There has been a longstanding need within the medical, therapeutic, health, body-building, and exercise communities, for a safe, inexpensive, efficient apparatus that will provide controlled traction of the lumbar region of a patient and/or user. In an attempt to meet this need, numerous different therapeutic and exercise equipment have been created. For example, traction machines, body-building equipment, rowing machines, exercise bikes, and other apparatus have been used for years and are well known within such communities.
Prior to the advent of complex exercise equipment, weights such as barbells and dumbbells were the primary apparatus used to provide traction and to develop musculature and cardiovascular strength. Barbells and dumbbells are still heavily used and can be manipulated independently or may be placed upon or within a stationary exercise apparatus. For example, barbells and dumbbells are often secured or connected via cables directly to the patient to provide the needed traction.
Alternatively, the barbells and dumbbells can be secured or connected via cables to a pivotal crank or lever and thereby provide resistance to pivotal motion. Physical work may be exerted against the crank to raise the elevation of the barbells and/or dumbbells. Gravity pulling the weights downward provides the resistive force. The amount of resistive force may be modified by either varying the weight of the barbell or dumbbell used, or by varying the distance between the weight or cable and the pivotal axis of the crank.
Users of barbells and dumbbells are often injured by accidentally dropping heavy, bulky, and awkward weights. Even when weights are incorporated into the design of a stationary exercise station, such as found in the equipment sold under the trademarks UNIVERSAL and NAUTILUS, there still remains a danger that clothing and/or human appendages may become pinched between moving weights.
Recently, elastic bands have been used to replace the aforementioned massive weights. A well-known exercise machine that uses elastic bands to provide resistive force is sold under the trademark SOLOFLEX. The resistive force of such machinery may be modified by either varying the size and thereby tensile strength of the elastic bands, or by varying the distance between the elastic bands and the pivotal axis of the crank.
Equipment using elastic bands suffers from many of the same difficulties inherent with weights. For example, injury can easily occur if the handlebar is released before the tension within the elastic bands returns to a relaxed state.
Equipment having elongated pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders that are mounted away from or remote to a crank's pivot point have also been created. Typically, such equipment comprises a larger cylinder, one end of which is attached to a stationary frame. A telescopic piston is located within the larger cylinder. One end of an elongated rod is secured to the piston and the other end of the rod is secured to a pivotal crank. Use of pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders gives the added benefit of variable resistance, which is obtained by controlling the flow of air or liquid within the larger cylinder.
Some of the difficulties and dangers of using pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders include exposing the user to grease, oils and lubricants that are found on the extended piston rod, and unintentionally pinching clothing and/or limbs and fingers of the user or of a spectator. More particularly, the close proximity between lubricated rods and a user increases the likelihood that clothing, equipment, and/or the body of the user will become soiled and slippery. This in turn increases the likelihood that injury will occur by the user slipping or falling, or by loosing a grip on a weight machine or other apparatus. There is also the danger that clothing, skin, a limb, or even a finger may become pinched between the scissored cylinder, crank, and stationary frame. The throw and angle of pivot of such devices are also severely limited due to the restrictions inherent with using elongated, piston driven cylinders.
With the exception of the present invention, most currently known muscle building exercise equipment are extremely complex, expensive to manufacture, difficult to use and understand, and present various dangers to the user. Such equipment typically have numerous weights, pins, cables, seats, handlebars, and other attachments and accessories. Properly attaching these elements within the equipment is often time consuming and confusing. Incorrect attachment of any of such elements could cause sever injury to the user and expose the instructor, athletic club, seller, and manufacturer to lawsuits for negligence and product liability.
The inventor believes that the above-cited apparatus and methods taken alone or in combination neither anticipate nor render obvious the present invention. These citations do not constitute an admission that such disclosures are relevant or material to the present claims. Rather, these citations relate only to the general field of the disclosure and are cited as constituting the closest art of which the inventor is aware.