The disclosure relates to an arrangement for applying a spinal traction force by a user, said arrangement comprising a support device which is configured with a first recess and a second recess for accommodating the ankles or legs of said user, said support device being configured for absorbing an applied manual force from said user.

BACKGROUND

Many people suffer from pain in the back or in the lumbar region. In many cases, back pain is caused by various types of disorders of the spinal column and other parts of the back region. For example, strained back muscles or ligaments, stiffness, skeletal irregularities, spinal arthritis and ruptured disks and other disorders can often be the cause of back pain.

According to known technology, it is previously known to use a particular type of therapeutic arrangement which is configured for treatment of a person ^' s back by applying a traction force upon the spinal column. More precisely, a traction force can then be applied by the person in a direction which is generally in line with the extension of the spine. Consequently, the force acts so as to stretch and separate the vertebrae in the spinal column.

In this manner, a stiffness of the spine can be relieved and the flexibility of the spine can be improved so that a back pain can be reduced.

The patent document US 2017/0239126 teaches an arrangement for lumbar traction, i.e. for applying spinal traction and lateral spinal flexure by a user. The arrangement is based on a carriage with ankle grips, handles and flexible links which are associated with a floor pad which is held in place by the weight of the user ^' s upper torso. During use of the arrangement, a user may apply arm pressure to the handles so as to urge the carriage and the user ^' s ankles away from the user ^' s torso. This force which acts upon the user ^' s ankles will apply a stretching force, i.e. traction, to the user ^' s lower spine. Even though the arrangement disclosed in US 2017/0239126 can be used for relieving back pain and similar disorders, there is a need for further improvements within this field of technology. In particular, there is an increasing requirement to provide user-friendly devices which are easy to use and to transport, which are more simple to use, and which also require a little amount of space for storage.

Consequently, there is a need for further improvements within the above-mentioned field of technology.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosure, there is provided an arrangement for applying a spinal traction force by a user, said arrangement having a purpose of stretching the user ^' s spinal column in order to relieve the user of back pain. In particular, the arrangement according to the disclosure is configured in a manner so as to solve the above-mentioned problems related to prior art within this field.

In accordance with the disclosure, this object is obtained by means of an arrangement for applying a spinal traction force by a user, said arrangement comprising a support device being configured with a first recess and a second recess for accommodating the ankles or legs of said user, said support device being configured for absorbing an applied manual force from said user. Furthermore, the arrangement comprises a first bracket and a second bracket, each bracket being configured to be moved between an open or closed position in relation to said support device, wherein said closed position corresponds to an operation mode in which the ankles or legs of said user are locked in a corresponding recess.

According to the disclosure, an advantage is provided through the fact that the lower parts of the legs or the ankles of the user can be locked in a secure manner in the above- mentioned recesses during use. Also, the arrangement is easy to use for a user, in particular when the legs or ankles of the user are to be locked. In such a situation, the user can simply move the brackets to their closed position with the aid of a crutch or similar. Furthermore, the arrangement can be used so that a pair of crutches can be used to generate the spinal traction force, which simplifies the arrangement and lowers the cost of the arrangement. The arrangement is also portable and light-weight, which is a further advantage for the user.

According to an embodiment, the brackets can be pivotably arranged in relation to said support device and wherein a pivoting movement of the brackets towards said closed position forces each ankle or leg of the user into a corresponding recess. This is an effective and secure way of locking the legs before using the arrangement.

According to an embodiment, the arrangement may comprise a first pivoting axle extending through the first bracket and the support device, and also comprising a second pivoting axle extending through the second bracket and the support device.

According to an embodiment, the arrangement may comprise a first indentation in the first bracket and a indentation in the second bracket, wherein each one of said indentations is configured for allowing positioning of an end portion of a crutch or similar device as used by said user.

According to an embodiment, the arrangement may comprise a first aperture in the first bracket and a second aperture in the second bracket, wherein each one of said apertures is configured for allowing insertion of an end portion of a crutch or similar device as used by said user.

According to an embodiment, the support device may be configured for absorbing an applied manual force from said user by means of a first load-absorbing surface aligned with the first aperture and a second load-absorbing surface aligned with the second aperture.

According to an embodiment, there may be provided a first liner arranged in the first recess, a second liner arranged in the second recess, a third liner in the third recess and a fourth liner in the fourth recess, said liners being manufactured from a material having a relatively high friction between said liners and the ankles or legs of the user. An advantage with such an arrangement is that the legs or ankles can be fixed in the support device in a firm but slightly flexible manner, which is advantageous. According to an embodiment, the liners may be configured so as to be replaceable in each corresponding recess.

According to an embodiment, the arrangement may comprise at least one foot element arranged on the support device and allowing the support device to assume a standing position. This adds to the user-friendliness of the arrangement according to the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the support device may comprises a handle which is arranged for carrying the arrangement.

Further advantages and advantageous features of the disclosure are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims. In the following disclosure, the term“spinal traction force” is used to describe a force which is applied manually by a user, normally by means of crutches or similar

components which are used for pushing towards the support device. In this manner, a force is created which is used for urging the spinal column to extend, which causes relief on the spinal column and diminishes back pain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure will be described in greater detail below with reference to the figures shown in the appended drawings. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an arrangement according to the

disclosure, wherein the components forming the arrangement are shown separately;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the arrangement in a stand-by condition, in which it is not used;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the arrangement in a condition as being used; Figure 4 shows a side view of the arrangement as being used by a person; and

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the arrangement in a condition in which it is used by a person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Different aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the enclosed drawings. The disclosure can be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments below.

With initial reference to Fig. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of an arrangement 1 according to the disclosure which is configured for applying a spinal traction force. The components of the arrangement 1 are shown separately for reasons of clarity.

Accordingly, the arrangement 1 comprises a support device 2, which according to an embodiment has the function of a carrier which is shaped generally as a board made of suitable wooden or plastics material and which carries certain further components, as will be described below. Also, the drawing according to Fig. 1 is regarded from the side of the support device 3 on which a user is positioned (in a similar manner as shown in Fig. 5).

The support device 2 is configured with a first recess 3 and a second recess 4 which are dimensioned and formed so as to accommodate the ankles or legs of a person, i.e. the user of the arrangement 1. The user is not shown in Fig. 1 but will be described below with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the support device 2 is also configured with a handle 5 which allows for a user to carry the support device 2 in a convenient manner. Also, in order to ensure that the support device 2 can be standing on a horizontal support surface, the support device 2 is provided with two foot elements 6a, 6b.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the arrangement 1 comprises a first bracket 7 which is pivotably arranged in the support device 2 about a first axle 8. Also, the arrangement 1 comprises a second bracket 9 which is pivotably arranged in the support device 2 about a second axle 10. The two axles 8, 10 are arranged so that they extend through each bracket 7, 9 and through the support device 2 in a suitable manner so as to allow the pivoting movement of each one of the brackets 7, 9. Also, the first bracket 7 is formed with a third recess 11 which is formed so as to define a suitable opening together with the above-mentioned first recess 3, whereas the second bracket 9 is formed with a fourth recess 12 which is formed so as to define a suitable opening together with the above-mentioned second recess 4. These openings are consequently configured for accommodating the lower parts of the legs or the ankles of a user during use of the arrangement.

The brackets 7, 9 are pivotable between an open position, in which the arrangement 1 is not in use, and a closed position in which the arrangement 1 is used. The purpose of the first bracket 7 and the second bracket 9 is to lock the two legs, or ankles, of a user who is using the the arrangement 1 , so that the support device 2 is not moved in relation to the user. The locking of the legs or ankles is obtained when the brackets 7, 9 are in the closed position.

Also, during use of the arrangement 1 , a user may consequently use it for applying a spinal traction force, suitably by means of a pair of crutches or similar devices (not shown in Fig. 1 but visible in Figs. 4 and 5), of which a first crutch can be pushed into a first indentation 13, i.e. a recess, in the first bracket 7 and a second crutch can be pushed into a second indentation 15, i.e. a further recess, in the second bracket 9. This procedure will be described in greater detail below. In this manner, a user can use the arrangement 1 in a manner so that the legs or ankles are locked in the recesses 3, 4 (after pivoting the brackets 7, 9 towards the support device 2) and so that the user uses a pair of regular crutches to manually push the two crutches into the indentations 13, 15 on the support device 2. In this manner, a force for traction of the user ^' s spinal cord is obtained.

Consequently, and as will be described further below, the support device 2 is configured for absorbing an applied manual force from a user of the support device 2. More precisely, a user which is lying down with his or her legs locked in the recesses 3, 4 may use a pair of generally conventional crutches (or similar devices), place the ends of the crutches on the indentations 13, 15 and then push the crutches with a manual force acting on the support device 2. This causes the support device 2 to be forced in a direction pointing away from the user. Furthermore, this means that the applied manual force will pull on the user ^' s legs, which leads to a traction force which stretches the spinal column of the user. According to a further embodiment which is not shown in the drawings, the first bracket 7 can be provided with an aperture (positioned where the first indentation 13 is positioned) and the second bracket 9 can be provided with a further aperture (positioned where the second indentation 15 is positioned). During use of the arrangement 1 , a user may push the end portion of the crutches through these apertures in a similar manner as the embodiment described above, i.e. so that a first crutch is pushed towards a first area 14 of the support device 2, and so that a second crutch is pushed to a second area 16 of the support device 2. This second embodiment is generally equivalent in its function to generate a spinal traction force, as compared with the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and based on the use of the two recesses 13, 15.

Furthermore, with reference to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , it can be noted that the openings which are defined on the one hand by the first and third recesses 3, 11 and on the other hand by the second and fourth recesses 4, 12 are provided with a liner arrangement which is configured so as to maintain a relatively high level of friction with respect to the the ankles or legs of the user, i.e. when the arrangement 1 is in use. For this purpose, the liner arrangement is configured so that the first recess 3 is provided with a first liner element 16, the second recess 4 is provided with a second liner element 17, the third recess 11 is provided with a third liner element 18 and the fourth recess 12 is provided with a fourth liner element 19.

The term“relatively high level of friction” corresponds to a friction - between each one of the user ^' s legs and each corresponding liner element 16, 17, 18, 19 - which leads to a condition wherein the legs of a user are held firmly in place while the above-mentioned manual force from the user is applied during use of the arrangement. Such a condition will allow the applied force to act so as to stretch the spinal column of the user. A suitable material for the liners 16, 17, 18, 19 in order to obtain a high magnitude of friction is rubber.

The liner elements 16, 17, 18, 19 are suitably made of rubber or a similar synthetic material. The liner elements 16, 17, 18, 19 are suitably also configured so as to be replaceable in each corresponding recess 3, 4, 11 , 12. Generally, it can be noted that the legs of a user are locked in a corresponding recess 3, 4 as a result of first positioning each leg in corresponding recess 3, 4 and subsequently moving each bracket 7, 9 to its closed position in relation to the support device 2. In this regards, the closed position corresponds to a condition in which the ankles or legs of a user are firmly locked so that an applied force may actually act so as to cause a stretching of the spinal column of the user. The locking of the ankles or legs of the user can be improved by means of the above-mentioned embodiment in which liner elements 16, 17 are used in each recess 3, 4.

As described with reference to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the brackets 6, 7 are pivotably arranged in relation to said support device 3 and wherein a pivoting movement of the brackets 7, 9 towards said closed position forces each ankle or leg of the user 2 into a corresponding recess 3, 4. Furthermore, in Fig. 2, the arrangement 1 is shown in a condition in which it is not in use. In this condition, the brackets 6, 7 are in an open position in which the first recess 3 and the second recess 4 can be accessed by a user,

1.e. for positioning the legs or ankles of a user in said recesses 3, 4 when the user is lying down. The actual user, who is not shown in Fig. 2, will be described in more detail below with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

When the user has positioned the legs or ankles in the first recess 3 and the second recess 4, respectively, the brackets 6, 7 are pivoted towards the support device 2 so as to assume a position in which the legs or ankles are locked in a firm but slightly flexible manner within the openings which on the one hand are defined by the first recess 3 and third recess 11 , and on the other hand by the second recess 4 and the fourth recess 12. This condition, i.e. when the brackets 7, 9 have been pivoted towards the support device

2, is shown in Fig. 3.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3 is based on the principle that the brackets 7, 9 are moved from an open, inactive position (as shown in Fig. 2) to a closed, active position (as shown in Fig. 3) by pivoting said brackets 7, 9 about the pivoting axles 8, 10 which extend extend through the second bracket 7 and the support device 3. The pivoting movement of the brackets 7, 9 towards the closed position forces each ankle or leg of the user into a locked condition in the corresponding recess 3, 4. In both the open and closed positions, the brackets 7, 9 are arranged so that they are generally parallel to the extension of the support device 2.

According to further embodiments, which are not shown in the drawings, the brackets can be moved between the open and the closed positions in other ways than by a pivoting movement. For example, the brackets can be arranged to be displaced generally perpendicularly with reference to the support device 2, i.e. by moving the brackets up and down to assume the open and closed positions.

With reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the arrangement 1 as shown in Figs. 1-3 is shown during use by a user 20, i.e. a person who is lying down on a horizontal support surface 22 with the lower part of the legs 21 being positioned and locked within the openings which are formed by the recesses 3, 4, 11 , 12. Figs. 4 and 5 also show that the user 20 has two crutches 23, 24 positioned along the body and being oriented with its end portions close to the support device 2.

For reasons of clarity, Fig. 5 shows only the lower parts of the legs 21 of a user 20, in a perspective view which shows how the legs 21 are locked in the support device 2 as described above. This corresponds to the locked position of the two brackets 7, 9. In this operating condition of the arrangement 1 , the user 20 may use the crutches 23, 24 and position their end portions within the indentations 13, 15 in each one of the brackets 7, 9. These indentations 13, 15, which are also shown clearly in Figs. 1-3, are configured for accommodating the end portions of each crutch so that the user 20, by gripping a handle 25, 26 forming part of each one of the crutches 23, 24, and by pushing on the handles 25, 26 towards the support device 2, may apply a manual force which acts against the support device 2. Such a force will then generate a spinal traction force which

corresponds to a manual force generated by the user 20 and being used for stretching the spinal column for the purpose of treating a back pain of the user 20.

It should be noted that the user 20 may use the crutches 23, 24 for opening or closing the brackets 7, 9 by simply positioning the end portions of each crutch 23, 24 in the corresponding indentation 13, 15 and pivoting the brackets 7, 9 to a suitable position. The invention is not limited to the embodiment but can be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the materials and dimensions of the components forming part of the support device 2 may vary.