Apparatus for performing coordinated walking motions with the spine in an unloaded state

Apparatus to permit a person to perform coordinated motions of walking while maintaining his or her spine in an at least partially free of axial gravitational loaded state, comprising:

• a rigid frame including a generally flat platform at the top thereof, said platform having a surface to support said person from the hips superiorly in a supine position with at least reduced gravitational loading axially along said person's spine, said frame having a right side, a left side, an axial centerline, a shoulder end and a hip end, all corresponding to the location of the counterpart portions of said supported person's body;
• a pair of leg supports, each support pivotally mounted to the hip end of said frame and pivotable in a vertical plane, one support disposed on either side of said centerline, and each support having a lateral hinge therein at the location corresponding to the position of the user's knee;
• a pair of arm exercisers, one disposed on each side of said centerline, said arm exercisers being connected to the frame by pivots located remotely from the person's arms and being adapted to move in a generally vertical plane allowing the person to freely move his arms, each arm exerciser having means for engaging the person's hands whereby the person's wrists are placed at a natural angle;
• linkage means pivoted on said frame for joining said arm exercisers and leg supports, said linkage means including a first set of links joining the right side arm exerciser and right side leg support and a second, separate set of links independently joining the left side arm exerciser and left side leg support, said linkage means further including means for interconnecting said first and second sets of links so that the right side arm exerciser and the left side leg support move vertically in one direction while said left side arm exerciser and right side leg support move vertically in the opposite direction;
• and
• inertial means for maintaining the synchronous opposed movement of said first and second sets of links for a prolonged period of time while said person remains in said supine position with said spine in said state of at least reduced axial loading.

Apparatus to permit a user to perform coordinated motions of walking while maintaining his or her spine in an at least partially free of axially gravitational loaded state, comprising:

• a. a rigid frame having a right side, a left side, an axial centerline, a shoulder end and a hip end and including a generally flat two-piece platform at the top thereof, one piece of the platform disposed on either side of the axial centerline of the frame and the pieces being hinged along the axial centerline of the frame, the platform having a surface to support the user from the hips superiorly in a supine position axially along the user's spine with at least reduced gravitational loading;
• b. a pair of leg supports, each support pivotally mounted to the hip end of the frame and pivotable in a vertical plane, one support disposed on the right side and one support disposed on the left side of the axial centerline;
• c. a pair of arm exercisers, one disposed on the right side and one disposed on the left side of the axial centerline, the arm exercisers being connected to the frame by pivots located remotely from the person's arms and being adapted to move in a generally vertical plane;
• d. linkage means pivoted on the frame for joining the arm exercisers and leg supports, the linkage means including a first set of links joining the right side arm exerciser and the right side leg support and a second set of links joining the left side arm exerciser and the left side leg support, and the linkage means further including means for interconnecting the first and second sets of links so that the right side arm exerciser and left side leg support move vertically in one direction and the left side arm exerciser and right side leg support move vertically and synchronously in the opposite direction;
• e. inertial means for maintaining motion of the linkage means after the linkage means has been activated;
• and
• f. means for pivoting each piece of the platform relative to the other piece of the platform, wherein the pieces are pivoted along the hinge upwardly from the frame and simultaneously with the vertical movement of the leg support disposed on the same side of the axial centerline, whereby the user's body is rotated as part of the walking motions.