GB2228878A - Improvements relating to exercise equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Exercise equipment is designed as an 'add on' feature to a wheelchair enabling the occupant to exercise arms and legs against resistances provided by fluid dampers (9, 20). There may be two dampers (9), one for each arm, mounted behind the seat and worked through levers (12, 17) pivoted on fittings (10) clamped to the wheelchair frame. A further damper (20) below the seat is coupled to a movable foot rest (27), giving a leg exerciser. The dampers have unequal resistances to expansion and contraction and the larger resistance may be variable by controls (30) easily accessible to the wheelchair occupant. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements relating to Exercise Equipment" This invention relates to exercise equipment. It is particularly concerned with providing exercise for those confined to wheelchairs.

The opportunity for exercise for a wheelchair occupant is limited. While a handicapped person can develop powerful arm and shoulder muscles when propelling himself by turning the wheels through subsidiary rims, the movement is only of one kind and of course the exercise is only taken to any significant degree out of doors. Conditions are not always suitable, and there will often have to be an attendant or supervisor.

While some wheelchair occupants may have completely lost the use of their legs, this is by no means always the case, and then exercise of the lower limb is a vital part of rehabilitation. Generally, this is done by removing the occupant from the wheelchair and providing physiotherapy elsewhere.

It is the aim of this invention to provide means allowing a wheelchair occupant to exercise arms or legs or both without leaving the chair, without the need for an attendant, and without having to move the chair itself.

Moreover, for safety, it should be done without recourse to heavy weights or powerful springs.

According to the present invention there is provided exercise equipment for a wheelchair comprising a fluid filled damper, means for anchoring one end of the damper to the framework of a wheelchair, and means attached to the other end of the damper for hand and/or foot actuation by the wheelchair occupant.

Preferably the damper will have substantially different resistances to expansion and contraction. As a refinement, there may be control means accessible to the wheelchair occupant enabling him to adjust at least the larger resistance. A suitable adjustable damper is described in our co-pending Application No. 8928145.5.

Most wheelchairs have a frame constructed from metal tubing, and so the anchoring means are conveniently adapted to clamp to such tubing. It has been noticed that different makes of wheelchair often have much in common, including the size of tubing and the disposition of struts, arm rests and so on, and therefore members suitable for fitting to one particular make will generally fit many others.

For arm exercise, there may be two independent dampers, one for each arm. In one preferred form the anchor means provide a pivotal mounting at the rear of the wheelchair and hand actuation of the or each damper is through a lever pivoted on a fitting secured to the framework. The or each damper may be in a generally upright attitude, one at each side, and the lever will then pivot about a substantially horizontal axis. Alternatively, or in addition, the or each damper is in a generally horizontal attitude transverse to the wheelchair and the associated lever pivots about a substantially vertical axis. The or each lever may be adjustable to enable the larger resistance to be effective on different directions of motion of the lever.

In more detail, the non-anchored end of a damper may be coupled to one end of a rocker keyed on a shaft which is carried by a fitting clamped to the chair in the vicinity of the junction of the back and arm rest. Also keyed to this shaft is a removable arm extending forwardly and with a handle at its free end, convenient for grasping by the wheelchair occupant. The rocker and arm form the lever.

Exercise is obtained by working the handle up and down or side to side against the resistance of the damper. If the latter cannot have its resistance characteristics reversed, then the connection of the damper to the rocker may be transferred to the other end of the rocker to alter the class of lever. Thus, for example, where the major resistance was on the downstroke of the arm, it is then on the upstroke.

For exercising the legs, it is thought sufficient to provide a single damper mounted below the seat in a fore and aft direction. Its rear end is pivotally anchored, and its forward end is coupled to a movable footrest, which may be suspended from a member securable to the front of the wheelchair. This member conveniently spans the wheelchair in a position behind the knees of the occupant, whose legs will then hook over it. Preferably, it will be padded for comfort. The footrest, which may also be padded for instep engagement, will generally have means enabling the feet of the occupant to be secured thereto, such as ankle straps. An occupant capable of some leg movement thus works against the damper, and can do so with either one or both legs.The straps are done up when there is a likelihood of the occupant's feet parting company from the footrest on either the forward or return stroke.

The anchoring of the dampers is conveniently to a common member secured to the rear of the wheelchair. Many such chairs have two tube ends projecting rearwardly from the bottom of the framework, and an H-shaped member with tubular side portions can be fitted to those tube ends by the side portions sleeving over them and then being clamped, by a hand screw for example. The pivotal anchorage points for the arm dampers may then be on those side portions, while that for the leg damper will be at the centre of the cross bar of the H-member.

Where the damper resistances are adjustable, the controls may be secured adjacent the lap of the occupant, where they will be conveniently to hand. For example, those for the arm dampers may be clamped to the tubing at the forward ends of the arm rests, while that for the leg damper may be centrally mounted on the member from which the footrest is suspended.

For a better understanding of the invention one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a wheelchair with exercise apparatus fitted, Figure 2 is a plan view primarily of a leg-exercising part of such apparatus, Figure 3 is a plan view primarily of an arm-exercising part of such apparatus, and Figure 4 is a front view of a portion of the legexercising part of such apparatus.

The wheelchair 1 is of conventional form and is shown only in outline. It has a frame constructed of metal tubing and low down at the rear there are two parallel rearwardly projecting ends 2.

A main anchorage member 3 is secured to the wheelchair frame by means of these ends 2. It is H-shaped and its two side portions 4 are tubular and sleeve over the ends 2, to which they can be clamped by hand screws 5. Each portion 4 has a lug 6 on its upper side, and the cross-bar 7 of the Hmember has a lug 8 on its forward side.

To each lug 6 there is pivotally connected by a quickrelease device (not shown) the lower end of a hydraulic damper 9, which extends generally vertically up behind a respective side of the wheelchair. A split mounting 10 is clamped to the frame over the junction of the armrest tubing to that of the backrest. To the rear it carries a transverse shaft 11 and on the inside a rocker 12 is keyed on to it.

The damper rod 13 is coupled to one end or other of this rocker and can easily be transferred between those ends by means of a quick-release pin. This enables the main opposition to shaft rotation to be reversed.

The outer end of the shaft 11 carries a socket 16 into which can slot the end of an arm 17, to be secured by a quick-release pin 18, for example. The arm extends forwardly, but curves outwardly and then back again to a transverse portion on which there is a handle or grip 19.

The shape gives the necessary elbow room for the user who exercises by pumping the handle up and down, the arm 17 and rocker 12 forming a lever which actuates the damper 9. As explained, one motion will generally be easier than the other.

To the lug 8 there is pivotally connected by a quickrelease device (not shown) the rear end of a hydraulic damper 20 which extends forwardly below the seat of the wheelchair. At the leading end its rod 21 connects to a rod 22 which extends downwardly and forwardly from the centre of a cross-bar 23. The latter is shallow inverted U-shaped and its ends fit into sockets provided by members 24 clamped onto the frame, where they are held by quick-release pins.

At the centre, welded-on lugs 25 provide a clevis between which the upper end of the rod 22 is pivoted, and on either side of this there are cushioned pads 26 for the back of the occupant's knees. At the lower end of the rod 22 there are foot rests 27 on either side, each cushioned and provided with an ankle strap 28. When this is fitted, the usual static foot rests (not shown) are folded out of the way or removed.

The use of this part of the apparatus will be evident from what has been described.

With adjustable resistance dampers, the controls may be remote from the damper and more conveniently placed for the wheelchair occupant. Thus, for each damper 9, on the corresponding side there can be a fitting 29 clamped to the frame at the front of the armrest, as shown in Figure 1 only, and this carries a knob 30 which governs the damper through a line 31. In a preferred form, the line 31 contains flexible flow and return tubes for the hydraulic fluid of the damper and the knob 30 operates a throttle. For the damper 20, the lugs 25 can carry a similar adjustment control (not shown). However, these may well not be necessary, since by dropping his arms over the side of the wheelchair, or putting a hand down between his knees, the occupant can usually reach those dampers and manual controls on them.

The shape of the arms 18 does not allow the wheelchair so fitted to pass through most doorways, but they can easily be removed and replaced for such passage.

For transport, most wheelchairs fold up and this cannot be done with the complete apparatus fitted. However, the damper 9 and 20, arms 18, H-member 3 and cross bar 23 are quickly and easily removable, and the clamped-on members 10, 24 and 29 can generally be left in place.

Claims (16)

1. Exercise equipment for a wheelchair comprising a fluid filled damper, means for anchoring one end of the damper to the framework of a wheelchair,and means coupled to the other end of the damper for hand and/or foot actuation by the wheelchair occupant.

2. Equipment as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the damper has substantially different resistances to expansion and contraction.

3. Equipment as claimed in Claim 2, wherein at least the larger resistance is adjustable.

4. Equipment as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the anchoring means is adapted to clamp to metal tubing of the wheelchair frame.

5. Equipment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are two independent dampers for providing exercise for respective arms of the wheelchair occupant.

6. Equipment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the anchoring means provide a pivotal mounting at the rear of the wheelchair and hand actuation of the or each damper is through a lever pivoted on a fitting secured to the framework.

7. Equipment as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the or each damper is in a generally upright attitude and the lever pivots about a substantially horizontal axis.

8. Equipment as claimed in Claim 6 or 7, wherein the or each damper is in a generally horizontal attitude transverse to the wheelchair and the associated lever pivots about a substantially vertical axis.

9. Equipment as claimed in Claim 6, 7 or 8 as appendant to Claim 2, wherein the or each lever is adjustable to enable the larger resistance to be effective on different directions of motion of the lever.

10. Equipment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there is a damper mounted below the wheelchair seat, the anchoring means providing a pivotal mounting at the rear of the wheelchair and the other end of the damper being coupled to a movable foot rest.

11. Equipment as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the foot rest is pivotally suspended from a member securable to the front of the wheelchair.

12. Equipment as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said member spans the wheelchair in a position behind the knees of the occupant.

13. Equipment as claimed in Claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the foot rest has means enabling the feet of the occupant of the wheelchair to be secured thereto.

14. Equipment as claimed in Claim 4 and any other preceding claim, wherein the anchoring means includes a member with parallel tubular portions adapted to sleeve over and be clamped to rearwardly projecting tube ends at the lower rear end of the wheelchair.

15. Equipment as claimed in Claim 3 and any other preceding claim, wherein the adjustability control for the or each damper is secured to the wheelchair adjacent the lap of the occupant.

16. Exercise equipment for a wheelchair substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.