Exercise devices – User manipulated force resisting apparatus – component... – Having common force transmitting support frame for user and...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-26
2001-03-06
Donnelly, Jerome W. (Department: 3764)
Exercise devices
User manipulated force resisting apparatus, component...
Having common force transmitting support frame for user and...
48, 48
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196956
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The subject of this invention relates to physical rehabilitation and exercise machines. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an adapter for use on machines developed to exercise or rehabilitate arthroidial joints and attendant soft articular tissues which provides for multi-axial rotational freedom about an arthroidial joint axis and provides for a constant velocity of rotation regardless of angular deflection from said rotational axis.
PRIOR ART
Athletes, both weekend and professional, risk injury during a variety of activities. Usually, athletes are injured while practicing or competing in their sport. An overlooked area of potential injury to an athlete is during rehabilitation or strength conditioning. Additionally, the general population suffers from bodily injuries, both from accidents and overuse. Rehabilitation of these injuries typically involve repetitive motions that increase and restore strength or flexibility.
Conditioning is important in order to prevent future injury by increasing strength and/or flexibility in the athlete or individual. Moreover, rehabilitation is important in the restoration of strength, flexibility, and neural capacities necessary for everyday functioning.
Physical therapy rehabilitation and strength conditioning devices are in common use. These may range from simple free weights, to complex machinery that utilize cables, elastomers, chains and/or air pressure to provide resistance to bodily movement. An athlete will attempt to isolate muscles or joints and, using repetitive motions, rehabilitate, strengthen, or condition these tissues or joints. A majority of these physical therapy and exercise machines traditionally utilize repetitive motions around a single axis.
Many structural/muscle groups naturally use multi-axial movements and cannot effectively be exercised with conventional free weights or machines. These devices cannot duplicate the normal movement, or roll and glide of human joints. The athlete or individual places themselves at risk of injury when using a uni-axial machine as uni-axial rotation about arthrodial joints causes unnatural stresses and strains on both the articular tissues such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves and the bones and joints involved in the repetitive movement. Furthermore, these stresses and strains have harmful effects on strength conditioning and rehabilitation.
In particular, the shoulder is a particularly difficult part of the body to condition or rehabilitate. This is because the shoulder is comprised of four primary joints: the sternoclavicular joint; the acromioclavicular joint; the glenohumeral joint; and the scapulothoracic joint. All these joints have multi-axial movements. Coupling the multi-axial motions of these four joints results in a continuously changing instant axis of rotation through most shoulder motions. These joints, when moving in combination, provide the shoulder with global free movement.
Several machines have been invented that try to reduce unnatural stresses or strains resulting from a single rotational axis device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,536, issued to Stodgell, discloses the use of a ball and joint arrangement for providing a more natural multi-axial movement during ankle rehabilitation. The ball and joint in this invention approximates natural movement of a human joint, but the movement is about a point outside of the body, i.e., the ball and socket joint. Thus this device suffers from the same shortcomings as uni-axial devices. Namely, it places unnatural stresses and strains upon the joint being utilized. This device includes a tensioning device located at the ball and socket for providing isotonically tensioned exercises. Alternatively, concentric and eccentric exercises utilize a second spring tensioned linkage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,138, issued to Arjawat, also discloses a simple ball and joint for closely mimicking the natural motions of a person's cervical region. This invention provides for movement within a plane of motion that is infinitely adjustable. As such, this device suffers from the same shortcomings as uni-axial devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,132, issued to Greenwald, describes a device that utilizes two degrees of rotation. The primary axis of rotation corresponds with rotator cuff movements. A secondary axis of movement allows for slight changes in orientation of the rotator cuff. This is accomplished using two separate pivot points.
None of the known prior art neither specifically describe, teach, nor suggest an exercise method or device which allows for a natural movement of the body's arthrodial joints. At most, they provide for a mimicry of natural movement about a point outside of the arthroidial joint. Additionally, none of the known prior art teaches or suggest the use of universal joints or constant velocity universal joints to aid rehabilitation or conditioning by providing a mechanism in which a body's arthroidial joint may move along their natural lines of movement.
The present invention utilizes multi-axial rotations and alignment that more accurately duplicates the physiological roll and glide of arthrodial joints during movement by specific muscle groups.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device which is useful in the conditioning or rehabilitation of joints and surrounding articular tissues by providing for motion that corresponds with natural body motions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which provides multi-axial rotation of attachments on conditioning or rehabilitation apparatus.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that uses a universal joint to provide the multi-axial rotational axis.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that uses a constant velocity universal joint to provide the multi-axial rotational axis.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that attaches to an attachment shaft portion of an exercise or rehabilitation device and provides a matching adapter attachment shaft portion.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that attaches to a receiver portion of an exercise or rehabilitation device and provides a matching adapter receiver portion.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that attaches to an attachment shaft portion of an exercise or rehabilitation device and provides a receiver portion for converting the exercise or rehabilitation device from a shaft attached device to a receiver attached device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial rotational axis adapter that attaches to an attachment receiver of an exercise or rehabilitation device and provides an attachment shaft portion for converting a receiver attached device into a shaft attached device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for using a rehabilitation device that includes a universal joint to provide multi-axial rotational freedom.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4259944 (1981-04-01), Axelsson
patent: 4996977 (1991-03-01), Tiedeken
patent: 5417643 (1995-05-01), Taylor
patent: 5558624 (1996-09-01), Hepburn
patent: 5951499 (1999-09-01), Saringer et al.
Donnelly Jerome W.
Ellis Venable & Busam L.L.P.
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