Spinal traction device and method
OwnerCharles J. Bronder, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spinal traction device, mountable on a head of a wearer for the application of a traction force, includes a front piece arrangeable in front of the face of the wearer. Top and bottom fasteners may extend from the front piece and secure to a top and a bottom of the head, respectively. A rear portion of the bottom fastener may be arranged below the occiput of the head. First and second elongate members may extend from opposite sides of the bottom fastener in a generally axial direction relative to the wearer's spine. An axial, traction force may be applied by the rear portion of the bottom fastener on the occiput by exerting an axial pulling force on the first and second elongate members, allowing a spine traction to be performed with the spine in a neutral position and the head and neck in various positions.
Claims13
A spinal traction device, mountable on a head of a wearer and configured to exert a traction on the head of the wearer, comprising:
- a rigid front piece, comprising a face mask and first and second guide bushings rigidly connected to the face mask and arranged at opposite, left and right sides of the face mask, respectively;
- a fastener assembly, comprising rigid, first and second tubes and a flexible harness, wherein the first and second tubes are slidably mounted within the first and second guide bushings, respectively, and the harness is attachable to the first and second tubes and extendable around a back of the head and is size-adjustable to the head;
- and
- first and second connecting members carried by the fastener assembly;
- wherein
- the spinal traction device is configured to adopt a working configuration in which:
- the face mask is positioned in front of a face of the wearer, and the first and second tubes are slidable relative to the first and second guide bushings along a sliding direction which is parallel to an axial direction of a spine of the wearer,
- the harness is attached to and extends from the first and second tubes and is wrapped around the back of the head of the wearer such that a rear portion of the fastener assembly is arranged adjacent to an inwardly-directed surface of an occiput of the head and is aligned with the inwardly-directed surface in the axial direction,
- the first and second connecting members are arranged at opposite sides of the spinal traction device arranged, in turn, at opposite left and right sides of the head, respectively, and
- a traction force applied on the first and second connecting members, the traction force having an axial component, is transferred by the fastener assembly to said rear portion of the fastener assembly and a resulting traction force having an axial component is applied to said inwardly-directed surface of the occiput of the head by said rear portion of the fastener assembly abutting against the inwardly-directed surface of the occiput.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.