GB2175808A - Medical treatment tables - Google Patents

Abstract

A treatment table, especially for manipulation treatment, comprises a base (10), a seat support portion (14), a torso/head support portion (18), and a leg support portion (20). The leg support portion (20) is movable towards and away from the seat support portion (14) to exert variable lumbar traction, pivotable upwards and downwards from the horizontal and can be swung laterally to either side of the central axis. The portion (18) is also pivotable away from the horizontal. By this means lumbar articulation of a patient on the table can be effected under varying amounts of traction without moving the patient. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Treatment tables This invention relates to treatment tables, and is particularly concerned with treatment tables suitable for use by osteopaths and others who make use of manipulative skills to treat disorders of the human body.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a treatment table which is capable of undergoing a variety of movements which aid the practitioner's skills and enable the practitioner toperform manipulation of the body to maximum effect. Conventional treatment tables are extremely rudimentary and do not permit the practitioner to position the body which is undergoing treatment in any other than the most straightforward positions. In physical treatment, skilled palpation of tissue tension is an essential element, but the treatment table of the present invention assists the practitioner to perform certain manoeuvres, and enables the practitioner to keep his hands free to monitor, reinforce or localise the palpation techniques which are performed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a treatment table which is constructed as a combination of a plurality of separate assemblies, each capable of supporting a part of the patients body, and joined or coupled in such a manner as to permit a wide variety and/or range of relative movements between the respective assemblies.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a treatment table adapted to support a human body and comprising a base, a seat support portion carried by the base, a torso/head support portion, and a leg support portion at the other end of the seat support portion, wherein lumbar articulation of a patient lying on the table can be effected under varying amounts of traction without moving the patient.

This feature, whereby lumbar articulation is assisted and can be performed under varying degrees of traction without moving the patient, enables practitioners to deal with a wide range of conditions. In particular, by using an appropriate degree of traction to reduce pressure, in combination with a degree of flexion and side-bending to open the vertebral foramenae, one can treat nerve root irritation where there is advanced spondyiotic deterioration.

The means whereby lumbar articulation can be effected under varying amounts of traction without moving the patient can comprise making the leg support portion movable relative to the seat support portion towards and away from the seat support portion to exert variable lumbar traction, and by making the leg support portion pivotable upwards and downwards from the horizontal about a horizontal axis.

Preferably, the leg support portion is movable relative to the seat support portion by a lateral swinging movement to either side of the central longitudinal axis of the table. This sideways bending movement is preferably selfcentering when lateral displacement of the leg support portion is no longer required.

In a preferred embodiment, the torso/head support portion of the table is pivotable upwards from the horizontal about a first horizontal axis, and the leg support portion is pivotable upwards and downwards from the horizontal about a second horizontal axis.

The leg support portion is preferably pivotable upwards to a maximum angle of about 40 above the horizontal and is pivotable downwards to a maximum angle of about 45" below the horizontal.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the torso/head support portion has a portion thereof which is lowerable relative to the rest of the torso/head support portion to accommodate the face of a patient and to act as a "breathing hole" when the patient is lying prone.

For safety reasons, an air-sensitive hand control is used to actuate motors to control extension movement of the leg support portion, control of the elevation of the table, and raising and lowering of the torso/head support portion. In this way, no electricity passes through the hand control.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, one presently preferred embodiment of table in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side view showing the general layout of the table; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the table with the patient-supporting table sections shown in chain-dotted outline to reveal the components beneath; Fig. 3 is another side view of part of the table illustrating other components thereof; Fig. 4 is a side view of the base assembly of the table, partly broken away,; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the base assembly shown in Fig. 4; Figs. 6a,6b and 6c are plan, side and end elevational views respectively, of the seat base frame assembly; Fig. 7 is an underneath plan view of the legboard assembly;; Fig.8 is an end view, partly in section, of the legboard assembly of Fig.7; and, Figs. 9a, 9b and 9c are top plan, side and underneath plan views respectively of the legboard support assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to Figs. 1 to 3, the treatment table is shown as comprising a base assembly 10 which isdesigned to be floor-standing; a seat base frame assembly 12 which is mounted above the base assembly 10; a seat 14 car ried by the seat base frame assembly 12; an upper-body board assembly 16 which carries an upper-body board 18; a leg-board assembly 20; and a leg-board support assembly 22.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the base assembly 10 comprises a shell 24 which may be a glass-fibre reinforced plastics moulding and which houses an electrically-powered actuator 26 of the magpush type. Three vertical pedestals 28 are bolted to a rigid base plate 29. The pedestals are equispaced around the actuator 26 and maintain the actuator housing 30 vertical. The actuator comprises a piston rod 31, at the outer, i.e. upper, end of which is a coupling 32 to a top plate 33. Fig. 1 shows actuating air signal pipes 34 to the base assembly, linked to a control box 35. By means of the actuator 26 the entire assembly of sections carried by the base, i.e. seat 14, upper-body board 18 and leg-board 20, can be raised vertically, for example through a distance of the order of 12 cm (5 in).That is a first movement of which the table is capable, and is indicated in Fig. 1 by the chain-dotted lines at the left hand side of the drawing. The control box is provided with six buttons, two for upward and downward movement of the table as a whole, via actuator 26, two for tilting movement of the upper-body board assembly 16, and two for in and out extension movement of the leg-board assembly 20.

The seat 14 is static, i.e. it can undergo no movement other than the aforesaid vertical movement. The leg-board assembly 20 on the other hand is capable of a number of different movements. It can be raised or lowered, as indicated by chain-dotted lines in Fig. 1, by a pivoting movement about a horizontal axis; it can be swung laterally to either side of the longitudinal centre line of the table by a pivotal movement about a vertical axis; and it can be extended, i.e. moved away from the seat 14, for the purpose of exerting lumbar traction on a patient. The amount of such extension movement may be of the order of 12 cm (5 in.) The leg-board assembly 20 is preferably pivotable upwards to a maximum of about 40 above the horizontal and pivotable downwards to a maximum of 45 below the horizontal.

The upper-body board 18 is pivotable upwards from the horizontal, preferably through an angle of about 85 , as shown in Fig. 1.

The upperbody board 18 is also provided with a drop-away section 36 (Figs. 2 and 3) which, with a patient lying face down, can be advantageous either for comfort or for treatment.

The drop-away section 36 may extend the full width of the board 18 or be a narrower centre piece of the board as iliustrated. It is preferably lowerable through about 25 . Alternatively, the torso/head support portion 18 may have this drop-away portion located wholly within the contour of the board, in the form of a "breathing hole" for when the patient is lying prone.

The upper-body board assembly 16 comprises a generally U-shaped frame member 37, the side arms of which are triangular in side elevation. This frame member 37 is secured to the underside of the upper-body board 18.

The frame member 37 is provided with a pair of lugs 38 aligned with a pair of upstanding lugs 39 (Fig. 6b) on the seat base frame assembly 12. Pivot pins are fitted through the pairs of lugs to permit pivotal movement of the upperbody board assembly 16 about the horizontal axis through these pins. Pivotal movement of the assembly 16 is effected by an electrical actuator 40 which has a piston rod 41 coupled to the lower portion of the frame member 37. The actuator 40 is mounted within the seat base frame assembly 12 (Fig. 3). Positioned beneath the outer end of the board 18 is a hand-operated lever 42 by means of which the centre section 36 of the board can be lowered. Operation of lever 42 causes release of a catch mechanism, resulting in downward pivotal movement of centre section 36 until it strikes against a stop 44.

The central seat base frame assembly 12 is shown most clearly in Figs. 6a to 6c. It comprises a generally U-shaped frame 46, the sides of which are flanged at the upper margins at 47 to provide mounting surfaces for the seat 14. Extending through the frame 46 is an arm 50 which carries a lever 51 at each end. This constitutes a locking arrangement in relation to sideways swinging movement of the leg-support assembly 20,22. The locking arrangement permits the leg-support assembly to be locked in its original, i.e. central, position. Self-centring of the leg-support assembly is achieved by the use of leaf springs, as shown for example in Fig. 2. These springs are held captive at their ends remote from the leg-board.By operating one or other lever 51 the practitioner can push the leg-board sideways against the spring force, yet it will lock in place again when it returns to the central axial position. The end of the frame 46 adjacent to the leg end of the table has a pair of webs 55 which terminate in a vertical socket 56 for a pivot pin 57 (Fig. 3).

The leg-board support assembly 22 comprises two frames, one of which is tiltable up and down about two horizontal pins and the other of which is movable laterally in a swinging sideways movement about a vertical pin.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the underside of the leg-board assembly 20 is provided with two rails 58, each of which carries a runner 59 which has a tapered edge along each horizontally extending margin. Between the rails 58 is a mounting point 60 for the end of a piston rod of a horizontally disposed, electrical actuator 62, controlled from the control box 35. The runners 59 slide between pairs of Vgrooved rollers 64 (Figs. 9a and 9b), to ena ble the leg portion of the table to slide in and out for traction. The sliding in and out movement is effected by the electrical actuator 62.

Also beneath the leg-board 20 is a horizontal arm 65 with a locking handle 66 at each end.

These locking handles 66 enable the leg-support assembly to be locked in any given tilted position. If pressure is maintained on one of the handles 66 then the practitioner can manually raise or lower the leg-support portion to articulate the lumbar spine. When the handle 66 is released, then the leg-support portion will lock in that position. A rack 68 extends centrally of the leg-board support assembly and engages with a pinion mechanism 70 shown in the scrap views in Figs. 3 and 9c.

A brake cable 72 extends between the pinion mechanism 70 and a release mechanism at the centre of the arm 65. A pull on one of the handles 66 causes the rack 68 to be disengaged; release of the handle causes the rack automatically to re-engage. A pair of gas springs 74 are also provided. These are preset so that the leg weight is taken up on release.

For safety reasons, an air-sensitive hand control is used to actuate the motors of the actuators 26, 40 and 62. Thus, no electricity passes through the hand control.

Although a number of angles and dimensions have been referred to herein, these are to be understood as being by way of example only, and in no way limit the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A treatment table adapted to support a human body and comprising a base, a seat support portion carried by the base, a torso/head support portion at one end of the seat support portion, and a leg support portion at the other end of the seat support portion, wherein lumbar articulation of a patient lying on the table can be effected under varying amounts of traction without moving the patient.

2. A table as claimed in claim 1, in which the leg support portion is movable relative to the seat support portion towards and away from the seat support portion to exert variable lumbar traction.

3. A table as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the leg support portion is pivotable upwards and downwards from the horizontal about a horizontal axis.

4. A table as claimed in claim 3, in which the leg support portion is pivotable upwards to a maximum angle of the order of 40 above the horizontal and is pivotable downwards to a maximum angle of the order of 45 below the horizontal.

5. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the leg support portion is movable relative to the seat support portion by a lateral swinging movement to either side of the central longitudinal axis of the table.

6. A table as claimed in claim 5, in which the leg support portion is provided with means to ensure self-centring of the leg support portion when lateral displacement of the said portion is no longer required.

7. A table as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the torso/head support portion is pivotable upwards from the horizontal about a first horizontal axis and the leg support portion is pivotable upwards and downwards from the horizontal about a second horizontal axis.

8. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the torso/head support portion and the leg support portion are mounted directly on to a frame assembly which carries the seat support portion.

9. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the torso/head support portion has a portion thereof which is lowerable relative to the rest of the said portion to accommodate the face of a patient.

10. A table as claimed in claim 9, in which the lowerable portion can drop down through an angle of the order of 25 .

11. A table as claimed in claim 9 or 10, which includes a manually-operated control means for said lowerable portion, located beneath the torso/head support portion.

12. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes electrically-powered control means to effect raising and lowering of the three support portions jointly, raising and lowering of the torso/head support portion, and extension and retraction of the leg support portion.

13. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the leg support portion comprises two frames, one of which is tiltable up and down about horizontal pins and the other of which is movable laterally in a swinging sideways movement about a vertical pin.

14. A table as claimed in any preceding claim, in which locking means are provided associated with the leg support portion which enable the leg support portion to be locked in any given tilted position.

15. A table as claimed in claim 14, in which the locking means comprises a rack extending centrally of the leg support portion, and a pinion mechanism, with connecting means between the rack and pinion and a release mechanism, whereby a pull on the release mechanism causes the rack and pinion to disengage for movement of the leg support portion, and release of the release mechanism causes the rack and pinion automatically to reengage to lock the leg support portion against further movement.

16. A treatment table substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.