US20090163337A1

US20090163337A1 - Exerciser for physical therapy

Info

Publication number: US20090163337A1
Application number: US12/296,411
Authority: US
Inventors: Valeriy A. Petrakov
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-07
Filing date: 2007-04-02
Publication date: 2009-06-25
Also published as: CN101415387B; WO2007123440A2; CN101415387A; WO2007123440A3; RU2311161C1; KZ24424B; JP2009533080A; EP2008632A4; UA91585C2; EP2008632A2

Abstract

The invention relates to medical engineering and can be used for therapeutic and remedial exercises and for remedial gymnastics or sports. The inventive training device for physical therapy comprises a frame provided with a base, a platform placed on the base, an additional platform and at least one arm support. Said platform and additional platform are embodied in the form of for supports and are connected in such a way that they are rotatable together with the base. The base is placed on the frame in such a way that it is rotatable or rotatable and fixable or rotatable and fixable and connected to means for producing and/or adjusting an operating load. A distance between the center of rotation of the platform and the center of rotation of the additional platform ranges from 200 to 600 mm. The height of at least one arm support ranges from 500 to 2300 mm.

Description

This invention refers to medical equipment and can be used for health-improving or rehabilitation exercise and for physical therapy or fitness.
Fitness exercisers are well known. For example, there is a “Training apparatus” under patent RU 33024 UI, 10. 10.2003 made of a base frame, a handrail, two rotating platforms and one rotating disk. The disk is mounted on the base frame, and the two platforms are mounted on the disk. The handrail is made with the possibility of elastic deformation or has an element made with the possibility of elastic deformation.
This apparatus permits to increase the efficacy of training various groups of muscles and to make exercise more entertaining, but it doesn't ensure a full scope of physical therapy. In particular, the presence of a handrail with the possibility of elastic deformation or a handrail with an element made with the possibility of elastic deformation hinders its application for recovery of lost functions, for instance, after injury and in rehabilitation of patients with poor coordination of movements.
“Apparatus for physical therapy” (USSR certificate of authorship #858821, 1981) is closer to the proposed invention. It has a frame with a base and a platform located on the base. This apparatus, according to its description, ensures rehabilitation of patients with locomotor traumas, or somatic disorders but it doesn't permit to exercise muscles involved in rotation of the body and the extremities.
The present invention is aimed at solving the problem of providing a convenient, manufacturable and constructively simple exerciser for physical therapy and sports, which would permit to train groups of muscles involved in rotation of the body and the extremities and would combine the potential of similar medical or fitness equipment with the ability to accelerate the recovery of lost functions, e.g. after spinal surgery, and to have a positive effect on rehabilitation of patients with osteochondrosis, spinal trauma and infantile cerebral paralysis.
Accordingly, the technical result of the invention is the technical effect objectively manifest in its manufacture and use and realized in the availability of the above mentioned characteristics.
The essence of the invention is manifested by the totality of essential characteristics, namely, the exerciser for physical therapy with a base on a frame and a platform on the base differs from the nearest analogues in that it has a least one hand support and an additional platform, the platform and the additional platform being made as feet supports and rotatably connected with the base mounted on the frame with the possibility to rotate; or with the base mounted on the frame with the possibility to rotate and be fixed, or with the base mounted on the frame with the possibility to rotate and be fixed and is connected with a device for creating and/or adjusting the operating load, the distance between the center of rotation of the movable platform and the center of rotation of the additional movable platform is 200-600 mm and the height of at least of hand support is 500-2300 mm.
The described totality of essential characteristics is sufficient for obtaining the technical result of the invention in all cases that are covered by the requested scope of legal protection.
In particular instances of its manufacture or application the exerciser might have the following options: a seat and/or additional support for the feet made as a removable rung; at least one hand support is U-, or T-, or L-shaped or arch-shaped and fixed on posts in parallel to the base; the frame, the base, the platform, and the additional platform are shaped as disks and/or ovals, and/or polygons, and/or polygons with rounded angels and curved sides; the base has auxiliary devices for feet made, for instance, as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads; the base is connected to the frame by an axis and/or a bearing; the base is connected to the frame by an axis and/or a bearing and is mounted on the rollers; the platform and the additional platform are connected with the movable base by axes and/or bearings; the platform and the additional platform have auxiliary devices for feet made, for instance as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads; the device for creating the operating load is made as at least one spring or a rubber link fixed with its one end on the frame and with its other end on the base, or as at least one spring fixed with its one end on the base and connected to the band brake that is located so as to be able to interact with a cylindrical support located on the frame; it might have a lock to fix the base; the distance between the centers of rotation of the platform and of the additional platform might be 420 mm, and the height of at least one hand support might be 1000 mm; at least one hand support might be provided with a mechanism for adjusting height and/or can be replaced by a support with different dimensions.
The above characteristics are related to the technical result in that the platform and the additional platform are made as feet supports and mounted on the base with the possibility to rotate, and the base that, in its turn, can be rotated and fixed with regard to the frame, and this permits to perform both simple and complex movements. These movements are possible only if the design ensures turning both the body and the extremities. This combination of rotating feet supports and the rotating base permits to exercise the multifidus muscles and spinal rotators, abdominal external and internal oblique muscles. In particular, due to the specific attachment of the multifidus muscles and the spinal rotator muscles to the 1^stand 2^ndvertebrae it becomes possible to ensure a local impact on a damaged segment or segments in scoliosis, to recover macro- and microcirculation and innervation, and to improve trophism. Training of the abdominal external and internal oblique muscles strengthens the muscles of the prelum abdominale and reduces fat deposits. It also contributes to maintenance of the ligaments of the internal organs in tonus and is effective in splanchnoptosis or dislocation of the abdominal and pelvic organs, and in their dysfunction.
For safe training, at least one hand support with the adjustable height is required in feet supports rotatably placed on the base. Anthropometric data of the user should be taken into account according to the numeric range for setting the distance between the rotation centers of the feet supports (200-600 mm) and the height of at least one hand support (500-2300 mm). These values were determined by studies that revealed the effect of the above complex movements on users of different height. In particular, it was found that even a medium effort during a twisting movement not typical for an individual, for example, if the hands are 100-150 mm lower than necessary, might cause trauma, besides, it is difficult to the user to maintain the balance in such a position of the hands. A customized distance between the rotation centers of the feet supports, the height of the support and its U shape, T shape, L shape or arch shape fixed on posts in parallel to the base make the exerciser safe and convenient and allows to keep the balance in nearly any position. The hand support of any of the above shape widens the possibilities of the exerciser and permits to perform more complex exercises.
The combination of the above mentioned numeric ranges, the rotating platform, the additional rotating movable platform, the rotating base and at least one hand support permits to considerably enhance the effectiveness of static exercises, for example, those meant to train postural muscles. In this case, the best effect is obtained due to the fact that maintenance of the body and extremities in a certain position on the movable base and movable platforms requires a considerable effort on the part of the user to keep the position.
The seat and/or the additional feet support made as a removable rung permit to perform exercises sitting or putting the extremities on different levels.
The feet supports made with additional fixing devices and the movable platform made with additional devices for the feet, for example, as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads rule out sliding of the user's feet, prevent injuries and make physical exercise more comfortable.
Shaping the frame, the base and the platforms as disks and/or ovals, and/or polygons, providing their junctions with axes or bearings, and installion on rollers make the construction simple and technological.

The essence of the invention is explicated by the drawing, where

FIG. 1 shows the general view of the exerciser for physical therapy;

FIG. 2—the same exerciser with the additional feet support made as a removable rung;

FIG. 3—D view (see FIG. 1) shows the device for creating the operating load, namely, a spring connected with the base and with the frame in the initial position;

FIG. 4—D view with the device for creating the operating load after the base has been rotated;

FIG. 5—D view with the device for creating the operating load with two springs;

FIG. 6—D view after the rotation of the base connected with two springs;

FIG. 7—D view with the device for creating the operating load made as a spring fixed with its one end on the base and connected with a band brake able to interact with a cylindrical support located on the frame;

FIG. 8—J view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9—E view (see FIG. 5) of fixation of the device for creating the operating load;

FIGS. 10 and 11—A view and G-G section (see FIG. 1) explaining the location of the base on the frame and location of the platform and the additional platform on the base, respectively;

FIGS. 12 and 13—a lock to fix the base in the active and inactive positions, respectively;

FIG. 14—V-V section (see FIG. 6) showing the connection of the base and the frame.

The exerciser for physical therapy has a frame [1] with the base [2] and at least one hand support [3]. A platform [4] and an additional platform [5] are mounted on the base [2]. The platform [4] and the additional platform [5] are made as feet supports and are connected to the base [2] with the possibility to rotate. The base [2] is mounted on the frame [1] with the possibility to rotate; or with the possibility to rotate and be fixed, or is mounted on the frame [1] with the possibility to rotate and be fixed and is connected with a device for creating and/or adjusting the operating load. The operating load device can be made as at least one spring [6] or a rubber link fixed with one end on the frame [1] and with the other end on the base [2] with mushroom-shaped hooks [7]. The distance between the rotation center of the platform [4] and the rotation center of the additional platform [5] is 200-600 mm. The height of at least one hand support [3] is 500-2000 mm.
The exerciser may be equipped with a seat (not shown on the drawings) and/or additional feet support made as a removable rung [8].
At least one hand support [3] made be U-shaped, T-shaped, L-shaped, or ark shaped, mounted on the posts in parallel to the movable base [2].
The frame [1], the base [2], the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] may be shaped as disks and/or ovals and/or polygons and/or polygons with rounded angles and curved sides.
The base [2] may have additional feet fixing devices made as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads (not shown on the drawing).
The base [2] may be connected to the frame [1] by an axis [9] and/or a bearing [10] and mounted on the rollers [11].
The platform [4] and the additional platform [5] are connected to the base [2] by axes [12] and/or bearings and may have additional feet fixing devices made as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads.
The exerciser may have a lock [13] to fix the base with a pin [14].
The distance between the rotation centers of the platform [4] and of the additional platform [5] may be 420 mm and the height of at least one hand support [3] may be 1000 mm.
At least one hand support [3] may have a device for adjusting height and/or may be replaced by a hand support with different dimensions. Replacement and/or adjustment can be done by the placing the hand support [3] into holding elements [15] and further fixing with bolts [16].
The operating load device can be made as a spring [17] fixed with its one end on the base [2] with a pin [18] and connected with a band brake [19] that can interact with a cylindrical support [20] located on the frame [1]. The frame [1] may have legs [21].
For exercising, at least one hand support [3] is adjusted at the required height or selected in accordance with the anthropometric data of the user. The support [3] is put into the holding elements [15] and fixed with bolts [16]. The base [2] can be fixed on the frame [1] with the pin [14] of the lock [13] or can rotate on the axis [9] or on the bearing [10] and rollers [11].
In the first case, the user stands on the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] that are made as feet supports and mounted on the base [2] with the possibility to rotate.
Then the user, holding on at least one hand support [3], begins to take efforts in order to rotate the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] clockwise and/or anticlockwise. Since the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] are mounted on the base [2] with the possibility to rotate on the axes [12] or on the bearings, the left and the right feet of the user begin to move clockwise or anticlockwise. If necessary, the directions of rotation of the platforms [4] and [5] can be changed. If the base[2] is fixed with the lock [13], the rotation of the feet might be performed in one direction if they are put in parallel on the platforms [4] and [5].
If required, the exerciser provided with the device for creating and/or adjusting the operating load can be used. This device can be made, for example, as a spring(s) [6] fixed with its one end on the frame [1] and with the other end on the base [2], in particular, by mushroom-shaped hooks [7]. The load adjustment is done by replacement of the spring [6] with a spring that has different characteristics or a different regulator.
The operating load device can be made as a spring [17] or a rubber link fixed with its one end on the base [2] by the pin [18] and connected to a band brake [19]. The band brake [19] interacts with a cylindrical support [20] located on the frame [1]. At rotation of the base [2] with respect to the frame [1] the operating load is created by friction between the band brake [19] and the cylindrical support [20]. The spring [17] that presses the band brake [19] to the cylindrical support [20] also compensates the wear.
If the user is on the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] rotating on the axes [12] or on the bearings, while the base [2] rotates on the axis [9] and the rollers [11], the movement of the legs is performed from the starting position clockwise or anticlockwise and reminds putting one leg behind the other. Such “twisting” involves the muscles that are not frequently used in everyday life, which makes physical therapy very effective.
If the user is on the platform [4] and the additional platform [5] rotating on the axes [12] or on the bearings, while the base [2] is fixed on the frame by the pin [14] of the lock [13], the movement of the legs is performed without additional twisting, which is important for the initial stage of rehabilitation after particular diseases.
When the additional feet support made as a removable rung [8] is used, one foot is put on the rung and the other on one of the platforms [4] or [5]. Performing rotation, the legs are alternatively put one in front or behind the other.
If the user stands on additional feet fixation devices, and holding at a hand support [3] begins to take effort for rotating the base [2] alternatively clockwise and anticlockwise, the exerciser works as a conventional sports equipment, providing the possibility to perform standard exercises that might also be helpful to the user.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. An exerciser for physical therapy comprising:

a base,

a frame, the base being rotatably mounted on the frame,

a first platform and a second platform, the first and second platforms being rotatably mounted on the base and being configured as foot supports,

at least one non-deformable and replaceable hand support, and

a means for creating and adjusting an operating load, the base being connected to the device.

15. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising a seat placed on the disk.

16. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising an additional support for the feet placed on the disk and made as a removable rung.

17. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the at least one non-deformable hand support is of II-shape.

18. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the at least one non-deformable hand support is of T-shape.

19. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the at least one non-deformable hand support is L-shaped.

20. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the at least one non-deformable hand support is arch-shaped, fixed on posts and is oriented in parallel to the base.

21. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the frame, the base, and the platforms are shaped as disks or ovals, or polygons, or polygons with rounded corners and curved sides.

22. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising auxiliary devices for putting feet thereon, the auxiliary devices being installed on the base and made as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads.

23. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the connection between the base and the frame is made via an axis.

24. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the connection between the base and the frame is made via a bearing.

25. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising rollers mounted between the base and the frame and attached to the base.

26. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the connection between the platforms and the base is made via a bearing.

27. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the connection between each of the platforms and the base is made via a respective axis.

28. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising additional devices for putting feet thereon, the additional devices being installed on the platforms and made as ribbed surfaces or ribbed pads.

29. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the means for creating an operating load is made as at least one spring or a rubber link fixed with its one end on the base and with its other end on the frame.

30. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the means for creating an operating load is made as at least one spring fixed with its one end on the base and connected to a band brake adapted to interact with a cylindrical support located on the frame.

31. The exerciser according to claim 14, further comprising a lock to fix the base.

32. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the distance between centers of rotation of the platforms is about 420 mm, and the height of at least one non-deformable hand support is about 1000 mm.

33. The exerciser according to claim 14, wherein the at least one non-deformable hand support is provided with a height-adjusting mechanism.

34. An exerciser for physical therapy comprising:

a base,

a frame, the base being rotatably mounted on the frame,

a first platform and a second platform, the first and second platforms being rotatably mounted on the base and being configured as foot supports, the distance between centers of rotation of the platforms being of about 420 mm,

at least one non-deformable hand support, the height of at least one hand support being of about 1000 mm, and