WO1997040892A1

WO1997040892A1 - Muscle strengthening device

Info

Publication number: WO1997040892A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/007341
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary Lichtenstein
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-05-02
Filing date: 1997-05-01
Publication date: 1997-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1998-11-02
Also published as: IL118113A0

Abstract

An orthopedic exercising device (2) for, and a method of, strengthening muscles, comprises a substantially horizontal table (4) with legs (6) extending downwards from the plane of the table (4), and having front (8) and rear (10) edges, and a leg support member (12) extendible from the rear edge of the table (4); the front legs (6b), which extend from the front edge (8) of the table (4) extending beyond the front edge (8), to form an obtuse angle with the horizontal plane of the table (4).

Description

MUSCLE STRENGTHENING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an orthopedic device for strengthening the muscles and particularly the lower back muscles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Back pain in general and lower back pain in particular is a very common ailment in developed countries. It has been estimated that 75% of the population will experience back pain at some time in their lives, and that this problem accounts for

15% of all sick leaves. The loss in work time and the accompanying medical expenditures are therefore tremendous.

One type of back pain is known as "mechanical back pain" or "musculoskeletal back pain". The causes are generally multifactorial and include strain of the paraspinous muscles, strain of the ligaments of the spine, degenerative facet joint disease, and others. For a significant percentage of the people suffering from back pain, proper exercise can help to alleviate the pain and discomfort and, in some cases to improve the prognosis of the patient. Several exercising devices have been previously described.

U.S. 2,831,687 to Hunter discloses an exercising bench comprising an upper fixed-length body supporting portion supported over a base member by pivotally mounted support legs which enable the body supporting portion to be alternated between a horizontal and inclined position. One end of the base member is bolted to the floor.

U.S. 4,292,962 to Krause describes an apparatus for effecting postural treatment of humans comprising a pivoting platform structure pivotally mounted on an elevated stand. The position of the platform relative to the pivotal axis is varied by an adjusting mechanism.

U.S. 4,391,443 to Beecroft discloses an exercise apparatus which includes a ring shaped cushion member to support the user. The feet of the user are attached by means of a special boot to a swivel bar. The apparatus includes a structure for supporting the ring shaped cushion member for rotational movement about its axis.

U.S. 4,830,367 to Foran describes an exercise device having parallel horizontal side beams of fixed length which are attached at one end to the wall and are supported at the other end by a vertical "H"-shaped leg structure. Straps extend between the beams for supporting the user. Vertically spaced handles project from the leg structure to allow the user to right himself while exercising in a prone position.

U.S. 5,106,083 to Hall discloses an exercise table having a protrusion to support the pelvic area of the user and hand rails extending from the front end of the table by which the user supports himself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an orthopedic exercising device for strengthening muscles, and in particular the lower back muscles. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an orthopedic device which can be used by the weaker segment of the population and by persons of varying heights.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an exercise device which stands steadfast without it being necessary to bolt the device to the floor or wall. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for strengthening muscles and especially the lower back muscles.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an orthopedic exercising device for strengthening muscles comprising a substantially horizontal table with legs extending downwards from the plane of the table and having front and rear edges, and a leg support member extendible from the rear edge of the table, wherein the front legs extending from the front edge of the table extend beyond the edge to form an obtuse angle with the horizontal plane of the table.

Preferably, the bottom surfaces of the legs in contact with the floor are substan¬ tially horizontal and comprise a tractionable material. The table is preferably rectangular in shape, although any shape which can support a human body is acceptable. The device of the invention can be used by persons of various heights due to the extendable leg support. The leg support is intended to support the lower part of the leg from the knee down including the calf, ankle and foot. Preferably, the support member supports the ankle. The table top provides support for as much of the torso as is desired so that persons who do not have strong arm muscles can also perform exercises. The height of the table is preferably adjustable so as to make it easy for one to mount it, regardless of his height. The tractionable material on the bottom ends of the legs together with the obtuse angle of the front legs lend stability to the device without necessitating its attachment to a secure structure. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for strengthening muscles comprising: 0. lying in a prone position on the device of the invention; 0. extending the leg support member so as to allow the upper torso to extend beyond the front edge of the table to a desired extent; 0. anchoring the feet to the leg support member; and

0. alternately raising and lowering the upper torso above the plane of the table.

The method of the invention should preferably be carried out under medical supervision as therapy for lower back pain as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the device of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device of the invention; and

Fig. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the method of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to Fig. 1 which illustrates one embodiment of the device of the invention. The device is in the form of a table, generally designated 2, comprising a substantially horizontal rectangular table top 4 with four legs 6 extending downwards from the plane of the table (the terms 'table' and 'table top' will hereinafter be used interchangeably). The table has a front edge 8 over which the upper portion of the user's body extends, and a rear edge 10 over which the user's legs extend. The front edge 8 is preferably rounded and padded so as to protect the portion of the upper torso which comes into contact with the edge.

The length of the table top is preferably in the range of 50-80 cm., more preferably between 60-70 cm. and most preferably approximately 60 cm. This is the minimum length necessary to support a small child of 120 cm to an adult of 230 cm. The table width is preferably in the range of 40-50 cm, and most preferably approxi- mately 40-45 cm.

A leg support member 12 in the form of a cushioned cylinder is extendible from the rear edge 10 of the table by means of two bars 14 attached to either end of the support member. The bars 14 are slidably inserted in two parallel cylindrical sleeves 16 extending along the length of the table and slightly below the surface of the table top. The lengths of the bars and the corresponding sleeves can range from 10 cm to the entire length of the table, with the bars having an additional approximately 10 cm beyond the sleeves which project from the rear edge of the table when the bars are wholly inserted in the sleeves. A projection approximately 10 cm from the far ends of the bars prevents them from being completely removed from the sleeves so as to provide support for the leg support member. In the case of the most preferred table length of 60 cm., a preferred length of the bars is 70 cm. Thus, when the leg support member is fully extended, the total length of the table is 60+60=120 cm. Wing nut headed screws 17 on either side of the length of the table and opposite the sleeves 16 extend through corresponding holes in the table side and sleeve to hold the bars 14 in place.

The leg support member further comprises an adjustable leg securing means 18 in the form of a strap with Velcro® fasteners 20 which can be easily engaged by the user.

The legs 6 of the table include two rear legs 6a attached to the table near the rear edge 10 and two front legs 6b attached near the front edge 8 of the table. While the rear legs are substantially vertical and form a 90° angle with the horizontal plane of the table, the front legs are inclined outwardly so that the bottom ends of the legs are positioned beyond the front edge of the table, thus forming an obtuse angle >90° with the table top. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front legs form an angle in the range of 95-150°, and most preferably 1 10-120° with the plane of the table. The legs can extend directly forwards so that they are parallel one to the other, or they can extend diagonally sideways so that the bottom ends of the legs are positioned not only beyond the front edge of the table but also beyond the side edges. In any event, the bottom surfaces 28 of all of the legs are substantially horizontal and rest entirely on the floor.

A preferred height of the table is approximately 45 cm. The length of the front legs 6b is obviously longer than the length of the rear legs 6a due to their incline. Although the height of the table can be fixed, preferably the height is adjustable by means of extendible legs for the convenience of the user. One example of such legs is illustrated in Fig. 1. Each leg 6 comprises an inner leg component 22 attached at the upper end to the bottom surface of the table top 4, and an outer sleeve component 24 which stands on the floor and slidably receives the lower end of the inner component. A wing nut headed screw 26 extending through a hole in the outer component locks the inner leg component in place. Other mechanisms for making the legs extendible are of course possible as is well known to the skilled man of the art.

The bottom surface 28 of each of the legs 6 is formed so as to maximize the positional stability of the device without necessitating anchoring the device to the wall or the floor. Preferably, the bottom surface is substantially round in shape with a diameter preferably in the range of 2.5-10 cm, and most preferably 6 cm. The bottom surfaces are preferably formed from a tractionable material such as rubber.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 2. The leg support member 30 of the device 2 is in the form of an ankle pressure strap 32 stretched between the ends of the extendible bars 34. In this embodiment, the user tucks his ankles under the strap 32 while exercising. Thus, it is unnecessary to secure the ankles by an adjustable strap as in the previous embodiment.

The method of use of the device of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 3. The user 30 lies in a prone position on the device 2. The leg support 12 is extended in relation to the proportion of the upper torso 32 of which it is desired to extend beyond the front edge 8 of the table. In general, during the initial stage of the therapy or exercise regime, it will be necessary that most of the torso 32 be supported by the table top. As the user gradually develops his/her back muscles, the upper torso can be further extended beyond the edge of the table by moving the leg support closer to the rear edge of the table. Thus, the structure of the device of the invention can be adapted to the progress of the user.

The feet of the user are anchored to the leg support member 12 by the adjustable strap 18. The user then begins the exercise, alternately raising and lowering the upper torso above the plane of the table. The movement of the torso is accomplished solely by the muscles of the lower back, buttocks, and upper legs, and not at all by the arm muscles as in some of the prior art patents described above. This significantly strengthens these muscles and treats the primary causes of lower back pain.

Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

The scope of the invention is not to be construed as limited by the illustrative embodiments set forth herein, but is to be determined in accordance with the appended claims.

Claims

I CLAIM:

1. An orthopedic exercising device for strengthening muscles comprising: a substantially horizontal table with legs extending downwards from the plane of said table and having front and rear edges, and a leg support member extendible from the rear edge of said table, wherein the front legs extending from the front edge of said table extend beyond said edge to form an obtuse angle with the horizontal plane of the table.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the bottom surfaces of said legs in contact with the floor are substantially horizontal and comprise a tractionable material.

3. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said front legs form an angle in the range of 95-150° with the plane of said table.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said angle is in the range of approximately 1 10-120°.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein said table is substantially rectangular.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the length of said table is in the range of 50-80 cm.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the length of said table is in the range of 60-70 cm.

8. A device according to claim 1 further comprising an adjustable leg securing means attached to said support member.

9. A device according to claim 2 wherein the bottom surfaces of said legs are substantially round with a diameter in the range of 2.5-10 cm.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said diameter is approximately 6 cm.

11. A device according to claim 2 wherein said bottom surfaces of said legs are formed from rubber-like material.

12. A device according to claim 1 wherein the height of said table from the floor is approximately 45 cm.

13. A device according to claim 1 wherein said legs are extendible.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein each of said legs comprises an inner leg and an outer leg, and wherein said inner leg is slidably inserted in said outer leg.

15. A device according to claim 1 wherein said leg support member can be extended up to a distance in the range of 60-90 cm from the rear edge of said table.

16. A method for strengthening muscles comprising the steps of:

(a) lying in a prone position on a device according to any of claim 1 ;

(b) extending said leg support member so as to allow the upper torso to extend beyond the front edge of said table to a desired extent; (c) anchoring the leg to said leg support member; and

(d) alternately raising and lowering the upper torso above the plane of said table.