The present invention relates to an orthopaedic table, especially for treating a patient having a back complaint by an autotraction operation, said table having a lower frame part, an upper frame part vertically adjustable and tiltable in relation to the lower frame part about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the table, and supporting means carried by the upper frame part and adapted to support a patient to be treated, said supporting means having two sup- porting elements which are arranged after each other in the longitudinal direction of the table and which, in the initial position of the table, together form a substantially planar, horizontal supporting surface for the patient and which can be inclined in relation to each other about a horizontal axis extending trans¬ versely of the table, so as to form a broken supporting surface, at least one of said supporting elements being so articulated to the upper frame part by arti¬ culation means that it is rotatable in relation to the upper frame part, both about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the table, and about an axis at right angles to said horizontal axis and ex¬ tending along the supporting element.

For the treatment of a patient having a back complaint by autotraction, the patient is placed on the supporting means of the orthopaedic table, whereupon the supporting elements thereof are inclined in relation to each other to bring the spine of the patient into such a position that his pains are releived as much as possible. The patient is fixed in this position on the supporting elements by means of straps or the like. The patient may then exert a traction by using handles and foot-rests mounted at the head and foot end of the orthopaedic table (active autotraction).

The upper frame part can also be tilted in relation to the lower frame part to a position in which the patient is also subjected to traction by his own weight (passive autotraction). In order to increase the possibility of adjusting the supporting elements of the supporting means in relation to each other and, hence, to increase the possibility of relieving the pains of the patient, a previously known orthopaedic table of this type has an upper supporting element, i.e. a supporting element to which the upper part of the patient's body is applied, which is also rotatable in relation to the other (lower) supporting element about an axis extending along the longitudinal centre axis of the orthopaedic table. In this manner, the upper part of the patient's body can also be turned slightly about its longitudinal axis.

To further enhance the treatment of the patient, it has been found suitable to perform a heeling move- ment, which here means a movement by which the upper or lower part of the patient's body is turned about an axis separate from the longitudinal axis of the patient. The only possibility of achieving such a heeling movement in the above-mentioned prior art orthopaedic table is to apply the patient obliquely or laterally offset on the supporting elements and thereafter slightly turn the supporting elements in relation to each other. This is an extremely complicat¬ ed operation, both when it comes to establishing the correct position of the patient and when it comes to strapping the patient in the established position since the. strapping means are conceived for fastening the patient in the middle of the orthopaedic table.

The object of the present invention is to provide an orthopaedic table which is intended especially for treating a patient having a back complaint by auto¬ traction, and in which accurately predeterminable

heeling movements of the above-mentioned type can easily be executed.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by the provision of an orthopaedic table which is of the type stated in the introduction to the specification and is characterized in that at least said one supporting element is connected at both of its sides to the upper frame part by connecting means the length of which is adjustable for inclining the supporting element and which at one end is so articulated to the supporting element by articulation means that it is rotatable in relation to the support¬ ing element both about an axis extending transversely of the supporting element, and about an axis at right angles to said axis, the connecting means being so articulated at its other end to the upper frame part by articulation means that it is rotatable in relation to the upper frame part both about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the table, and about an axis at right angles to said axis.

The articulation means suitable are ball-and- socket joints, and the connecting means suitably are adjusting members having two coaxial tubes which are telescopically movable in relation to each other, preferably by means of a ball screw included in the respective adjusting member.

The invention will now be described in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating an orthopaedic table according to the present inven¬ tion, and

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating the orthopaedic table in Fig. 1 with the table pads removed.

The orthopaedic table illustrated in the drawings has a lower frame 1 consisting of two longitudinal

side beams la and cross-beams (not shown) intercon¬ necting the side beams. At their ends, the side beams la have wheels 2 for displacing the orthopaedic table. A hollow post 3 is fixed on the cross-beams of the lower frame 1 at the centre thereof and is provided at its upper end with a support plate 4 supporting a lifting device 5 having a lifting screw 5a. The screw 5a, carrying a bearing plate 6 at its upper end, is movable upwards and downwards between an upper position and a lower position in which it extends down into the hollow post 3 through an opening in the support plate 4. In Fig. 1, the screw 5a is shown adjacent its upper position.

The orthopaedic table further has an upper frame 7 having a rectangular upper frame member 7a and four legs 7b. The upper frame 7 carries a yoke 8 which extends transversely of the frame member 7a between the centres of its side beams, and a yoke 9 which extends transversely of the frame member 7a between its side beams in a position slightly to the right (Fig. 1) of the yoke 8.

The yoke 8 carries a cylindrical bearing element

10 which is so mounted on a transverse bearing journal

11 on the bearing plate 6 that the upper frame 7 is rotatable in relation to the lower frame 1 about the axis Al of the journal 11. The upper frame 7 is thus rotatably supported by the bearing plate 6 and is vertically adjustable in relation to the lower frame 1 by means of the lifting device 5 and its screw 5a. In order to increase the stability between the two frames 1 and 7, guide bars (not shown) parallel to the screw 5a may be fixed on. the yoke 8 and extend through guiding and stabilizing sleeves (not shown) fixed on the support plate 4. Midway between the side beams of the frame member 7a, the yoke 9 has an attachment 12 for a pivot pin (not shown) extending transversely of the table. A

strut 13 rigidly connected to the bearing plate 6 extends obliquely downwardly therefrom and has at its lower end an attachment 14 for a pivot pin (not shown) extending transversely of the table. An adjusting member 15 of adjustable length is mounted at its ends on the pivot pins in the two attachments 12 and 14. The adjusting member 15 is pivotal about the axes A2 and A3 of the pivot pins. In the preferred embo¬ diment illustrated, the adjusting member 15 is a servo adjusting member which is obtainable from the Swedish company SKF under the designation CARR 40x300xl/D24C and which has two coaxial tubes 15a and 15b which are telescopically movable in relation to each other by means of a ball screw included in the adjusting member. Upon extension of the adjusting member 15, the upper frame 7 is tilted about the axis Al anti¬ clockwise (Fig. 1) in relation to the lower frame 1, and upon shortening of the adjustment member 15, the tilting movement occurs clockwise. If the strut 13, e.g. for lack of space, can¬ not extend obliquely downwardly in the manner shown in Fig. 1, i.e. such that the pivot pins in the at¬ tachments 12 and 14 are located in one and the same vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the table, the two pivot pins are suitably replaced by ball-and-socket joints.

The upper frame 7 supports a table-like support¬ ing means 16 consisting of two supporting elements 16a and 16b arranged after each other in the longi- tudinal direction of the orthopaedic table. Each sup¬ porting element 16a and 16b is in the form of a rec¬ tangular frame carrying a pad 17a and 17b, respectively. In their initial position shown in Fig. 1, the support¬ ing elements 16a, 16b form a substantially planar, horizontal supporting surface for the patient to be treated. The patient should be fastened on the pads 17a, 17b of the supporting elements 16a, 16b by means

of straps or the like (not shown). At the head end, the supporting means 16 is equipped with a handle 18 and at its foot end with a foot-rest 19. The handle 18 and the foot-rest 19 can be replaced by arrangements of other designs specially suited for the patient to be treated.

At their adjacent short sides, the supporting elements 16a and 16b each has a bearing sleeve 20 extending along the respective longitudinal centre axis A4a, A4b, respectively, of the supporting elements. A pivot pin 21 is mounted in each bearing sleeve 20 for rotation relative thereto about the axis A4a and A4b, respectively. At one end, the pivot pins 21 are rotatably connected to the upper frame 7 for rotation about a respective transverse, horizontal axis A5 and A6. The axes A5 and A6 are defined by two journals (not shown) which are mounted in an attachment 22 fixedly connected to the yoke 8. Each supporting element 16a, 16b thus is so articulated to the upper frame 7 by the articulation system formed of the bearing sleeve 20, the pivot pin 21 and the attachment 22 with the respective journal, that it is rotatable in relation to the upper frame 7, both about the axis A5 and A6, respectively, and about the axis A4a and A4b, respectively, extending at right angles thereto. Further, each supporting element 16a, 16b is connected on both sides to the upper frame 7 by an adjusting member 23 of adjustable length. In the pre¬ ferred embodiment illustrated, each adjusting member 23 is a servo adjusting member which can be obtained from SKF under the designation CARR 32x300xl/D24C and which has two coaxial tubes which are telescopical- ly movable in relation to each other by means of a ball screw included in the adjusting member. At its upper end, each adjusting member 23 is so articulated to the respective supporting element 16a, 16b by articulation means 24 that it is rotatable

in relation to the supporting element, both about an axis A7 (for supporting element 16a) extending transversely thereof, and A8 (for supporting element 16b), and about an axis A9, A10 and All, A12, respec- tively, extending at right angles to the axis A7 and A8, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the articulation means 24 includes a first articulation member 24a rotatably connected to the supporting element 16a and 16b about the axis A7 and A8, respectively, and a second articulation member 24b which is rotatably connected to the first articulation member about the axis A9 , A10 and All, A12, respectively, and which is rigidly connected to the upper end of the adjusting member 23. The articulation means 24 may also consist of ball-and-socket joints.

At its lower end, each adjusting member 23 is so articulated to the legs 7b of the upper frame 7 by a ball-and-socket joint (not shown), that it is rotatable in relation to the upper frame 7, both about a horizontal axis A13 (for supporting element 16a) extending transversely of the table, and A14 (for supporting element 16b), and about an axis A16 and A17, respectively, extending at right angles to the axis A13 and A14, respectively. As will have been appreciated, each supporting element 16a and 16b is rotatable about the axis A5 and A6 , respectively, by extending or shortening both its adjusting members 23 in an identical manner. As will also have been appreciated, each supporting element 16a and 16b is rotatable about the axis A4a and A4b, respectively, in that one adjusting member 23 is ex¬ tended or shortened while the other adjusting member 23 is shortened or extended, respectively, to a cor¬ responding degree. The above-mentioned heeling movements are produced by different combinations of such extension and shortening of the adjusting members 23 _. .