US20070191193A1

US20070191193A1 - Non-weight bearing foot and leg exercising apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20070191193A1
Application number: US11/650,845
Authority: US
Inventors: Larry Backes; Patrick Sasser
Original assignee: Home Stretch Products Inc
Current assignee: Home Stretch Products Inc
Priority date: 2004-03-11
Filing date: 2007-01-08
Publication date: 2007-08-16
Also published as: EP1722870A2; WO2005089140A3; EP1722870A4; US20050209067A1; WO2005089140A2; US7179206B2

Abstract

A device for exercising at least one structure associated with a foot has a first member positionable under the toes of a foot, and an attachment member connectable to the patient above the foot. The attachment member is operably connected to the first member by a first line connected to the attachment member and the first member. The device also includes a spacer connected to the first member and the attachment member. The spacer is for retaining the attachment member in position relative to the first member. Pulling the first line applies pressure to the toes and stretches the structure.

Description

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/798,205, filed Mar. 11, 2004, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

present invention relates to a device for stretching the plantar fascia of the foot and associated structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of different maladies affecting the lower extremities exist that could be treated by stretching or exercising the specific tissues involved. These maladies include plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, Gastrocsoleus Equinus, shin splints, club foot, drop foot, fibromyalgia, etc. The discussion on this invention will focus specifically on plantar fasciitis, realizing that the present invention may be used for stretching many structures associated with the foot, either directly connected to the foot or structures not physically connected to the foot, but structures that may be stretched by stretching the foot. Exemplary structures directly associated with the foot include the plantar fascia, Achilles Tendon and the gastroc/solius muscle complex. Additional exemplary structures associated with the foot, but not physically connected to the foot that may also be stretched using the present invention include the hamstring, and/or gluteous maximus and the like.
The plantar fascia is a fibrous tissue that spans between the medial tubercle of the calcaneus (or heel bone) to the metatarsals (or toe bones). When a person stands, the plantar fascia is stretched under the load of the person's weight. This is known as the “bowstring effect.” Should the toes and ankle be dorsiflexed (or hyperextended upward toward the shin) the plantar fascia is stretched even further. This is called the “windlass effect.”
Plantar fasciitis is a condition that occurs to a wide range of the adult population. It is seen in both sedentary and active individuals. The cause of plantar fasciitis is unclear; however, a common theory is that the plantar fascia is repetitively injured causing partial tears and chronic inflammation. As these micro tears heal, scar tissue forms reducing the elasticity of the plantar fascia and contributing to further tearing and inflammation.
Prolonged standing, obesity, pronation of the foot while walking, running, jumping and other activities can cause repeated injuries to the origin of the plantar fascia at its insertion on the medial tubercle of the calcaneus of the foot. The injuries result in the repetitive tearing of tissue, inflammation, and the formation of scar tissue in the plantar fascia causing limitation in flexibility. The injury causes intense pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel. When suffering from injury to the plantar fascia, one often incurs the greatest pain in the morning when arising from bed because the plantar fascia has not been exercised during the night and has become stiff and retracted as a result of the long period of inactivity. When one rises from bed and first applies full body weight to his or her feet, the plantar fascia is suddenly stretched resulting in sharp pains to the heel. Studies have shown it is desirable to gradually exercise the plantar fascia by dorsiflexing the toes and ankles, stretching it gradually, especially before one first applies one's body weight to his or her feet.
Some doctors advise their patients who suffer from such injuries to roll a towel and grasp the ends in each hand and press the toes of the injured foot against the center of the towel while using one's arms to pull against the towel to thereby stretch the plantar fascia. The exercise is marginally successful because the patient must stiffen his toes to grip the towel and prevent it from sliding off the end of this foot. The exercise, therefore, requires the flexing of the plantar fascia, and the plantar fascia is not stretched as is needed. For some maladies of the lower extremities, for example, weakness of the gastrocsoleus complex, the present invention may be used to strengthen the gastrocsoleus complex by having the patient resist the stretch by plantar flexing during stretching with the present invention.
Several devices have been proposed for stretching the plantar fascia, but such devices suffer from some of the same limitations incurred with the towel namely, the device will not stay affixed to the foot in such a manner as to permit the foot to relax and thereby maximize the stretching of the plantar fascia.
Other devices require weight bearing stretching that provide a stretch to the plantar fascia only after the additional micro tears have occurred from the individual standing. Still other devices offer passive stretching of the plantar fascia. These devices require that sufferer to wear bulky splints while they sleep. Patient compliance is low due to the uncomfortable feeling inherent with these devices. In addition, these devices are incapable of achieving the same degree of dorsiflexion as can be achieved by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the present invention is embodied in an exercise device for exercising at least one structure associated with the foot. In one aspect of the present invention, the device includes a first member that is positionable under the toes of the patient's foot and an attachment member connectable to the patient above the patient's foot. The attachment member is operably connected to the first member by a first line connected to the attachment member and the first member. A spacer is connected to the first member and the attachment member for retaining the attachment member in position relative to the first member.
In another aspect of the present invention, a device for exercising at least one structure associated with the foot is provided. The device includes a first member positionable under toes of the foot and a second member positionable under a ball of the foot. An attachment member is connectable to the patient above the foot and the attachment member is operably connected to the first member by a first line connected to the attachment member and at least one of the first member and the second member. Pulling the first line and the second line stretches the plantar fascia.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of stretching at least one structure associated with a foot is provided. The method includes providing a first member and positioning the first member under the patient's toes and providing a second member and positioning the second member under a ball of the foot. The method further includes providing an attachment member in a position above the patient's foot and providing a fist line connecting the first member to the attachment member. Pulling on the first line stretches the plantar fascia.
Advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its details are capable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be had after a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the device of the present invention attached to a human foot to thereby exercise the plantar fascia;
FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1 showing the foot inside the device with the line to the toe section being drawn to exercise the portion of the plantar fascia near the toes;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the foot shown in FIG. 2 taken through line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a second cross-sectional view of the device showing the foot while the second line is being drawn to stretch the central portion of the plantar fascia;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the foot shown in FIG. 4 taken through line 5-5 thereof showing the portion of the plantar fascia being exercised;
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7A is a partial side view of an embodiment of the present invention shown without a spacer;
FIG. 7B is a partial side view of a handle;
FIG. 8 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a single line;
FIG. 9 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 showing an alternative placement for the third strap;
FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the device shown in FIGS. 8 and 9; and
FIG. 11 is a partial front view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a first device and a second device connected by a handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the plantar fascia 10 is a thick fibrous band of tissue running along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the base of the toes. When placed under too much stress, the plantar fascia becomes stretched too far causing minute tears within the fascia causing inflammation in the fascia and in the surrounding tissue. The tears are soon covered with a scar tissue, but the scar tissue is less flexible than healthy tissue and the scar tissue tends to aggravate the problem. The injury is called plantar fasciitis and is often most severe and most painful in the morning when one gets out of bed or at the beginning of a run. This is because during the night or prior to exercising, the plantar fascia has become contracted and stiff and the sudden stretching of the plantar fascia, caused by applying weight to the foot in the morning, or at the beginning a run, stretches the plantar fascia unduly and aggravates the injured portions of the tissue.
The plantar fascia attaches at three points 12, 13, 14 to the heel of the foot 16 and at five point 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 to each of the five toes of the foot. Stretching the plantar fascia can be accomplished by drawing the ball of the foot towards the pelvis to stretch the central portion of the plantar fascia and the portion near the heel, and by drawing the toes toward the ankle to stretch the portion near the toes.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 6, a device 24 is provided to stretch the plantar fascia 10 and includes a first strap 26 that is positionable under the ball 28 of the foot, a second strap 30 positionable under the toes 32 of the foot, a third strap 34 having an eye 36 attached thereto for extending around the ankle 38, a first line 40 attachable to the first strap 26 and a second line 42 attachable to the second strap 30. The first, second, and third straps 26, 30, 34 are preferably made of a durable, flexible, comfortable material such as canvas.
To provide a rigid surface under the ball 28 of the foot 16 a plate 44 is provided having a generally planar central portion and curved outer end portions 46, 48, the curved portions 46, 48 spaced sufficiently far apart for the central portion of the plate 44 to extend across the width of the largest foot to which the device 24 is to be attachable. The plate 44 may be made from metal, plastic, or any other rigid materials known to one skilled in the art. The plate 44 may be sized and shaped and have sufficient rigidity to reduce squeezing of the foot 16 when the device 24 is pulled as described below. The plate 44 extends through a loop of fabric at one end of a generally rectangularly shaped retainer 50. The retainer 50 retains the plate 44 in its desired orientation across the ball 28 of the foot by adjustably connecting to the second strap 30 by means of a hook and loop connector one portion 52 of which is attached to a surface of the retainer 50 and the second portion 54 of the hook and loop is attached to a mated surface of the second strap 30. The first strap 26 is sized to fit around the ball 28 of the foot and around the curved outer ends 46, 48 of the plate 44 and the first strap 26 has an eye 56 to which the first line 40 is attached. The first strap 26 is also retained by retainer 50.
The second strap 30 has sewn into a pocket thereof, not shown, a second plate 58 having an elongate central portion and curved outer ends 60, 62 spaced from one another a distance sufficient for the central portion of the plate 58 to fit under the toes 32 of the foot 16 and thereby provide rigidity for applying pressure to the bottom of the toes 32. The plate 58 may be made from metal, plastic, or any other rigid materials known to one skilled in the art. The plate 58 may be sized and shaped and have sufficient rigidity to reduce squeezing of the foot 16 when the device 24 is pulled as described below. The second strap 30 has a closed outer end 64 to thereby retain the second plate 58 below the toes 32. The second strap 30 also has an eye 66 positioned opposite the second plate 58 to which the second line 42 is attached.
The third strap 34 has first and second ends 68, 70 that wrap around the ankle 38 and attach to one another by means of a suitable connector such as hook and loop connectors, not shown. The eye 36 is attached to the central portion of the third strap 34 and is sized to slideably receive the second line 42.
The position of the third strap 34 with respect to the ankle 38 is maintained by means of a spacing strap 72 having a first end 74 adjustably attachable to the third strap 34 by means of a hook and loop connector with one portion 78 attached to the spacer strap 72 and the second portion 80 attached to a tongue 79 connected to the third strap 34. The second end 76 of the spacer strap 72 is sufficiently long to fit within the open end of the second strap 30 and around the distal end of the toes 32 to thereby retain the second end 74 with respect to the second strap 30.
In the preferred embodiment, the first and second lines 40, 42 are attachable to opposite ends of a single handle 82 and have knots 84, 86 at their ends to prevent the removal of the lines 40, 42 from the handle 82. The lengths of the two lines 40, 42 are adjustable by means of locking adjustments 88, 90 of the type known in the art. Accordingly, the lines 40, 42 can be adjusted to the lengths of the arms and the legs of the person making use of the device 24.
To make use of the device 24, the second end 76 of the spacer strap 72 is folded over and inserted into the open end of the second strap 30 and secured over the ends of the person's toes 32 such that the second plate 58 is positioned under his or her toes 32. The retainer 50, with the first plate 44 therein is attached by means of the hook and loop connectors 52, 54 such that the first plate 54 is positioned across the ball 28 of the foot. Thereafter, the first strap 26 is positioned around the ball 28 of the foot 16. The third strap 34 is positioned around the ankle 38 and retained in position by attaching the connectors 78, 80 to the spacer strap 72. Finally, the user will adjust the length of the lines 40, 42 such that he or she can apply pressure to the ball and toes of his or her foot by pulling with one arm against the handle 82.
The user will use the strength of his or her arm to pull on the handle 82 while the knee remains straight to apply pressure against the first and second plates 44, 58. By pulling one end of the handle 82, the user can apply pressure to the ball 28 of the foot and thereby stretch the central portion of the plantar fascia 10 as shown in FIG. 5, or by pulling the other end of the handle 82, apply pressure below the toes of the foot 32, thereby stretching the forward end of the plantar fascia 10 as shown in FIG. 3. When both ends of handle 82 are pulled simultaneously, pressure is applied to the toes 32 and the ball 28 of the foot, thereby stretching the entire plantar fascia 10 at the same time. The angle of force of line 42 created between the eye 66 of strap 30 and the eye 36 of strap 34 to the foot 16 is sufficiently small to prevent strap 30 from releasing from the toes 32 and therefore the user does not fear that the device will slide off of his or her foot as he applies pressure to the toes and therefore the user does not have to flex his toes against the force of the device to retain the device on his or her foot as was the case with prior art devices. The eye 36 attached to the third strap 34 draws the toes towards the shin, thereby maximizing the pressure applied to the toes 32 by drawing upon the second line 42 without pulling the second strap 30 off the ends of the toes 32. Strap 26 is connected to strap 30 by hook and loop fasteners that assist in anchoring strap 30 on the toes during the exercising of the plantar fascia.
As can be seen there has been disclosed a device 24 for exercising the plantar fascia 10 of the foot 16, which will be retained on the foot without requiring the user to flex muscles of the foot that would interfere with the effectiveness of the exercise. The device 24 also provides the ability to exercise different portions of the plantar fascia 10. Furthermore, the device can provide exercise to the Achilles tendon, the calf and hamstring muscles, and the gluteus maximus without applying weight to the leg and foot by increasing the pull on the handle 82.
To make use of the device 24, the second end 76 of the spacer strap 72 is folded over and inserted into the open end of the second strap 30 and secured over the ends of the person's toes 32 such that the second plate 58 is positioned under his or her toes 32. The retainer 50, with the first plate 44 therein is attached by means of the hook and loop connectors 52, 54 such that the first plate 54 is positioned across the ball 28 of the foot. Thereafter, the first strap 26 is positioned around the ball 28 of the foot 16. The third strap 34 is positioned around the ankle 38 and retained in position by attaching the connectors 78, 80 to the spacer strap 72. Finally, the user will adjust the length of the lines 40, 42 such that he or she can apply pressure to the ball and toes of his or her foot by pulling with one arm against the handle 82.
The user will use the strength of his or her arm to pull on the handle 82 while the knee remains straight to apply pressure against the first and second plates 44, 58. By pulling one end of the handle 82, the user can apply pressure to the ball 28 of the foot and thereby stretch the central portion of the plantar fascia 10 as shown in FIG. 5, or by pulling the other end of the handle 82, apply pressure below the toes of the foot 32, thereby stretching the forward end of the plantar fascia 10 as shown in FIG. 3. When both ends of handle 82 are pulled simultaneously, pressure is applied to the toes 32 and the ball 28 of the foot, thereby stretching the entire plantar fascia 10 at the same time. The angle of force of line 42 created between the eye 66 of strap 30 and the eye 36 of strap 34 to the foot 16 is sufficiently small to prevent strap 30 from releasing from the toes 32 and therefore the user does not fear that the device will slide off of his or her foot as he applies pressure to the toes and therefore the user does not have to flex his toes against the force of the device to retain the device on his or her foot as was the case with prior art devices. The eye 36 attached to the third strap 34 draws the toes towards the shin, thereby maximizing the pressure applied to the toes 32 by drawing upon the second line 42 without pulling the second strap 30 off the ends of the toes 32. Strap 26 is connected to strap 30 by hook and loop fasteners that assist in anchoring strap 30 on the toes during the exercising of the plantar fascia.
As can be seen there has been disclosed a device 24 for exercising the plantar fascia 10 of the foot 16, which will be retained on the foot without requiring the user to flex muscles of the foot that would interfere with the effectiveness of the exercise. The device 24 also provides the ability to exercise different portions of the plantar fascia 10. Furthermore, the device can provide exercise to the Achilles tendon, the calf and hamstring muscles, and the gluteus maximus without applying weight to the leg and foot by increasing the pull on the handle 82.
Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a device 124 is provided to stretch the plantar fascia 10. The device 124 includes a first strap 126 that is positionable under the ball 28 of the foot 16 and a second strap 130 positionable under the toes 32 of the foot 16 similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. A third strap 134 is connectable to the patient above the foot 16, for example, around the ankle 38 as shown in FIG. 7A. Alternatively, the third strap 134 may be connected to the patient just below the knee 17 as shown in FIG. 9. A first line 140 may be attached to the first strap 126 and a second line 142 may be attached to the second strap 130. The first, second, and third straps 126, 130, 134 may be made from any material suitable for contacting a patient and are preferably made of a durable, flexible, comfortable material such as canvas or webbing.
The first strap 126 may include a first plate 144 to provide a rigid surface under the ball 28 of the foot 16. The plate 144 may be made from metal, plastic, or any other rigid materials known to one skilled in the art. The plate 144 may be provided in the shape of a rectangular bar and may include curved portions at the ends of the plate 144 as described and shown above for the plate 44. Alternatively, the plate 144 may be flat. In some embodiments, the plate 144 may be sewn into the strap 126 or may be otherwise operably connected to the strap 126. The first strap 126 may also include a first connector 176 for connecting the first strap 126 with the first line 140. The first connector 176 may be any type of connector. By way of non-limiting example, the first connector may be an eye, a snap, a clip, a rivet and the like. As shown in FIG. 7A, the first line 140 may be threaded through the first connector 176, such as an eye, and then the first line 140 may be connected to itself to secure the first line 140 with the first strap 126.
The second strap 130 may include a second plate 158 (not shown) for placement under the toes 32 of the patient. Similar to the plate 144, the plate 158 may be flat or curved and may be sewn into the second strap 130 as shown in FIG. 7A. As described above, the plate 158 may be used to provide a rigid surface and for applying pressure to the bottom of the toes 32. The second strap 130 may also include a second connector 178 for connecting the second strap 130 to the second line 142 as shown in FIG. 7A. The second strap 130 may include a third connector 180 that may be alternately connected to the second line 142 instead of the second connector 178 or together with the second connector 178. The second connector 178 and the third connector 180 are similar to the first connector 176 described above.
In some embodiments, the first strap 126 may be connected to the second strap 130 so that a base section 136 slides under the foot 16. The straps 126, 130 may be pulled separately using lines 140, 142 respectively or the straps 126, 130 may be pulled together using a single line 288 shown in FIG. 8. The base section 136 may be formed from a single piece of material having top portions of straps 126, 130 connected there to. Alternatively, the straps 126, 130 may be provided separately and connected together, i.e. by sewing, riveting, or other wise connected the straps 126, 130 together, to form the base section 136. In some embodiments, the straps 126, 130 may be provided separately.
The third strap 134 has first and second ends 168, 170 that wrap around the patient, for example at the ankle 38, and attach to one another by means of a suitable connector such as hook and loop connectors, not shown. The third strap 134 may include a fourth connector 184 to slideably receive the second line 142.
The first line 140 and the second line 142 may be connected to a handle 182 as shown in FIG. 7B. The lines 140, 142 may be adjustable, similar to the lines 40, 42 described above, or the lines 140, 142 may be fixed in length. In some embodiments, a single line may be threaded through the handle 182 and the first line 140 extends to the first connector 176 and the second line 142 extends to the second connector 178 or the third connector 180.
An alternative embodiment of the device 224 having a single line 288 connecting a first strap 226, a second strap 230 and a third strap 234 to a handle 282 is shown in FIGS. 8-10. The device 224 may include similar features as the device 24, 124 described above, for example a first plate 244 and a second plate 258 and the like. The device 224 includes a first connector 276, a second connector 278 and a third connector 284, similar to the connectors described above, best seen in FIG. 10, showing the device 224 unattached to the patient. FIG. 10 also illustrates the single line 288 connecting the first, second and third straps 226, 230, 234. As shown, the line 288 may be connected to the second connector 278 of the second strap 230 and the line 288 connected to itself. The line 288 then connects through the third connector 284 in the third strap 234 and subsequently through the first connector first connector 276 of the first strap 226 and to the handle 282.
Similar to the device described above, the first strap 226 may be positioned under the ball 28 of the foot 16 and the second strap 230 may be positioned under the toes 32. The third strap 234 may be positioned above the foot 16, for example, around the ankle 38 as shown in FIG. 8 or below the knee 17 as shown in FIG. 9.
For any of the devices described above, a first device may be positioned on the left foot and a second device may be positioned on the right foot and both the first and second devices may be connected to a single handle such that both the left foot and the right foot may be exercised simultaneously with the pull of a single handle. An exemplary assembly is shown in FIG. 11, the details of the individual devices may be found in the description of the embodiments above. A first device 324 is connected to a first foot 316 and a second device 424 is connected to a second foot 416. The first device 324 may be connected above the first foot 316 with an attachment member 334 and connected by at least one first line 340 to a handle 382. The second device 424 may be connected above the second foot 416 with an attachment member 434 and connected by at least one second line 440 to the handle 382. The handle 382 may be any size and shape that can accommodate and facilitate connecting and pulling on the lines 340 and 440.
In operation, the device 124, 224 is used to stretch the plantar fascia as described above for the device 24 and the device 124, 224 may be provided for use with the lines threaded through the device as described above. Briefly, the first strap 126, 226 is positioned under the ball 28 of the foot 16 and the second strap 130, 230 is positioned beneath the toes 32. When the device includes the base section 136, the straps 126, 226 are simultaneously positioned on the foot 16. The third strap 134, 234 is positioned above the foot 16. When the lines 140, 142, 288 are adjustable, the user may adjust the length such that the user may apply pressure to the ball 28 and toes 32 by pulling with one arm against the handle 182, 282, similar to the stretching described above. Similar to the embodiment described above, the angle of force of the line connected between the second strap under the toes and the third strap positioned above the foot in the embodiments described herein is sufficiently small to prevent the second strap from releasing from the toes and therefore the user does not have to flex the toes against the force of the device to retain the device on the foot.
While the present invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore the intent of the appended claims to cover all such modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A device for exercising at least one structure associated with a foot of a patient, said device comprising:

a first member positionable under toes of said foot;

an attachment member connectable to said patient above said foot, said attachment member being operably connected to said first member by a first line connected to said attachment member and said first member; and

a spacer connected to said first member and said attachment member, said spacer for retaining said attachment member in position relative to said first member;

wherein pulling said first line applies pressure to the toes and stretches said at least one structure.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second member positionable under a ball of said foot.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a second line connected to said second member, wherein pulling said second line applies pressure to said ball of said foot and stretches said at least one structure.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a handle connected to said first line, said handle being adapted to pull said first line to stretch said at least one structure.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a first handle connected to said first line and a second handle connected to said second line.

6. The device of claim 3, further comprising a handle connected to said first line and said second line, said handle being adapted to pull said first line and said second line to apply pressure to said toes and said ball of said foot to stretch said at least one structure.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said attachment member comprises a connector adapted to receive said first line therethrough.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising an adjuster for adjusting and releasably locking the length of said first line.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein the second member further comprises a plate extendable across said ball of said foot.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said plate comprises a planar central portion and curved outer end portions.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein said second member further comprises a retainer operably connected to said first member.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said first member further comprises a plate extendable across said toes of said foot.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one structure is selected from the group consisting of plantar fascia, Achilles Tendon, gastroc/solius muscle complex, hamstring, and gluteous maximus.

14. A device for exercising at least one first structure associated with a first foot of a patient, said device comprising:

a first member positionable under toes of said first foot;

a second member positionable under a ball of said first foot; and

an attachment member connectable to said patient above said first foot, said attachment member being operably connected to said first member by a first line connected to said attachment member and at least one of said first member and said second member;

wherein pulling said first line applies pressure to said toes and said ball of said first foot and thereby stretches said at least one first structure.

15. The device of claim 14 further comprising a second line connected to said second member.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein said first member and said second member are connected together to form a base section.

17. The device of claim 14 further comprising a spacer connected to said first member and said attachment member, said spacer for retaining said attachment member in position relative to said first member.

18. The device of claim 14 further comprising a handle operably connected to the first line and the second line.

19. The device of claim 14 further comprising said attachment member comprises a connector adapted to receive said first line therethrough.

20. The device of claim 20, further comprising second device for stretching at least one second structure associated with a second foot of the patient, the second device comprising:

a fourth member positionable under toes of said second foot;

a fifth member positionable under a ball of said second foot; and

a second attachment member connectable to said patient above said second foot, said second attachment member being operably connected to said fourth member by a second line connected to said second attachment member and at least one of said fourth member and said fifth member;

wherein pulling said second line applies pressure to said toes and said ball of said second foot; and

wherein said first line and said second line are connected to a handle and pulling on said handle stretches at least one first structure associated with said first foot and said second structure associated with said second foot.

21. A method of stretching at least one structure associated with a foot of a patient, the method comprising:

providing a first member and positioning said first member under toes of said foot;

providing a second member and positioning said second member under a ball of said foot;

providing an attachment member in a position above said foot;

providing a first line connecting said first member to said attachment member, said first line being connected; and

pulling on said first line to apply pressure to said toes and said ball of said foot to stretch said at least one structure associated with said foot.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the fist member and the second member are connected together to provide a base section under said foot.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a second line operably connected to said second member for applying pressure to said ball of said foot.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising adjusting a length of said first line with an adjustor and releasably locking said first line in position.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a spacer for positioning said attachment member in relation to said first member.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein said at least one structure is selected from the group consisting of plantar fascia, Achilles Tendon, gastroc/solius muscle complex, hamstring, and gluteous maximus.