WO1988008731A1

WO1988008731A1 - Polyfunctional gymnastics and reeduction apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1988008731A1
Application number: PCT/FR1988/000237
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Louis Reyraud
Original assignee: Reyraud Jean Louis
Priority date: 1987-05-14
Filing date: 1988-05-11
Publication date: 1988-11-17
Also published as: AU1781388A; FR2615111B1; ES2008494A6; FR2615111A1; EP0314745A1

Abstract

Polyfunctional gymnastics and reeducation apparatus characterized in that it is comprised of a horizontal rectangular frame-guide (1) inside which two horizontal plates (5, 6) can be moved in parallel to the longitudinal axis of said frame-guide, the horizontal plates moving reciprocatingly from one side to the other of an intermediary so called resting position and returning constantly by means of a spring force towards said resting position, and hooking or bearing means (21) for one or a plurality of portions of the body, said means (21) being integral with the frame-guide (1) and displaceable according to a plurality of predetermined positions with a view to multiplying the positioning possibilities of the body with respect, one the hand, to both plates and, on the other hand, to said hooking or bearing means. Application particularly to gymnastics and reeducation.

Description

GYMNASTICS AND POLYFUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a gymnastic and rehabilitation apparatus, of the type guided on a rail and movable back and forth, specially designed to allow a very varied number of exercises for softening the joints and working the muscles of various parts of the body.

Already known for training in the practice of skiing a device consisting of two parallel guide rails, integral, arched in the form of a bridge and supporting a small movable carriage back and forth on the rails being constantly recalled in position central by suitable springs.

This machine has in fact only one function: to simulate the lateral movements of the two legs as it happens when skiing. The object of the invention is to provide a device using the same principle of free reciprocating travel of a carriage, but improved and specially arranged to offer a very wide range of possibilities for coupling the joints as well as strengthening and restoring muscle mass of virtually all parts of the body.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a multifunctional gymnastic and rehabilitation apparatus, characterized in that it consists of a horizontal rectangular guide frame inside which are capable of moving, parallel to the axis. longitudinal of said guide frame, two horizontal plates, movable back and forth on either side of an intermediate so-called rest position, being recalled constantly elastically towards said rest position and means for hooking or supporting one or more parts of the body, integral with said guide frame and displaceable according to several predetermined positions in order to increase the possibilities of positioning the body with respect to , on the one hand, of the two plates and, on the other hand, of said attachment or support means.

According to one embodiment, said hooking or support means are constituted by a ramp in the form of a hoop, the two feet of which can be fitted as desired in two series of holes or housings formed along the two longitudinal sides of the guide frame of so as to place said arch, either straddling the two aforementioned longitudinal sides, or parallel to one of these two sides and in several possible positions along said guide frame.

According to another characteristic, the two trays are designed and arranged so that they can be covered with a tray completely covering the two trays and joining them in their reciprocating movements, which makes it possible to have a single tray of large dimensions allowing in particular the lying position on the back to work the arms or legs using said attachment means or support. Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the following description of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, description given by way of example only and with reference to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an apparatus according to the invention, and

- Figure 2 is a more detailed cross-sectional vertical view along line II-II of the device of Figure 1, with the addition of a securing plate covering the two individual plates.

The apparatus shown diagrammatically in the drawings comprises a horizontal rectangular guide frame 1 constituted, for example, by four square metal tubes 2 (FIG. 2), preferably bolted together to facilitate storage and shipment of the device.

The interior of the frame is delimited in two equal parts by a central spar 3, merged with the longitudinal axis of the frame 1 and produced with the same tube as the parts 2.

The assembly 2, 3 rests on the self by means of damping buffers 4, arranged on the undersides of the tubes 2 and 3. In the two spaces delimited inside the frame 1 by the central spar 3, can freely move back and forth two identical trays 5 and 6 on casters.

Each tray consists for example of an elongated rectangular flat plate 7 made of wood, covered on its upper face with a flexible non-slip coating 8.

On the underside of the plate 7 are fixed four rollers 9 of horizontal axis, rolling on the wings of two L-shaped angles 10 reported on the side faces opposite the tubes 2 and 3. The lateral guidance of the plates 5 and 6 is provided by small rollers 11 with a vertical axis, also attached under the plates 7 and capable of rolling against the lateral faces opposite said tubes 2 and 3. For the sake of clarity, the rollers 9 and 11 are not shown on the carriage on the right 6 of figure 2.

The two plates 5 and 6 are shown in FIG. 1 in the rest position facing one another and in the middle of the guide frame 1. Whether they are spaced apart on one side or the other of this position, the plates 5 and 6 are brought back constantly and elastically to the rest position using two sets of elastic tensioners.

In FIG. 1, there are shown at 12 three tensioners of a first set anchored, on the one hand, at 13 on the left end of the frame 1 and, on the other hand, at 14, in the vicinity of the right edge of the plate 5.

The second set of three tensioners 15 is anchored at 16 on the right end of the frame 1 and at 17 in the vicinity of the left edge of tray 5. The same is true for tray 6.

The number of tensioners 12 and 15 can vary in order to adjust the restoring force of the plates in their rest position.

In Figure 2, the plate is shown in section in its central area with two sets of four tensioners, while the plate 6 is shown with a section in the vicinity of one of the anchoring zones of the plate. Four tensioners 18 are anchored on an angle 19 secured to the plate 6, the four tensioners 20 of the other set being arranged below the angle 19. The two sets of tensioners are slightly inclined horizontally so that the plate can freely move without the two end angles 19 rubbing on the turnbuckles, regardless of the distance of the plate from the rest position. At the lateral axis of the plate 5 the tensioners (18,20) of the two sets are in the same plane.

The attachment of the tensioners on the frame 1 and on the plates 5 and 6 is preferably easily removable in order to be able to easily replace the tensioners or increase their number.

The apparatus according to the invention further comprises hooking or support means constituted, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by a hoop-shaped ramp 21 having two tubular tubular legs, the lower ends 21a are capable of being fitted into holes made in the two square tubes 2 constituting the longitudinal sides of the guide frame 1.

As shown in Figure 2, said ends 21a pass through the two upper and lower faces of the tubes 2 by holes 22 drilled opposite. Such pairs of holes are formed along the two longitudinal sides of the frame 1 with a spacing corresponding to the spacing between the feet of the arch 21 so that the latter can be placed, as shown in FIG. 1, with its two feet in the same longitudinal side (on one side or the other of the device) and according to a certain number of positions distributed along said side.

By providing a hoop 21 whose spacing of the feet corresponds to the spacing between the longitudinal sides of the frame 1 and by providing holes 22 opposite on these two sides, it is possible to place, as shown in FIG. 2, the hoop 21 transversely to the frame 1 and according to a certain number of positions distributed along the frame 1, on either side of the rest position of the plates 5 and 6.

Advantageously, shock absorbing pads 23 are fixed to the ends of the legs of the arch 21.

The insertion of the feet of the arch 21 into the pairs of holes 22 of the square tubes 2 ensure rigid, simple and effective fitting of the arch, thus providing stable and secure support or attachment. The frame 1 has for example a length of 2.30 m and a width of 0.5 m.

According to one way of using the apparatus of the invention, one ascends standing on the plates 5, 6 with one foot on each of them. We can then move the two plates at the same time and in the same direction or on the contrary move them in opposite directions.

Only one of the two plates can of course be moved back and forth depending on the type of exercise to be practiced.

The number of elastic return tensioners of the plates 5, 6 can be chosen in proportion to the weight of the user and / or the effort required.

The hoop 21 is placed according to the exercise to be performed, that is to say the part or parts of the heart (joints, muscles) to work.

The hoop allows movements: - with hand support:

. standing, ski-type lateral movements (the arch replacing the poles),

. standing, frontal movements like skater's race,

. sitting by pulling (rower type),. sitting by pushing (pump type), . ventral or dorsal decubitus: pushing (dumbbell type), pulling (body suspension type).

- with foot support.

According to another possibility illustrated in Figure 2, the two plates 5 and 6 can be capped by a large attached plate 24, removable, embedded between the plates 5 and 6 and joining the latter. The assembly thus forms a single plate, of large dimensions allowing it to lie on its back to work either on the arms or the legs by resting on the hoop 21 which can be placed in different transverse positions relative to the rest position of the plates 5 and 6. As shown, said plate 24 can be constituted by a simple rectangular flat plate placed on the plates 5 and 6 and provided, on its underside, with a rib 25 which is embedded in the interval separating the two plates 5 and 6 in the rest position.

Such a device allows the recovery of joint amplitudes and muscle volumes. In proprioceptive rehabilitation of the lower limb it allows new exercises because the user is placed upright (without the use of the arch) one foot on each tray, both feet on a tray or on one foot on a tray, it produces lateral and frontal imbalances different from those produced by existing devices (balance plates or Friedmann plate, trampoline).

Despite its simplicity, the device allows a large number of exercises, both in gymnastics and in rehabilitation or training for various sports such as skiing or football in particular, and this is particularly effective.

Finally, the invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment shown and described above, but on the contrary covers all variants thereof, in particular as regards the rolling means and guidance of the plates 5 and

6, the elastic return means of the latter and their method of anchoring, the shapes, dimensions and arrangements of the attachment means or support 21. It should be noted that the rest position of the two plates 5 and 6 can be defined independently of one another by modifying the tensioners of each plate, according to the type of exercise to be performed. Likewise, the plate 24 connecting the two plates 5 and 6 can be replaced by any other means of securing these two plates, such as one or more transverse pins, for example, arranged in the interval separating said plates.

Claims

CLAIMS: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =: =:

1. Polyfunctional gymnastics and rehabilitation apparatus, characterized in that it consists of a horizontal rectangular guide frame (1) inside which are capable of moving, parallel to the longitudinal axis of said guide frame, two horizontal plates (5,6), movable back and forth on either side of an intermediate so-called rest position being constantly elastically returned to said rest position and of means (21) for hooking or support of one or more parts of the body, integral with said guide frame (1) and displaceable according to several predetermined positions with a view to increasing the possibilities of positioning of the body with respect to, on the one hand, the two plates and, on the other hand, said attachment or support means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said hooking means or support are constituted by a ramp in the form of a hoop (21) whose two feet (21a) can be built in at will in two series of holes or housings (22) formed along the two longitudinal sides (2) of the guide frame (1) so as to place said arch, either astride the two longitudinal sides mentioned above, or parallel to one of these two sides and along several possible positions along said guide frame (1).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the elastic return means of the plates (5,6) in their rest position consist of sets of removable tensioners (12,15,18,20) in number variable, anchored between the ends of the guide frame (1) and the plates (5,6).

4. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two plates (5,6) are designed and arranged so as to be able to be made integral in their reciprocating movements, by appropriate means .

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said means for securing the two plates (5,6) is a plate (24) completely covering the two aforementioned trays.

6. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each plate (5,6) carries a set of rollers (9) with a horizontal axis capable of rolling on two raceways (10) integral with the two elements (2; 3) of the guide frame (1) flanking said plate, as well as a set of lateral rollers (11) with a vertical axis capable of rolling on the vertical lateral flanks of said elements (2,3) of the frame- guide (1).