Rehabilitation Apparatus

A rehabilitation apparatus for enhancing flexibility by controlling stretching of back muscles, said rehabilitation apparatus comprising:

• an enclosure;
• a seat cushion attached to said enclosure;
• a bolster movable along a resistive arc defined between a vertical position and a position below a horizontal plane respectively;
• a pivot shaft rigidly connected to said bolster and rotatably connected to said enclosure;
• a resistance disc seated inside said enclosure and rigidly mated to said pivot shaft;
• a main cable connected to said resistance disc;
• a load plate;
• a main pulley assembly seated within said enclosure and thereby guiding said main cable upwardly to said load plate;
• a plurality of tension springs housed within said enclosure and connected to said load plate for providing an adjustable return force to return said bolster to said vertical position;
• a spring support assembly attached to said plurality of tension springs for providing a resistive force against rotation of said bolster;
• and,
• a plurality of brake locking assemblies attached to said spring support assembly and said tension springs respectively;
• wherein said brake locking assemblies actuate extension of selected ones of said tension springs thereby resulting in a selectable variable force applied to said load plate and subsequently to said pivot shaft and said bolster respectively.

A method of utilizing a rehabilitation apparatus for enhancing flexibility by controlling stretching of back muscles, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing an enclosure;
• providing and attaching a seat cushion to said enclosure;
• providing a bolster movable along a resistive arc defined between a vertical position and a position below a horizontal plane respectively;
• providing and rigidly connecting a pivot shaft to said bolster;
• rotatably connecting said pivot shaft to said enclosure;
• providing and seating a resistance disc inside said enclosure by rigidly mating said resistance disc to said pivot shaft;
• providing and connecting a main cable to said resistance disc;
• providing a load plate;
• providing and seating a main pulley assembly within said enclosure;
• said main pulley guiding said main cable upwardly to said load plate;
• providing an adjustable return force to return said bolster to said vertical position by providing and housing a plurality of tension springs within said enclosure;
• connecting said tension springs to said load plate;
• providing a resistive force against rotation of said bolster by providing and attaching a spring support assembly to said tension springs;
• providing and attaching a plurality of brake locking assemblies to said spring support assembly and said tension springs respectively;
• and,
• applying a selectable variable force to said load plate and subsequently to said pivot shaft and said bolster respectively when said brake locking assemblies actuate extension of selected ones of said tension springs.