US3589021A

US3589021A - Mechanical pelvic clinometer

Info

Publication number: US3589021A
Application number: US831089A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry W Hall Sr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-06-06
Filing date: 1969-06-06
Publication date: 1971-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-29

Abstract

A pelvic clinometer comprising a crossbar member with elastic connecting means on opposite ends thereof for fastening to a person, and leg means projecting from said crossbar member for resting against the sacrum and a clinometer support member projecting rearwardly of said crossbar member and clinometer means secured to said member.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Henry W. Hall, Sr.

941 Avon Road, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33401 App]. No. 831,089

Filed June 6, 1969 Patented June 29, 1971 MECHANICAL PELVIC CLINOMETER 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 33/207 R, 33/206 R, 33/174 D Int. Cl G014: 9/10 Field of Search 33/207,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,401,146 12/1921 Falconer 33/207 2,357,817 9/1944 Foster 33/206 3,052,036 9/1962 Oliver 33/207 Primary Examiner- Leonard Forman Assistant Examiner-Dennis A. Dearing Attorney-Herman, Davidson and Berman ABSTRACT: A pelvic clinometer comprising a crossbar member with elastic connecting means on opposite ends thereof for fastening to a person, and leg means projecting from said crossbar member for resting against the sacrum and a clinometer support member projecting rearwardly of said crossbar member and clinometer means secured to said member.

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0 W440 wild/m, i (/i/I/Zl/M/ ATTORNEYS The present invention relates to a pelvic clinometer that can be readily secured against the sacrum of a person so as to measure the pelvic inclination during the act ofleaning forward.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clinometer for indicating the angle of inclination during the act of leaning forward by a person.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a posture indicator device for use in teaching a person to maximize the tilt of the pelvis and to minimize the flexing of the spine during the act of leaning so as to avoid any injury or strain to the spine.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and economically manufactured clinometer that can be readily used by an inexperienced person to learn how to lean forward without inadvertently overflexing the spine.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a rugged and simple mechanical clinometer for measuring the tilt or angle of the pelvis inclination during the act of leaning forward so that a person can be trained to properly lean forward without undue stress on the spine.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clinometer embodied in the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the clinometer shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 illustrates the clinometer of the present invention when it has been properly secured to a person when the person is standing in an erect position,

FIG. 5 illustrates the clinometer embodied in the present invention and a person bending or leaning forward with the spine flexed, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but illustrating the clinometer when the person is leaning forward with the shoulders in the same plane as the sacrum and with no flexing of the spine.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the pelvic clinometer device of the present invention, which is provided with an elongated laterally extending crossbar 12. The opposite ends of the crossbar 12 are provided with apertures through which is threaded elastic cord members 14, which have one end secured to the crossbar 12 and are provided with connector hooks 16 adjacent the other end. The elastic cords l4 and the hooks 16 are utilized to connect the device to the body of a person that is going to use the device.

The center of the crossbar I2 is provided with a substantially U-shaped member I8 bolted as indicated at 20 to the crossbar. The U-shaped member 18 is provided with a vertical leg or foot 22 adjacent its upper end and the lower leg 24 of the U-shaped member has a rubber cap 26 disposed thereover so as to form another leg or foot for resting the device against the sacrum ofa person, as best seen in FIGS. 4 to 6. The U- shaped member is disposed so as to project forwardly of the crossbar as best seen in FIG. 1.

An L-shaped bar member 28 extends rearwardly of the crossbar member 12, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. This L- shaped bar member 28 is secured to the crossbar member by any suitable means and is disposed in alignment with the U- shaped member 18. The L-shaped bar member has secured to its rear end by a screw member and wing nut indicated at 30, a semicircular flat member 32 with a circular or arcuate member 34 disposed adjacent its forward end. Disposed adjacent this circular member 34 is a curved tube 36 that may be made of plastic and is transparent so that a ball 38 disposed therein may be clearly seen through the tube wall. The ball 38 is maintained in the tube by plug members 40 closing off the op osite ends of the tube.

s can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the semicircular flat member 32 has a face or a dial surface that has graduations or indicia thereon indicating an angle reading from zero at the rear of the member to (degrees) at the forward or upper portion of the flat member 32. The tube 36 may be secured to the member 32 and may rest against the circular or arcuate member or rib 34 by any well-known means. The position of the flat member 32 with respect to the L-shaped bar member supporting it can be adjusted by loosening the wingnut 30 and adjusting the member 32 or moving it to a predetermined location and thereafter tightening the wing nut.

In using the device of the present invention, a person will first strap or secure the device to the body adjacent the sacrum, as best seen in FIG. 4 and the dial face or flat member 32 will be set so that the ball 38 will give a zero reading when the individual stands erect, as shown in FIG. 4. Then, as the individual shown in FIG. 4 leans forward, the ball gravitates to the bottom of the are, indicating the pelvic inclination by its position under the calibrated scale on the member 32. The leaning forward is illustrated in FIG. 5. Thus, the device will measure from an erect body position the amount of forward tilt of the pelvis during the act of leaning forward to various body angles.

It has been found that in self-learned leaning forward to 90, so that the shoulders of a person are horizontal with the hips, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the tilt of the pelvis ranges from 20 to 55 or 60, with a norm of about 35". Each individual tends to be constant in his own style. Obviously, then, the rest of the leaning is accomplished by flexing the spine forward, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Once so flexed, the spine must furnish part of the kinetic force required to draw erect in lifting a load. This produces compressive and frictional abuse on the discs and vertebrae, and strains the complex intervertebral muscles and ligature. As illustrated in FIG. 6, this is the proper way ofleaning forward to the shoulder-hip position wherein the shoulders and hips are in a horizontal plane.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the present invention provides a simple and. yet scientific and accurate device for measuring the pelvic inclination during the act ofleaning forward so that a person may be taught to repattern his individual leaning behavior in order to maximize the tilt of the pelvis and minimize the flexing of the spine during the act ofleaning.

Inasmuch as various changes may be made in the form, location and relative arrangement of several parts without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention, it is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pelvic clinometer device for measuring the pelvic inclination during the act of leaning forward, comprising an elongate generally horizontal crossbar, a generally U-shaped member secured to said crossbar intermediate the opposite ends thereof, a pair of vertically spaced legs integrally formed on said member and extending forwardly of said bar, flexible means secured to opposite ends of said crossbar for securing said member to the body of a person with said legs bearing against the sacrum of the person, an L-shaped bar secured to said member, an upright flat plate adjustably secured to said L-shaped bar and extending rearwardly of said crossbar oppositely of said legs, a hollow semicircular tube secured to said plate adjacent angle indicating indicia on said plate, and an indicator ball freely moveable in said tube for indicating the angle ofinclination of the pelvis.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plate is adjustably secured to said L-shaped bar by .a transverse horizontal pivot and a wingnut is threaded on said pivot to releasably lock said plate in adjusted position on said bar.

3. A device as claimed in claim I wherein means are provided on said tube for releasably closing said tube for inserting and removing said ball.

Claims

1. A pelvic clinometer device for measuring the pelvic inclination during the act of leaning forward, comprising an elongate generally horizontal crossbar, a generally U-shaped member secured to said crossbar intermediate the opposite ends thereof, a pair of vertically spaced legs integrally formed on said member and extending forwardly of said bar, flexible means Secured to opposite ends of said crossbar for securing said member to the body of a person with said legs bearing against the sacrum of the person, an L-shaped bar secured to said member, an upright flat plate adjustably secured to said L-shaped bar and extending rearwardly of said crossbar oppositely of said legs, a hollow semicircular tube secured to said plate adjacent angle indicating indicia on said plate, and an indicator ball freely moveable in said tube for indicating the angle of inclination of the pelvis.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plate is adjustably secured to said L-shaped bar by a transverse horizontal pivot and a wingnut is threaded on said pivot to releasably lock said plate in adjusted position on said bar.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided on said tube for releasably closing said tube for inserting and removing said ball.