Upper and lower body exerciser that can be used by people with lower body paralysis
OwnerBruce C. Grecoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exercise device for people with lower body paralysis. The exercise device guides and resists the motion of the hands and feet away from and towards the trunk. The exercise device holds the feet at a nearly constant angle in relation to a line drawn between the ankles and hips. The arm motion is constantly mechanically linked to the leg motion so that voluntary arm motion causes motion of paralyzed legs. A knee guide keeps paralyzed legs in proper alignment. Arm motion controls the application of electrical stimulation to leg muscles. Electrical stimulation of leg muscles causes the generation of leg forces that contribute to the overcoming of the resistance to the movement of the hands and feet in relation to the trunk.
Claims12
A method of exercise for a human comprising the steps of:
- (a) producing an arm motion in which the distance between the hands and chest of the human increases and decreases,
- (b) producing a leg motion in which the distance between the ankles and the hips of the human increases and decreases,
- (c) providing a means for connecting said arm motion to said leg motion so that said arm motion causes said leg motion,
- (d) providing a means for resisting said arm motion and said leg motion, and
- (e) providing an exercise device with a means for holding the feet of the human so that contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle at one phase of the exercise and contraction of the tibialis anterior muscle at another phase of the exercise contributes to overcoming said means for resisting.
An exercise apparatus for a human comprising:
- (a) a frame,
- (b) human trunk supporting means connected to said frame,
- (c) handgrip means which is connected through said frame to said human trunk supporting means in a manner that allows the distance between said handgrip means and said human trunk supporting means to be increased and decreased, whereby the human exercising on said exercise apparatus would experience an increase and decrease in the distance between their hands and chest,
- (d) foot holding means which is connected through said frame to said human trunk supporting means in a manner that allows the distance between said foot holding means and said human trunk supporting means to be increased and decreased, whereby the human exercising on said exercise apparatus would experience an increase and decrease in the distance between their ankles and hips,
- (e) means for connecting said handgrip means to said foot holding means so that a change in distance between said handgrip means and said human trunk supporting means will cause a proportional change in the distance between said foot holding means and said human trunk supporting means,
- (f) means for resisting the change of distances of said handgrip means and said foot holding means to said human trunk supporting means, and
- (g) means for maintaining a nearly constant angle of said foot holding means in relation to said frame, whereby the human exercising on said exercise apparatus could use forces generated from their tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles acting through their ankle joint to help overcome said means for resisting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.