Stretching Apparatus and Associated Method

Abstract

An improved stretching apparatus includes a movable back rest and a movable foot manipulator which, when employed together, can provide therapeutic stretching to the leg muscles of a subject. For instance, the improved device can stretch the calves, hamstrings, and other leg muscles. An improved method of employing a stretching apparatus to perform a therapeutic stretching operation on the leg muscles of a subject includes engaging a subject's outstretched legs with a foot manipulator of the stretching apparatus, engaging the subject's back with a back rest of the stretching apparatus, and pivoting the foot manipulator in a stretching direction to move the feet in a dorsal direction to provide stretching of at least some of the leg muscles. The method can additionally include returning the foot manipulator to its original position, incrementally moving the back rest to take up some of the muscular looseness created by the movement of the foot manipulator in the stretching direction, and again pivoting the foot manipulator in a stretching direction to perform an additional stretching operation.

1 . A stretching apparatus structured to enable therapeutic stretching of at least some of the muscles of the upper legs and at least some of the muscles of the lower legs of a subject, the stretching apparatus comprising:
 a frame;   a chair apparatus disposed on the frame, the chair apparatus including a seat and a back rest, the seat being structured to receive thereon at least one of:
 the subject's thighs, and 
 the subject's buttocks; 
   the back rest being engageable with the subject's back, the back rest being movable to position the subject's back in a plurality of orientations with respect to the subject's thighs; and   a foot manipulator engageable with the subject's feet when the subject's legs are substantially outstretched, the foot manipulator being movable between a first position and a second position to pivot the subject's feet in a dorsal direction about the subject's ankles, the subject's feet being in a generally relaxed position when the foot manipulator is in the first position, the feet being in a dorsal position and at least some of the muscles of the upper legs and at least some of the muscles of the lower legs being in an at least partially stretched condition when the foot manipulator is in the second position.   
   
   
       2 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of the foot manipulator is pivotable about a stretching axis between the first and second positions. 
   
   
       3 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the foot manipulator includes a foot rest, the foot rest including a plate that is engageable with the soles of the subject's feet when the subject's legs are substantially outstretched, the plate being pivotable between the first and second positions, the stretching axis being spaced from the plane of the plate. 
   
   
       4 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the foot manipulator includes a pair of foot supports that are movable with respect to one another. 
   
   
       5 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the pair of foot supports include a right foot support and a left foot support, the right foot support being engageable with the subject's right foot and being pivotable about a first axis, the left foot support being engageable with the subject's left foot and being pivotable about a second axis, the first axis and the second axis being substantially parallel with one another and being substantially perpendicular to the stretching axis. 
   
   
       6 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the foot manipulator includes a foot rest, the right and left foot supports each being lockable in a predetermined position with respect to the foot rest. 
   
   
       7 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the foot manipulator includes a foot rest and an operating mechanism operatively connected together, the operating mechanism being operable to move the foot rest between the first and second positions. 
   
   
       8 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the frame includes a first frame portion and a second frame portion, the second frame portion being movably disposed on the first frame portion, one of the chair apparatus and the foot manipulator being disposed on the first frame portion, the other of the chair apparatus and the foot manipulator being disposed on the second frame portion. 
   
   
       9 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the back rest is pivotable with respect to the seat. 
   
   
       10 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the back rest includes a retention mechanism, the retention mechanism resisting movement of the back rest in a first direction generally away from the foot manipulator while permitting movement of the back rest in a second direction generally toward the foot manipulator. 
   
   
       11 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the retention mechanism includes a toothed crank and a dog, the toothed crank including a crank and a plurality of teeth disposed on the crank, the dog being biased toward the toothed crank and being engageable with a tooth of the plurality teeth, the dog engaged with the tooth resisting pivoting of the back rest in the first direction, movement of the back rest in the second direction overcoming the bias of the dog. 
   
   
       12 . The stretching apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the back rest includes a number of handgrips which are structured to be gripped by the subject when leaning forward to pivot the back rest in the second direction. 
   
   
       13 . A method of employing a stretching apparatus to perform a therapeutic stretching operation on the upper and lower leg muscles of a subject, the method comprising:
 positioning the subject on a seat of the stretching apparatus;   engaging the feet of the subject's outstretched legs with a foot manipulator of the stretching apparatus;   engaging the subject's back with a back rest of the stretching apparatus; and   pivoting at least a portion of the foot manipulator in a stretching direction to move the feet about the subject's ankles in a dorsal direction and to at least partially stretch at least some of the muscles of the upper legs and at least some of the muscles of the lower legs of the subject.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 pivoting the at least a portion of the foot manipulator in a releasing direction substantially opposite the stretching direction;   incrementally moving the back rest in a direction generally toward the at least a portion of the foot manipulator; and   repeating said pivoting of the at least a portion of the foot manipulator in the stretching direction to move the feet about the subject's ankles in the dorsal direction and to at least partially stretch at least some of the muscles of the upper legs and at least some of the muscles of the lower legs of the subject.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising incrementally moving the back rest in a direction generally toward the at least a portion of the foot manipulator by the user leaning forward and manually moving a number of handgrips of the back rest in a direction generally toward the at least a portion of the foot manipulator. 
   
   
       16  The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 engaging the right foot with a right foot support of the foot manipulator;   engaging the left foot with a left foot support of the foot manipulator;   incrementally pivoting the right foot support in a counter-clockwise direction to move the right foot between a first relaxed position and a first desired position;   locking the right foot support to a foot rest of the foot manipulator to retain the right foot in the first desired position;   incrementally pivoting the left foot support in a clockwise direction to move the left foot between a second relaxed position and a second desired position; and   locking the left foot support to a foot rest of the foot manipulator to retain the left foot in the second desired position.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 pivoting the at least a portion of the foot manipulator in a releasing direction substantially opposite the stretching direction;   incrementally pivoting the right foot support in the counter-clockwise direction to move the right foot between the first desired position and another first desired position;   locking the right foot support to the foot rest to retain the right foot in the another first desired position;   incrementally pivoting the left foot support in the clockwise direction to move the left foot between the second desired position and another second desired position; and   locking the left foot support to the foot rest to retain the left foot in the another second desired position;   incrementally moving the back rest in a direction generally toward the at least a portion of the foot manipulator; and   repeating said pivoting of the at least a portion of the foot manipulator in the stretching direction to move the feet about the subject's ankles in the dorsal direction and to at least partially stretch at least some of the muscles of the upper legs and at least some of the muscles of the lower legs of the subject.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising engaging the feet of the subject's outstretched legs with a foot manipulator by translating the foot manipulator with respect to the seat. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising pivoting the at least a portion of the foot manipulator in the stretching direction by actuating an operating mechanism of the foot manipulator.