Abstract:
A therapeutic exercise support system for patients helps stabilize a body area, such as a neck, lower back or knee, during exercise. The systems and methods include a first body formed of a compressible material, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface and a cavity formed therein, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body. The open cavity allows the density of the first body to be raised to suit different needs. Additionally, at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body, as well as at least one elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body from a base structure, may be included.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/702,380, to Chang Jun Yu, titled “Therapeutic Neck Exercise Pillow” and filed on Sep. 18, 2012. The &#39;380 application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present device relates to supports, and particularly exercise supports. More specifically, the device relates to a customizable therapeutic exercise support device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Physical therapy is a well-established branch of medicine and has developed as a useful means for helping people with specific physical issues function at a higher level. A physical therapist works with a patient using specifically prescribed exercises to, among other things, improve range of motion, reduce pain and swelling, and strengthen muscles. 
         [0004]    Often during such exercises, it is important to properly support certain of the patients appendages. For this, the therapist has numerous pillows, pads, and the like. However, when it comes to supporting a patient&#39;s body, such as the head and neck, one-size certainly does not fit all. In fact, when it comes to supporting the most vital appendage of the human body, many factors, such as contour, density and hardness, vary significantly by patient. This is true for lower back support and knee support as well. 
         [0005]    A support device is needed that better facilitates exercise by individuals with flexibility and/or medical issues of the type described above. Ideally, the improved support device would be inherently stable and decrease the pressure felt by the individual by providing a larger contact area or interface between the device and the individual during exercise. It would be desirable to have a system which could be adjusted as to height and density to fit each individual&#39;s unique body and support needs. Such a device and the method for using it, would have therapeutic benefits to patients. Chiropractors, physiatrists, orthopedists and physical therapists would especially find the device and methods to be very useful in patient care. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    There is disclosed herein an improved therapeutic exercise support system for patients to help stabilize a body area, such as a neck, lower back or knee, during rehabilitating or strengthening exercises. The disclosed system and methods avoid the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages. 
         [0007]    Generally speaking, the exercise support device comprises a first body formed of a compressible material having a density, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface and a cavity formed therein, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body. In use the open cavity allow the overall density of the first body to be raised to suit different needs. 
         [0008]    In an embodiment, the first body is paired with at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material having a density and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body. The placement of the insertable second body increases the overall density of the first body. Preferably, the at least one insertable second body comprises at least three separately insertable second bodies formed of compressible material and each having a different density. The insertable second bodies may be coded, according to density, to facilitate selection of the proper density each use. This coding may be one of either a different alphanumeric display on each body or a different color on each body. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, the first body may be paired with at least one elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body from a base structure. The at least one elevating panel preferably comprises at least three identical elevating panels. However, the at least one elevating panel may comprise at least three elevating panels of different densities and/or thicknesses. 
         [0010]    In still another embodiment, both the insertable body and the elevating panel may be combined with the first body. 
         [0011]    These and other aspects, embodiments, and advantages of the therapeutic system are disclosed in greater detail below. Such aspects, embodiments and advantages, explicitly stated and implied, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art from a reading of the disclosure in conjunction with the appended drawing figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present support system, including several elevating bodies; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is various views of an embodiment of the first body of the present support system; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the first body of  FIG. 1  and a cover; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4A-E  are various views of an embodiment of the system utilizing a customized cover; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a side view of an embodiment of a plurality of elevating third body devices; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present support system; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of a base surface of the first body of  FIG. 4 , including an insertable body; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 4  showing the insertable body secured within the first body; and 
           [0021]      FIGS. 10A-K  are a collection of diagrams illustrating possible configurations of the present support system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated. 
         [0023]    As shown in the multiple images of  FIGS. 10A through 10K , one use of the pillow is to support neck curvature. Maintaining a healthy cervical curvature becomes more important as one gets older. 
         [0024]    The degeneration of neck curvature occurs more from front to back of the cervical spine compared to the side. Current pillows are made to support the C-curvature of the user&#39;s neck while they sleep on their backs, and to maintain the straight alignment of the neck on their side. 
         [0025]    However, some users sleep on their stomach and cannot change their sleeping posture due to habit. Therefore, other pillows can become useless for stomach sleepers. 
         [0026]    The pillow disclosed herein can be beneficial for users who sleep on their back, side and stomach because it allows for them to receive proper neck support to help them maintain their healthy, C-curvature. 
         [0027]    The disclosed support systems are designed to maintain the cervical spine for users who have different stages of degeneration. This is made possible by controlling the height of the support surface through attachable supporting panels under the head part. The pillow disclosed herein can be used for neck strengthening exercises while properly supporting their neck curvature. Exercises are done with the user laying on a base, such as a table, bed or floor, to stabilize the upper trunk which omits the compensation of upper trunk muscles. 
         [0028]    Stabilizing the upper trunk allows for a more focused exercise of the neck, or other body area, without the necessity of using the upper trunk muscles. 
         [0029]    While the figures and descriptions are almost exclusively directed to a neck exercise device, it should be understood that the device is also suitable for support during exercise of other body parts, including the lower back and knees. Those skilled in the art would fully understand the applicability of the systems to these additional uses from the disclosure provided herein. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , there is illustrated two embodiments of the exercise support system, generally referenced herein by the number  10 . The first support system  10  is comprised of two distinct bodies, a first body  12  and at least one elevating panel  14 . The second support device system  110  adds a third component, an insertable body portion  16  to allow adjustments to the support. Together these two and three body systems,  10  and  110 , are capable of multiple configurations, as will be explained in greater detail below. 
         [0031]    With respect to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , a system  10  for supporting a user&#39;s neck (or other body area) during exercise is illustrated. The first body  12  preferably has a truncated hemispherical cylinder shape and is comprised of a foamed material, such as a polyurethane. The material used to form the first body  12  should have a consistent density throughout. The first body  12  has a contoured contact surface  20  and a flat bottom or base surface  22 . As shown, the bottom or base surface  22  of the first body  12  includes a cavity, orifice or depression  24  that is constructed and arranged to make the first body  12  more pliable or less stiff as a user puts his or her neck on the pillow comfortably. That is, as a user adds weight to the pillow, the general shape of the space in the cavity  24  will change as the pillow is compressed, and the cavity  24  fills with the upper portion  26 . Preferably, the cavity  24  is centered at the base surface  22  and has a depth to the approximate center mass of the first body  12 . However, other locations of the cavity  12  may be possible to produce similar results. 
         [0032]    As to the elevating panels  14 , these “bodies” are used to elevate the first body  12  into a sufficiently supportive configuration. A plurality of elevating panels  14  having substantially identical thicknesses are preferably used to allow incremental increases of the height of the first body  12 . For example, if each elevating panel  14  is only one-inch thick, a total of four panels would be necessary to allow the first body  12  to be raised to four inches by one inch increments, i.e., one-inch elevated, two-inches elevated, three-inches elevated, and four-inches elevated. However, panels of differing thicknesses (not shown) may be used as well. For example, providing just three panels, i.e., a one-inch panel, a two-inch panel, and a three-inch panel, would allow the first body  12  to be raised one-inch, two-inches, three-inches, four-inches (1″+3″ panels), five-inches (2″+3″ panels) or even six-inches (1″+2″+3″ panels). 
         [0033]    Further, the elevating panels  14  are also preferably made of a polyurethane foam, but may be constructed of other suitable materials. The elevating panels  14  are preferably rectangular, which is useful for supporting a patient&#39;s head, neck or knee. However, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the elevating portions may be semi-elliptical for use in supporting a patient&#39;s lower back during exercise. 
         [0034]    A second embodiment of the system  110  is illustrated in  FIGS. 6-9 . In this embodiment, system  110  includes the first body  112  and the elevating panels  114 , but also includes insertable body portions  16 . As a means for adjusting the overall density of the first body  112 , the user can add the insertable body portions  16  into the cavity  124  of the head portion. The insertable portions  16  are designed to fit snuggly into the cavity  124 . Preferably, the insertable portion  16  will generally be tubular, cylindrical or have a shape which allows it to fit snuggly in the defined cavity  124 . Insertable portions  16  are preferably made of polyurethane foam, or other similar material. In an embodiment of the inventive system  10 , there are a plurality of insertable portions  16 , each having a different density. Such a system  10  allows multiple adjustments to the overall density of the first body  12  by adding one of the various insertable body portions  16  into the cavity  124 . Further, to allow quick identification of the different insertable portions  16 , each may be coded, by a color (e.g., red, orange, green, yellow), a number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, . . . ), a letter (e.g., A, B, C, . . . ), or a similar identifiers which might represent various degrees of increasing density or hardness. 
         [0035]    In other variations of the disclosed embodiments, the first body  12  (or  112 ) may be made using vinyl or other fabric that is filled with buckwheat or other similar materials. Preferred embodiments made using a fabric filled with particulate materials would still contain a cavity  24  in the base surface  22  of the first body  12 . 
         [0036]    Additionally, embodiments may also include a cover  30  for the first body  12  (or  112 ). The cover  30  may be made from vinyl or various types of fabric to keep the first body  12  clean and in place. The cover  30 , if used, may be fastened around the first body  12  using any known means, including hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro® brand products), magnets, zippers or snap fasteners. Use of fasteners will help keep the contents within the pillow in place. The cover  30  can be bound tightly or loosely, depending on a user&#39;s neck size for example. If the user has a shorter neck, the fastener of the cover  30  may be tightly fastened to compress and reduce the size of the first body  12  within it. If the user has a longer neck, the fastener can be loosely fastened so that it does not compress the first body  12  as much. In some embodiments, the first body  12  may be spray coated with a vinyl based coating to serve as a cover. 
         [0037]    As for the height adjustment or elevating panels  14 , the system  10  should include at least one or more to increase the ability for use on several different patients or body areas. The panels  14  may be made from the same material as the head portion, or other materials can be substituted to increase or decrease rigidity. In some embodiments, the elevating panels  14  may be fastened to the first body  12  and to other panels  14  using hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro® brand products), although other means known in the art, such as snap fasteners, may be used. The elevating panels  14  may also be fastened to the first body  12  and other panels using magnets to make it easier to align the components. Magnets can be adhered to the panels  14  and first body  12 , as needed. 
         [0038]    Much like the first body  12 , the elevating panels  14  may have a vinyl cover, or other various type of fabric cover to ensure that the magnets will stay in place. 
         [0039]    The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants&#39; contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.