Abstract:
The legs of a bedridden patient can be exercised by attaching a shoe-attachable unit to each shoe of the patient and rotating and maneuvering the legs of the patient via the shoe-attachable units.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the general art of medical devices and methods, and to the particular field of therapy. 
   2. Discussion of the Related Art 
   Many people find themselves bedridden for great lengths of time. In some cases, the person&#39;s muscles may atrophy. This can be the case with a person&#39;s legs and feet. For this reason, many health care facilities have therapists who help bedridden patients exercise while the patient remains in bed. The therapist helps the patient exercise certain muscles in a manner that ameliorates the effects of a long period of bed confinement. 
   Heretofore, a therapist was required to exercise each leg separately from the other leg. This is not efficient use of the therapist&#39;s time. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s feet that is efficient. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s legs that is efficient and will permit the exercise to be carried out while the patient is wearing shoes or lightweight sneakers. 
   Since most patient&#39;s feet will be different from the feet of other patients, any means and method used to conduct therapy that will permit the patient to retain his or her shoes in place must be amenable to accommodating different size shoes. This accommodation should not require a great deal of effort from the therapist, otherwise the purpose of the device to achieve efficiency may be vitiated. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s legs that is efficient and will permit the exercise to be carried out while the patient is wearing shoes and will efficiently accommodate shoes of varying sizes. 
   A therapist may wish to use one of his or her hands to help a patient or to steady himself or herself during the exercise. However, if both hands are required to manipulate an exercise device, this objective may be difficult to attain. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a therapy device that can make exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s leg more efficient while allowing a therapist to keep one hand free or exercise both legs at the same time. 
   Since all patients are slightly different and have different needs and comfort levels, a single device will not be efficient for use with all patients. Thus, it will be advantageous if a therapy device can be modified to meet the particular needs of an individual patient. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a therapy device that can make exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s foot more efficient and which can be customized to meet the needs of a particular patient. 
   PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s leg that is efficient. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s leg that is efficient and will permit the exercise to be carried out while the patient is wearing shoes. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s feet that is efficient and will permit the exercise to be carried out while the patient is wearing shoes and will efficiently accommodate shoes of varying sizes. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a therapy device that can make exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s foot more efficient while allowing a therapist to keep one hand free. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a therapy device that can make exercising a bedridden patient&#39;s foot more efficient and which can be customized to meet the needs of a particular patient. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   These, and other, objects are achieved by a means and a method of exercising the legs of a bedridden patient. The means includes a shoe-attachable unit that includes means for adjusting the size of the unit to accommodate shoes of various sizes. The unit further includes straps for attaching the unit to the patient&#39;s shoe, and a handle to be grasped by the therapist. The method is carried out by the therapist grasping the handle and manipulating the patient&#39;s foot via the shoe-attachable unit. 
   In an application of the present invention, the patient is usually bedridden, so it is not necessary to steady him or her. The present invention allows one hand per each leg, so that makes it possible to work both legs simultaneously. The therapist can grasp two units at the same time so both of a patient&#39;s legs can be exercised at the same time. 
   Using the means and method embodying the present invention will permit a therapist to exercise both legs of a patient at the same time while the patient wears his or her shoes. The means and method is easily and quickly adjusted to accommodate various shoe sizes. The therapy device can be customized to meet the particular needs of a patient and can be used in a manner that frees one hand of the therapist for other tasks. The means and method of the present invention is thus both efficient and preferable to most patients and therapists. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a device for performing foot therapy embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a reduced side elevational view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a further reduced perspective view of the device shown in  FIG. 1  in a use condition. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
   Referring to the Figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a device  10  for performing leg therapy. Device  10  comprises a base unit  12  that is adapted to be secured to a shoe of a patient for use. Base unit  12  includes a heel section  14  which includes a base plate  16  which has a first surface  18  that is a top surface when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe and which is adapted to abut a sole of a shoe of a patient adjacent to the heel of the shoe when the base unit  12  is secured to the shoe of the patient. Plate  16  further includes a second surface  20  which is a bottom surface when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe, a first end  22  which is a forward end when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe, a second end  24  which is a rear end when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe, and a longitudinal axis  26  which extends between the first end  22  of the base plate  16  and the second end  24  of the base plate  16 . A heel ridge  28  is secured to the second end  24  of the base plate  16  and is oriented at a right angle to the first surface  18  of the base plate  16  and which is adapted to engage the heel of the shoe of the patient when the base unit  12  is secured to the shoe of the patient. The shape of the heel ridge  28  is arcuate. The heel section  14  further includes a first side  30 , a second side  32 , and a transverse axis  34  which extends between the first side  30  of the heel section  14  and the second side  32  of the heel section  14 . 
   Base unit  12  further includes a forward section  40  which includes a base plate  42  which has a first surface  44  that is a top surface when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe and which is adapted to abut a sole of a shoe adjacent to a toe of the shoe of a patient when the base unit  12  is secured to the shoe of the patient. Forward section  40  further includes a second surface  46  which is a bottom surface when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe. Forward section  40  further includes a first end  48  which is a forward end when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe, a second end  50  which is a rear end when the base unit  12  is secured to a shoe, and a longitudinal axis  52  which extends between the first end  48  of the base plate  42  of the forward section  40  and the second end  50  of the base plate  42  of the forward section  40  and which is co-linear with the longitudinal axis  26  of the heel section  14  of the base unit  12 . The forward section  40  further includes a first side  60 , a second side  62 , and a transverse axis  64  extending between the first side  60  of the forward section  40  and the second side  62  of the forward section  40 . 
   Device  10  further includes a size-adjusting unit  70  movably connecting the forward section  40  to the heel section  14  and which includes two rods  72  and  74 . Each rod  72 ,  74  includes a first end  76  movably attached to the second surface  46  of the forward section  40  and a second end  78  movably attached to the second surface  20  of the heel section  14 . Each rod  72 ,  74  has a longitudinal axis, such as longitudinal axis  80  of rod  72 , which extends between the first end  76  of each rod  72 ,  74  and the second end  78  of each rod  72 ,  74  and which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis  52  of the forward section  40 . The two rods  72 ,  74  are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the transverse axis  34  of the heel section  14 . 
   A bracket unit  90  includes an externally threaded bolt  92  mounted in the forward section  40  and extending from the second surface  46  of the forward section  40 , a wing nut  94  having a threaded section  96  that is adapted to threadably engage the threaded bolt  92 , and a bracket element  100  which includes a central hole  102  adapted to accommodate the threaded bolt  92 . Bracket element  100  further includes two channels  104  and  106 . Each channel  104 ,  106  is sized to snugly accommodate one of the two rods  72 ,  74  of the size-adjusting unit  70 . 
   Device  10  further includes an adjustable handle unit  110  which includes a first L-shaped section  112  which has a first portion  114  with a proximal end  116  thereof fixedly mounted on the second surface  46  of the forward section  40  and a second portion  118  which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis  52  of the forward section  40  toward the second end  50  of the forward section  40 . The second portion  118  of the first L-shaped section  112  has a distal end  120  which is spaced apart from the second end  50  of the forward section  40  and which is also spaced apart from the second surface  46  of the forward section  40 . The second portion  118  of the first L-shaped section  112  has a screw thread  122  defined thereon adjacent to the distal end  120  of the second portion  118  of the first L-shaped section  112 . 
   A second L-shaped section  130  has a first portion  132  with a proximal end  134  thereof fixedly mounted on the second surface  20  of the heel section  14  and a second portion  136  which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis  26  of the heel section  14  toward the first end  22  of the heel section  14 . The second portion  136  of the second L-shaped section  130  has a distal end  138  which is spaced apart from the first end  22  of the heel section  14  and which is also spaced apart from the second surface  20  of the heel section  14 . The second portion  136  of the second L-shaped section  130  has a screw thread  140  defined thereon adjacent to the distal end  138  of the second portion  136  of the second L-shaped section  130 . 
   A double threaded nut  144  has a first threaded portion  146  that is adapted to threadably engage the screw thread  122  defined on the second portion  118  of the first L-shaped section  112  and a second threaded portion  148  that is adapted to threadably engage the screw thread  140  defined on the second portion  136  of the second L-shaped section  130 . 
   A strap unit  150  includes a first strap  152  which includes a proximal end  154  fixedly attached to the heel section  14  adjacent to the first side  30  of the heel section  14  and adjacent to the first end  22  of the heel section  14 . The first strap  152  includes a distal end  156  and hook-and-loop fastener material  158  thereon. 
   A second strap  160  includes a proximal end  162  fixedly attached to the heel section  14  adjacent to the second side  32  of the heel section  14  and adjacent to the first end  22  of the heel section  14 . The second strap  160  further includes a distal end  164  and hook-and-loop fastener material  166 . 
   A third strap  170  includes a proximal end  172  fixedly attached to the forward section  40  adjacent to the first side  60  of the forward section  40  and adjacent to the first end  48  of the forward section  40 . The third strap  170  includes a distal end  174  and hook-and-loop fastener material  176  thereon. 
   A fourth strap  180  includes a proximal end  182  fixedly attached to the forward section  40  adjacent to the second side  62  of the forward section  40  and adjacent to the first end  48  of the forward section  40 . The fourth strap  180  includes a distal end  186  and hook-and-loop fastener material  188  thereon. 
   The method of using device  10  will now be described. A first device  10  is fitted to and secured to one shoe of the patient using the size-adjusting features described above and the strap unit  150  described above. The therapist then grasps the adjustable handle unit  110  of the first device  10  and rotates and maneuvers the first device  10  and the leg connected to the foot of the patient that is attached to the first shoe using the adjustable handle unit  110 . 
   The therapist can also exercise the patient&#39;s other foot by fitting and securing a second device  10  to the second shoe of the patient, grasping the adjustable handle  110  unit of the second device  10  and rotating and maneuvering the second leg connected to the foot of the patient using the second device  10  while simultaneously rotating and maneuvering the first leg connected to the first foot of the patient using the first device  10 . Alternatively, if only one device  10  is used, the therapist will have one hand free to complete other tasks if desired. 
   It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.