A portable traction table in one embodiment, has two spaced base supports having guide rails therebetween along which a good carriage travels. A flat body-supporting panel mounts removable over the base. The user's feet are strapped into the foot carriage by means of a flexible belt which is cinched around the user's ankles by means of a long-handled clamp. A manually operated biasing mechanism, such as a hydraulic pump or a screw jack, is operated by the user to urge the foot carriage toward a forward portion of the apparatus.
A self contained portable traction or back-stretch apparatus (11) comprising a frame assembly (13) with first tensile force application means in the form of two U-shaped members (15) for supporting a person under their arms, and a second tensile force application means (17 or 57) for supporting a person about their waist and hips. The frame assembly (13) is formed of two frames (19) comprising parallel elongate struts (21) and parallel elongate struts (23) connected about a pivot pin (25) in a scissor type relationship. Separation of the force application means (15 and 17 or 57) is limited by a resiliently stretchable mat (37) which also serves to support the weight of a person therebetween. The weight of the person supported in the traction apparatus results in a downward force on the frame assembly (13) which translates to a tensile force applied between the force application means (15 and 17 or 57) and effects traction, providing a degree of intervertebral separation in the person.
According to the present invention there is provided a portable traction apparatus including a table having a head end and a foot and including a generally rectangular panel adapted to be placed in a horizontal position. A traction exerting mechanism is mounted to the table and includes an extension linkage assembly fixed to the table and including articulated pivotally interconnected links, an elongate upper end member connected at an inner end to the linkage assembly and having an outer end extending outwardly of the head end of the table and or, an elongate lower end member having an inner end connected to the linkage assembly and an outer end extending outwardly of the foot end of the table and, first and second lever arms pivotally connected to and forming part of the linkage assembly, each lever arm having an outer end extending outwardly from one side of the table and having arm engaging means at the outer end of each lever arm. The lever arms are movable from and to a non-traction exerting position near the head end of the table where one or two elongate end members are in a retracted position within the table and a second position toward the foot end of the table where the extension linkage assembly is extended by the movement of the lever arms so as to extend one or two elongate end members to which body engaging means can be attached for applying traction to a user/patient lying on the table.
A universal physical exercising device includes in combination: a collapsable base supporting frame; a horizontal frame rotatably connected to the base supporting frame through a pair of pivot joints; an adjustable vertical frame structure with a handle member and a pair of vertical sides longitudinally pivoted to a center portion of the horizontal frame; and an elliptical pedal member with foot straps and safety belt fixed at a lower end of the vertical sides of the vertical frame structure. The base supporting frame and the horizontal frame are also provided with a plurality of detachable connecting members for holding the horizontal frame in stationary condition for allowing the vertical frame structure to be operated as a single unit while the vertical frame structure also includes a plurality of anchoring elements for being optionally connected to the horizontal frame so as to be consolidated together for performing either swinging or rotation exercises therewith.
A device for studying patello femoral articulation in a magnetic resonance machine has an armature with a step-cut slot. The armature is pivoted to a base frame. A leg lever has two ends, a first end with a padded cross-member for accommodating lower legs or ankles, and a second end that is pivotally mounted to the base frame. The leg lever is interconnected with the step-cut slot, so that the leg lever may be positioned in vertical increments within the slot. A secondary lever is pivotally mounted to the base frame at the same location as the leg lever, and is also fixedly attached to an end portion of the leg lever. The leg lever can be incrementally raised and lowered within the step-cut slot. Furthermore, the first end of the leg lever is biased upward. The apparatus may be substantially metal-free so that the device will not distort the magnetic field inside the magnetic resonance machine.
An apparatus including a pair of swingable arms with each having a leg engaging member. The arms are powered toward an open or aligned relationship to cause the leg engaging members to spread the user's legs to increase leg flexibility and the range of leg movement during the practice of martial arts. A threaded shaft journalled on a base of the device receives a wrench and moves a traveler sleeve and a pair of links acting on said arms. The leg engaging members are positionable along the arms for different sized users with the members having pads oppositely spaced from a knee joint to engage the upper leg and the lower leg. The leg engaging member are asymmetrically mounted on sleeves to permit varying the vertical distance of the leg engaging members above a floor surface to accommodate a wide range of adult and child users.
