, the user induces the desired degree of lateral spinal flexure with slightly asymmetrical arm force on the two handles. Stronger force on one side pushes a carriage that holds the user's ankles toward the opposite side. When the displacement of the carriage causes the desired spinal flexion, the user reverses the arm force to swing his or her legs back and straighten the spine. By alternating the lateral-displacement force, the user swings his or her legs to and fro while maintaining mild traction. Such direct control by the user of the strain imposed on the spine minimizes the potential personal discomfort encountered during treatment of lower-back pain. The apparatus is portable and easily set up, allowing the user to employ the device as the need requires, to store it between uses, and to transport it in connection with travel.
Unique to the present invention is the concurrent application of traction and lateral flexure; concurrency of these actions enhances the therapeutic effect. Traction reduces the force pressing spinal elements together and flexure is imposed to stretch the ligaments and other tissues surrounding the vertebrae so as to increase freedom of movement. It is the concurrent lateral leg movement combined with traction through the user's legs that the present invention applies. The present invention does so with no external attendant and the intervening need for the user to describe the sensation or degree of pain to the attendant to forestall over-extension.
One or more embodiments of the present invention include
means to hold the user's ankles for force application,
means to deliver arm force to the ankles,
means to elevate the user's ankles,
means to control the kinematics of the motion of the user's legs,
means to adjust the kinematics for users of various heights,
means to hold the apparatus under the lying user, and
means to elevate the user's torso.
The objects and advantages of the present invention are made apparent in the course of the following description of several embodiments of the invention.
The following are numbered items in the drawings:
The present invention, unlike prior art, applies spinal traction concurrently with lateral spinal flexure. It does so without an attendant and the intervening need for the user to describe the sensation or degree of pain to the attendant to forestall over-extension. The user is not strapped into or confined by the apparatus. The user lies on the apparatus and grips the handles. The user's ankles are nestled in contoured slots and may be lifted out at any time; there are no bonds to be released. Neither does the apparatus require the operator to subject his or her body to any position other than a simple supine posture on the floor.
Directing attention to
Carriage 5 has a plurality of wheels 10, casters, ball rollers, skids, or other friction-reducing elements familiar to those skilled in the art to allow carriage 5 to move easily on a flat operating surface, such as a floor. The height of carriage 5 is such that ankle grips 6 elevate the user's claves and lower thighs above the floor, making them free to traverse laterally without substantial friction from floor. Wheels 10 may be mounted on carriage 5 in a fixed position or connected to the carriage by way of an elongated stem 11, other extensible member, or articulated geometry familiar to those in the art. The extensible wheel attachment allows the height of carriage 5 to be adjusted for the comfort of the user and to accommodate the thigh dimension of a wide range of users.
Carriage 5 may be made of any material that provides sufficient strength and stiffness for the application. Lightness is a primary consideration for low inertia, making any number of plastics suitable. Stamped thin metal may offer potentially low cost. These choices have little influence on the function or operation of the apparatus and may be made for economic or cosmetic reasons or for ease of manufacture and maintenance.
Handles 7 are connected to carriage 5 in the horizontal plane shared by the axes of the user's legs held in ankle grips 6 so that the thrust of handles 7 is delivered to the user's ankles without imposing a vertical torque to carriage 5. The handle anchor joints 12 between handles 7 and carriage 5 deliver thrust from the user's hands to carriage 5, while allowing handles 7 to pivot as carriage 5 moves laterally. These joints include vertical play, which allows the user to employ a range of arm motions for a comfortable action of the apparatus. The embodiment illustrated employs a ball-and-socket mechanism for this connection. This connection may include a spring-loaded collar or other rapid-action closure that allows the handle to be detached quickly from the carriage for storage or transport.
Handles 7 are long enough for the user to apply arm thrust to carriage 5 when the operator is lying on floor pad 9 with his or her ankles in ankle grips 6 of carriage 5. Handles 7 can be of adjustable length to accommodate users of differing heights. Tall users need longer handles than do short users so as to have hand grips 13 at a position suitable for delivering desired forces to carriage 5. Adjustable handles also allow hand grips 13 to be placed at positions that cause different muscle groups to be used to apply thrust and moment to carriage 5. One method of controlling this length adjustment uses nested (telescoping) tubes with collet 14 at the joint of the tubes to set the length. Other methods known commonly to those in the art, such as detent pins that are spring-loaded or through-pins that are manually inserted through aligned holes in the two tubes, can be used alternatively.
The spherical shape of hand grip 13 plays a role in the utility of the variable length of the handles. Grips of other shapes, such as those on bicycle handles and ski poles, may offer a theoretically stronger grip, but they tend to impose a fixed hand orientation, which limits the variability of arm positions available to the user. Such fixed-orientation handles are, therefore, less fruitful in delivering suitable thrust to carriage 5 by users with some types of physical incapacity.
The distance from carriage 5 to floor pad 9 is controlled by two radial links 8. These links are strings, ropes, straps, chains, or other flexible linear members that allow carriage 5 to swing in a lateral arc 36 (see
Floor pad 9 is long enough to accommodate the distance from the buttocks to the head of tall users. It is wide enough to accommodate the hip swing of a large user during use of the apparatus. Link pivot 15 for the radial links 8 is at the tail end of floor pad 9. Floor pad 9 and floor pads of alternative geometry are made of thin material that may be rolled up for storage or in panels that are joined by flexible hinge sections, which allow the pad to be folded for storage. Floor pad 9 is made of a material with a smooth finish that minimizes the friction under the user's buttocks, so as to allow the hips to slide laterally as the legs are translated left and right.
Ease of lateral movement of the pelvis during use of the apparatus may be enhanced by forming a raised section of floor pad 9 or by making this raised section an independent torso support pillow 18 that is placed under the user's ribs on floor pad 9. Pillow 18 elevates the user's back and hips slightly so as to reduce the friction of floor pad 9 on the user's buttocks. Keeping pillow 18 in position on floor pad 9, when in use, while allowing convenient re-positioning for different users, can be implemented with patches of hook-and-loop fasteners on the underside of the pillow and the top surface of the floor pad (not illustrated).
As shown in
The surface of ankle grip 6 is covered with a soft material 25 such as urethane foam to prevent abrasion of the skin. The padding is contoured to offer a three-dimensional nest or socket for the prominences of the ankles. Such contouring provides not only even tension to the leg bones but also a small degree of vertical restraint of the ankles. This vertical restraint is effective in allowing the user to sit up to make minor adjustments to the apparatus, without having to extract the ankles from ankle grips 6. Removable padding of differing thickness may be used in ankle grip 6 to accommodate the variability of the widths of the ankles of the potential user population. Alternatively, the padding of ankle grip 6 may contain pneumatic bladders 26 that the user fills to both adjust the size of grip 6 and to pad the ankles.
An alternative ankle grip, consisting of straps with buckles or bands with hook-and-loop fasteners, may be used in lieu of the foam-lined ankle socket, but some users find unsettling the feelings instilled by being bound by their extremities. The socket-like ankle grip of the illustrated embodiment avoids this problem.
Before use, the lengths of radial-links 8 are adjusted by inserting a link stop 16 into each link anchor slot 17 on carriage 5, such that the distance from floor pad 9 to carriage 5 is slightly less than the length of the user's legs. This positions link pivot 15 under the user's hips, as shown in
The lengths of handles 7 are adjusted by the user to place hand grips 13 at a location suitable for delivery of thrust to carriage 5 by the lying user.
To use the apparatus, the user lies on floor pad 9, as illustrated in
The motion of the carriage is not a simple arc. If it were, then the two flexible radial links 8 could be supplanted by a single rigid link joining the carriage and the floor pad 9. Rather, carriage 5 must be allowed to travel over a slender figure-8 path if undesirable bending is to be avoided in the user's ankles and lower legs. Radial links 8 are flexible so as to allow this action. Rigid links with end fasteners that are free to move in slots aligned with the length of the members would yield the same kinematics.
A single T-shaped handle 41 can be used to direct forces from the user's hands to carriage 5, as illustrated in
The embodiments of the present invention described above illustrate a small range of the possible configurations that deliver the required forces to users of various dimensions. There are alternative implementations for several aspects. They are described but not illustrated, as such alternatives are readily available to those skilled in the art.
Alternative implementations exist particularly to obviate the resistance of thick carpeting to the anti-friction capability of carriage wheels of modest size and inertia. For example, floor pad 9 can be long enough to extend from the top of the lying user's head to just beyond the arc 36 for the tallest user. This configuration has the carriage rolling on the extended floor pad and the pivot 15 for the kinematic restraint links 8 is near the middle of the extended floor pad. A further alternative retains the short floor pad 9 under the user's body and adds a second pad, exclusively for the roller path of arc 36, under carriage 5. This separate roller-path pad under carriage 5 is kept in place during operation of the apparatus by temporary attachments to floor pad 9 through links that are substantially rigid in the plane of floor pad 9.
Means by which the height of carriage 5 off the floor is established can be embodied in a suspension sling that connects the two lateral ends of carriage 5 to a convenient high point, such as the frame of an open doorway. The bottom of the sling carries both ends of carriage 5 so as to keep carriage 5 substantially horizontal. A portable clamp, as commonly used in home exercise equipment, fastens the top end of the suspension sling to the middle of the door frame. Alternatively, clamps of the type used for temporary closet storage fixtures can be used to attach the carriage suspension sling either to the top of a hinged door, to the open edge of such a door or even to the door-lock handles or knobs of an open door. The sling can be adjustable in length to vary the elevation of the user's ankles by the means described for radial links 8. If the apparatus is used with an open door that is free to swing, then, before use, the user aligns the axis of floor pad 9 with the plane of the partially open door. During operation of the apparatus, the arc of the door that follows the user's feet as they swing to and fro is opposite that of arc 36 of the motion of carriage 5, but this is of no consequence, as long as carriage 5 is substantially free to move along arc 36 and is not constrained to follow the arc of the door. Such freedom is provided by a flexible and substantially vertical suspension sling that allows carriage 5 to move freely in a horizontal plane.
Restraint of pillow 18 on floor pad 9 of the first embodiment can alternatively be accomplished with strings extending from pillow 18 to be tied to through-holes located along the side edges of floor pad 9. Similarly, ribbons with snap fasteners can be mated with snap anchors on floor pad 9. Many other fastening solutions available to those in the art may be applied to this function.
Friction that inhibits the motion of the user's hips can be reduced by adding a moveable seat to floor pad 9. This seat can comprise a contoured upper surface to cradle the user's buttocks over a plurality of small ball bearings. The balls allow the seat to translate and rotate easily over floor pad 9 as the user's pelvis moves in response to traction and translation forces applied to carriage 5. Alternatively, the friction-reducing element can be a volume of lubricant in a flexible casing that is wide enough to accommodate the width of the user's hips, plus the full lateral range of the hip swing of a tall user. A further alternative provides two stages of motion accommodation, with a lateral track incorporated into the lower end of floor pad 6 and a rolling or sliding truck, with a pivoting seat, riding on the track. The truck rolls or slides left and right to accommodate the lateral hip swing of the user and rotation of the seat around the pivot axis of the truck accommodates the rotation of the user's pelvis.
These alternative embodiments show that the heretofore described invention can be embodied in a wide variety of configurations as long as the objective traction force and lateral leg motion are imparted by thrust from the user's arms.
