GB2529199A - A walking and exercise stick - Google Patents

Abstract

A compressible walking and exercise stick for the purpose of exercising the arms, shoulder and back of a person comprising of a plurality of longitudinal components held together by a central bracket to form a single strut containing a recoil mechanism. The recoil mechanism comprises of an elastic cord which supplies tension to the stick. A further embodiment may include the walking stick having a wheel and brake combination 5 either permanently or non-permanently attached to the base.

Description

A Walking and Exértising Stick.

This invention relates to a device which isa compressibLe strut-containing a specific recoil mechanism.

This.is meant to replace conventional walking sticks in sqrne-situations and provide a device for -strengthening the arm and shoulder musculature, and for the improvement of posture in cthers for the purpose of physical Mne5s.

This handheld -strut-is of two or morepieces of wood, metal or plastic whose combined length can * be changed by pressure on one end when the other end is pushed against a firm resistance such as the-ground. It immediately resumes its length when the pressure is released due to a compact recoil mechanism of which the aforementioned pieces are an integral-part This invention relatesto a device to assist people who have arthritis and spinal problems and to any others who wish to strengthen their arm, shoulder, neck and back musculature. lAany afflicted people use a walking stick which assists them bytaking the strain off affected loint(s) and in so doing reduces pain and offsets the effect of stiffness from those joints. The ordinary walking stick has the disadvantage that such excurSions as the shoulder are put through at each step are minimal,and tend to cause the user to ean over thestitk, the ever visible evidence of this-being the hunched back appearance that results, especially in the vé'aed.

When the Qresent invention is used as a walking stick it is mueblonger than a conventional one,.and may approach the length of the user from-the ground to.the tip of their:up-stretched hand; As such its purchase at the top end by a firm giipmeansthehand holding-it will be well above-the usual height, to be as high as the shoulder, as high as the erect head or even as high as the upstretched arm. However the device can be of any convenient length for the purpose it is wanted..

Unlike a conventional walking stick in action the invention is compressible, and during which action its longitudinal-components slide over each other. This means a -marked excursion of the arm at the shoulder tan occur. This-action simulates a climbing action and takes weight off the weight bearing * joints on that side. As this action takes place the position of the head and spine tends to become extended and this straightens the posture of the user.

In the manner of a walking stick he struf is moved forward ter the next step. Following the -previously active action the recoilmechanism nowreturns thestrut-to iS-original length-and the A -hand to -it«= original height in-readiness for the next step. It does this completely passively but the -rate of return has to be regulated actively by the user by muscular effort. The -strut-is lifted forward in-readiness to for the next step in any pattern or sequence the use chooses. -for-assistance in this forward lifting process a wheel and brake mechanism chits bottom end may be placed so a-s to ease its forward movement yet fixed by a brake when pressure is applied. Two sticks can be used for people with bilateral disease and indeed this-may be preferred by people trying to strengthen their -upper body musculature.

Athletes of many descriptions benefit from strong.shnutder hack neck and aim musculature and using this device as described above may assist in attaining this. However.in the manner of much gym equipment it can be used in other ways whether sitting,.orwhere a whe&.chair is imperative, or simply whilsf watthin TV.ór.havin a thñvèrsàtion. Gym and ski instructárs can devise many exercise routines from this device.

Th device can be compresseç, lockedin that position and baggedto make itas compact and portable as.a.smaU. patio umbrella..

An important feature of this strut is that the pressure required to-change its iengthcan be made to vary little over the range of action andthis is due to the..nature of the comprSsion and.recoll mechanism accommodating a.vetylongelastic cord.

The invention and-the principle of its.recoil mechanism will now be-described solely by way of reference to the accompanying drawings in which for convenience the long members of which may be seen as being made atwood and which are referred to as sticks.

Figure 1 shows two diagrams A and B in which a length of elastic cord 1. fixed at 2, at the end of a stick 3, coursrng over it and stick 4, which lies besides and paraPel to it in the manner shown and is again fixed to one end of 4 at2..

A sheave.. and pinion at the end of eath stick S allows the cord to movefreely overthose ends.

Sticks 3 and 4 are able to slide over eachother In A the principle of the mechanism is shown by which the elasticcord fixed à12 is placed (under sornetension) down along one edge of 3 and over a sheave s at its lowerend to go up and onto a sheave S at the top of 4 and thencedown its other edge to be fixed at its bottom at 2. Here the device is open and uncompressed.

B shows the principle in action with pressure 7 from above on 3 in which theeiastic cord s stretched It can oe seen that without such pressure the posrtons of 3 and 4 Wi?? return as shown in -tigL.

In A the overlap of the-sticks is small.

In B the overlap is greater because rce 7, opposed. by the ground 6 has overcome the elasticity of the cordi -If force 1 is removed the situation in A revertstO that of 8,-due tn.The recod effect of the elastic cord 1 being free to retract;over the sheaves at the endsol the stick. 3..

Whenthe sticks are as shown in A the.increasedtension in the cord caused by the movement is transimttedsmoothly.jnto the whole length of the cord.

The tong length:of theelastic cord 1 allows thestickstopassover each otherwithoutmuch change in tension. This Is because such stretching of the cord as wasneeded represents on'y small part of the potential stretch of the cord and the tension caused by this stretching is, similarly, only a small part of the potential tension thatcan be.generated.

tn this manner it can be arranged thatthe change in tension over a given change in length of the sticks can be manipulated by changing.the length of cord, the nurnber.of sticks involved, the tension in thecord when it is fixed to the sticks and the point of fixation of the cord on the sticks.

When there is a small thange in tension in the cord for a given change inIength, this approaches what is called an isotonic state -a physiniogical term referring to the way the tension in an active muscle that.is changing length remains constant.

Thi5 type of tension is very natural by hurnansin.the use of Our limbs.

The mechanism ailows.very large changes in length ofone stick over the other for a fairly constant effort and, importantly, this translates to andenables a large change inthearcofthearm in relation to the shoulder joint when it is holding and compressingone stick against the other on firm ground.

this is physiologically is beneficial as it St only exercisesthemusciesbut ensuies that all the tissue supportof the joint are also stretched to encompass or approach the full range of movement of the joints involved in the action.

igure 2 shows howthe components are heldin a oroper relationshipto eachother by a bracket so that one can slide Onthe other.

Thc edges of the sticks labelled A and S are recessed 4or channelled:O easily accommodate the elastic cordas it courses the sides of The sticks. The sheaves and pinions S are small enough to lie within thediameters of theends of the sticks so that in thedoselimits imposed by the bàxbrackét the sticks will beabie to slide freely over oath other.

For convenience thi,sho. tiestickcqmpwients. Pand B very much shortened 1 and without the elastic cord. in place. ltshows.how they.are kept in apposition to each other by meanc ala bracket box sectEon 2 which has one side lifted for exposure and whereby this is fixed across the end of stick A at3. It completes theboxin such.mannerthat theáther stick B can slideeasitv along it within the: bO.settioh, -Each of the sticks has a sheave and pinion at one end S to accommodate the elastic cord and to enable its freedom to slide over the ends of thesticksas these are moved over each other within the box. It shows that on the stick that is tree to slide, 8, there Is a stop 6 just before the sheave at its end. The effect of this is to prevent the stick sliding through the bracket at the end of its excursion fromthéeffeèt Ot&astic-cord when that is in.Øtace.

The lengths of the sticks may be conveniently equal butdonothavetobeso. In this manner the excursion of one or other of the pieces maybe changed so that it accommodates the excursion required of the arm or the height at the user.

The invention p des Mr adjustment of the elastic cord in the channèIon the stick bya nUmber of holes through the sticks as might be needed forfixation points andwhere friction, giuing,.binding down might provide appropriate purchase. These are not shown.

p:ther end, or both ends of thesticks distal to the box maybe shapedto..accommodate thehands in any.manrier but. inits usage as,awaiki.ng stick one onlvwiEl be for the hand.andthe other willbe to accommodate the ground or other hard surfae.. The corners cf.theedges.of the sticks can be slightly rounded to make gtip comfortabla Alternately a griporhandle that can be slid over the stick, made of moulded plastic or rubber, may be provided to be fixed to thestick or made adjustable for the comfort and convenience.cftheuser.

As mentioned one end might be provided with a wheel and brake mechantsm to erable its transit across such hard surface to avoid lifting it before pressure is applied when it used as a walking stick.

For the purpose of storage or convenience during transport the two sticks may be pushed into eaéh other maximally and held in this position by meansof.apin.holder mounted on thçbpx section providing a pin which locates a corresponding hole on the sliding stick nade for this purpose. This is :not shown.

A number of holes are shown in the box section 7 which are used for screws to hoic! the components of the:boxtogetber.

Figure 3 shows two diagrams wherethe invention is in use as a walking stick. n the. left diagramA the user has the stick in the tight hand 1 and is about to transfer weight off the left leg2 ontolthe right leg 3.

On theright diagram B the right leg 3 has moved forward,fcund the ground 4 at the same time as the right arm has compressed the device by a downward movementof the hand at arrow 6: This action is effectively lifting the user, as would be shown it his right toot was on a set of scales, to the extent of the tension in the elastic in the device. In this lifting action, which is in the manner of climbing a vine, the shoulders and arms are taking weight from the weight beating joints and through a large arc of action at the shoulder joint transferring it to the grounff through the stick.

In both A and Ba small wheel can be seen at the bottornof the.stkk:at ground leveL This is part of a mechanism described below.

S

igure 4 h-asthreediágrams, A, BaAd C, to shSw the,princip4é*.o[ a wheel and brake mechankñi which might complement the device enabling the user to move the bottom end of the device over even round dUring the walking action as destribedthbove.

However the wheel and brakemechanism isnot fltal for using the device as a walking stick and on rough terrain may indeed be a hindrance. The mechanism could be made so as to be detachable for this situa±ioa.Also a wheel at this cr4 may not benecessary for many appiications at the device as an aid tophysical fitness, The mechanism allows the devicetobe wheeled along the ground when no downwardpressure is being apçthedsa as toconveniently run along the ground Sd avoid the effort of raisffig the device for a new position ateachstep.

The diagrams are at the ground end and show only a few Inchesof the device for tonvenience of describmgthamechanism.

Ais.aperspective and th it.the end of thedevice 1 hasauachedto it a metal bracket 2 one end of whichisscrewed to the device 7 its other end is attached to one side of hinge 3 and the other side of the hinge is attached to a metal plate recessed to accommodate and fix a rubber wheel and its pinion S. A spring 6 is attached to this metal plate at one end and the other is inset mto the substance of the end of the device, best seen in diagram Band C. B and C are lateral views & shows how the mechanism allows the wheel 1 to turn when there is no pressure appliedfrom above, and that the space 3 between the wheel 1 and the contoured curvature 2 at the end of the stick is maintained by the action of a compression spring 4 C shows how downward pressure on the stick, the arrow 1, closes the small spac4 between itself and a corresponding contour in end of the stickby overcomingthe resistanceof the spring 4 which is shown to be compressed. It is the hinge 3 which allows the wheel and its supportive plate to erforrn this action.

By changing the spring 4, various weights of the device can free wheelbefore pressure doses the space aboe the wheel and effectively brakeor flop that!wc wheeling action so that more presure can be applied on the device as the stride or need of the user dictates.

Claims (4)

1. Claims 1. A walking and exercising stick comprising a.compressthlestrutfor the purpose of assisting walking ne4 frntnina fit-
2. 2. A waikhig and.exerdsng stick according to claim 1, in which the compressive action occurs through.a.recoil mechanism dependent ona long length ofelastic cord
3. 3. A walking and exerrising stick accnrdingto claim 1, wherehythiring rnmpressien nfth strut, its length, being much longer than a conventional walking stick, forces the user to exettse the musculature of the shoulder through a large arc
4. 4. A walking and exercisingstick according to claim 4 inwhich the user's gripon it i facilitated by.its long sections being cOmfortable to the hand but which can also accommodate an adjustable handle or gtip.S walking and-exercising stick according to clam4 in Which the compression effort can be varied accbrdiñgtàwhich position along its length The user chobse to hóldit.6. A wAlking and exercising stick according to claim 1 fri-which the compressive energy required 4 shortenits.length approachesthat of a natural muscle action called isotonic contraction arid s due to the very long length of elastic that is accommodated in its structure.7. Awalkingand exerdsingstickaccordingto claim 1 whereits action as a walking stickmay be enhanced on even surfaces by a wheeled mechanism..whkh allo s it to be run along the ground smoothly when there is no downward pressure but which stalls this. action when such a pressure is applied.8. AwAlcing and:exercise stick according tOclaim 6herein the wheeled.rnechanism car; be detached as necessary.