Patent Publication Number: US-9895285-B2

Title: Hot stone therapy and acupressure apparatus and method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/511,814, filed Jul. 26, 2011. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This patent application relates to a massage apparatus and method which employs a rod and/or stones in performing massage therapy with clients. More specifically this patent application relates to a massage apparatus and method which incorporates a specially designed rod with removable attachments and the use of stones which can be inserted onto the rod or used individually. The stones can further be used to conduct a cold and/or hot stone massage. 
     2. Background 
     Traditional hot stone massage therapy employs large, flat stones which are heated in a hot water bath. The stones are then extracted from the bath and rubbed on a patient&#39;s back or limbs. Traditional hot stone massage has a number of limitations. First, there is a potential for burns to both the massage therapist as well as the patient. Patient burns also raise the specter of potential lawsuits. Indeed, there have been specific instances of patient burns from hot stone massage before the courts. Second, the stones are relatively thin and flat. During a massage, one surface is housed in the hand of the therapist while the opposite surface contacts the body of the patient. All of this contact causes the stones to quickly cool thereby requiring exchanging of the stones to maintain proper heat. However, exchanging stones presents its own drawbacks. First, the stones are in a hot water bath making it difficult and dangerous to extract stones from the bath. Second, massage oils are frequently used in conjunction with the hot stones. The oil/water mixture causes the stones to become very slippery. The slippery stones are difficult to control and only superficial treatment can be provided. The too hot, slippery stones do not allow for deep tissue massage. Finally, cooling of the stones and their constant exchanging requires a large number of stones to be prepared causing hot stone massage to be labor intensive, particularly when cleaning the stones between uses to ensure that there is no bacterial buildup on the stones. 
     An alternative massage technique utilizes a bamboo rod where the bamboo rod is designed to work on various parts of the body to maximize leverage and gravity with sliding, rolling, kneading, pivoting, levering, tapping and friction techniques. The bamboo rod allows a therapist to provide greater pressure to the client permitting a deeper massage. Further, the use of the rod reduces the amount of stress of the wrists and thumbs of the therapist, thereby extending a therapist&#39;s career. However, there are significant drawbacks to a massage performed solely with a bamboo rod. First, rolling the rod along the back can impact on the spine and cause the patient pain. Second, if oil is used in conjunction with the bamboo, the surface of the rod becomes slippery, negatively impacting the amount of pressure that can be applied to the body. Last, although a rod is used, the massage therapist is still required to use a great deal of force to conduct the massage. This required force tires the therapist and can lead to injury or a shortened career. Importantly, deep tissue or acupressure massage is not possible with existing bamboo rods as these rods have flat ends perpendicular to the long axis of the rod. These flat ends present sharps edges unsuitable for use in massage. 
     Thus, it is readily apparent that there is a long-felt need for a massage apparatus which permits a massage therapist to perform both hot stone massage and bamboo massage without the need for oils or lubricants. More particularly, there is a need for a massage apparatus which allows for hot stone massage without injuring either the therapist or the patient while also allowing for bamboo massage with increase leverage and pressure thereby providing deeper massage without overly stressing the therapist. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide a massage apparatus capable of performing numerous massage therapy techniques including hot stone massage and bamboo massage without the need for oils or lubricants. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a massage apparatus capable of performing numerous massage therapy techniques including hot stone massage and bamboo massage where hot stones are generally donut-shaped and are placed on a bamboo rod. 
     A further object of the present invention it to provide a massage apparatus capable of performing numerous massage therapy techniques including hot stone massage and bamboo massage while also including additional tools to perform deep tissue massage. 
     The above and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the present invention which comprises a hot stone therapy and acupressure apparatus comprising a rod having an outer diameter, a first end, a second end and a middle section, at least one stone removably mounted on the rod, wherein each stone is shaped as a hollow cylinder defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, with the interior surface having a diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rod wherein each stone is independently axially movable and positionable along the middle section of the rod, the first end and said second end portions of the rod extending beyond the at least one stone thereby forming a pair of handles for facilitating gripping the rod and positioning the apparatus across a person&#39;s body, and at least one acupressure pin removably mounted to the rod for positioning, removing and replacing the at least one stone and for applying acupressure to said person&#39;s body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention and the manner in which it may be practiced is further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view one embodiment of the present invention where a short acupressure pin is removably inserted into a through-bore on the tapered end of the rod with a series of stones and spacers removably threaded onto the rod. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the major components comprising one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an illustrative example of one exercise using an embodiment of the present invention where two stones are nested between smaller diameter spacers with a smaller diameter spacer placed between the stones for use in a rolling massage around the spine. 
         FIG. 5  is an illustrative example of one exercise using an embodiment of the present invention where four stones are nested between smaller diameter spacers for use in a deep tissue massage. A small acupressure pin is inserted into the through-bore at the blunt end of the rod while a long acupressure pin is inserted into the through-bore at the tapered end of the rod. 
         FIG. 6  is an illustrative example of one exercise using an embodiment of the present invention where a short acupressure pin is inserted into the tapered end of the rod with the short acupressure pin used for deep tissue massage. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     At the outset, it should be clearly understood that reference numerals are intended to identify the information found in the block diagrams in the several drawing figures, as may be further described or explained by the entire written specification of which this detailed description is an integral part. The drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be construed as a portion of the entire “written description” of this invention as required by 35 U.S.C. §112. 
     A hot stone therapy and acupressure apparatus is disclosed, comprising a rod having an outer diameter, a first end, a second end and a middle section, at least one stone removably mounted on the rod, wherein each stone is shaped as a hollow cylinder defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, with the interior surface having a diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rod wherein each stone is independently axially movable and positionable along the middle section of the rod, the first end and said second end portions of the rod extending beyond the at least one stone thereby forming a pair of handles for facilitating gripping the rod and positioning the apparatus across a person&#39;s body, and at least one acupressure pin removably mounted to the rod for positioning, removing and replacing the at least one stone and for applying acupressure to said person&#39;s body. 
     Adverting now to the drawings, with reference to  FIG. 1 , a preferred embodiment of the hot stone therapy and acupressure apparatus (also referred to as a massage apparatus) of the present invention is indicated generally by numeral  100 . Massage apparatus  100  is generally comprised of rod  120 ; stones  130 , spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 ; and removable acupressure pins  144 . Rod  120  is generally cylindrical of a suitable diameter for conducting a massage. In a preferred embodiment, each end of rod  120  is rounded over with end  122  having a blunt profile while end  124  has a longer, more tapered profile. Proximate each end of rod  120  are blind threaded holes into which acupressure pins  144  are removably inserted. Preferably, the first blind threaded hole is oriented ninety degrees from the orientation of the second blind threaded hole for the purpose of allowing a therapist to apply targeted acupressure simultaneously with a rolling hot stone therapy. The ninety degree offset orientation also gives the therapist more leverage when using ends  122 ,  124  of rod  120  for acupressure purposes. 
     Rod  120  can be constructed of any suitable material including wood, metal, or plastic. Preferably, rod  120  is composed of a dense hardwood such as black walnut, and more preferably constructed of laminated bamboo. Stones  130  are generally hollow cylinders having an interior diameter slightly larger than the diameter of rod  120  such that the stones can slide on to and off of the rod. Preferably, stones  130  are selected to accept and hold heat for a long period of time without significant cooling of the stones. Stones  130  are preferably made out of soapstone or some other very dense stone with a high specific heat capacity, such as jade, basalt or marble, but can also be constructed of any other suitable material, including wood, metal, or plastic. Soapstone in particular has a specific heat capacity of 0.98 J/g K, compared to basalt rock, which has a specific heat capacity of 0.84 J/g K or marble, which has a specific heat capacity of 0.88 J/g K. Stones  130  are also preferably high in mass, non-porous (i.e. hypoallergenic), and non-stick (thereby applying less friction to the spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  and the rod  120 ). Stones  130  can be used to conduct a hot stone massage. Stones  130  can be used in conjunction with rod  120  for a rolling hot stone massage or without rod  120  as individual massage stones or as placement stones for use in a traditional hot stone massage. Additionally, stones  130  can also be used as cold therapy stones, or alternate hot &amp; cold stones can be used. 
     Stones  130  are preferably beveled on both the interior and exterior surfaces with an approximate ⅜″ radius. The bevel of stone  130  can be rounded further, which will create the effect of a deeper tissue massage when rolled over the body of a person. A perfectly flat exterior surface of stone  130  would pinch and pull the hair off the skin of a user if multiple flat stones  130  were placed directly next to each other on rod  120 . By having multiple stones  130  directly next to each other on rod  120 , this limits where heat from the stones can dissipate, thereby allowing them to cool less quickly. Similarly to the problem with stones  130  having a flat exterior surface, a perfectly flat interior surface of stone  130  would cause more wear and tear to rod  120  when stones  130  are being rolled using rod  120  as an axis. 
     Spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  are generally ring-shaped discs of various diameters. Each spacer has an integrated hole in its center having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of rod  120  such that the spacers can slide on to and off of the rod. Spacers  131  have the largest diameter of the set of spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 , while spacers  132  have the widest surface of the set of spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 . Spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  can be constructed of any suitable material, including wood, metal, plastic, or stone. Spacers  136  have the smallest external diameter of the set of spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 . Spacers  136  are also the thinnest of the spacers. Spacers  136  are primarily used to create gaps between stones  130 , and/or spacers  131 ,  132 , and/or  134 , and are preferably constructed of a minimally heat conductive material such as wood or plastic. More preferably, spacers  136  are constructed of suitable plastic due to their thin cross-section as wood of this thickness would crack and splinter over the course of repeating heating and cooling caused by stones  130  during a hot stone massage. Spacers  134  are of intermediate external diameter of the set of spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 . As shown, these spacers can have different cross-sectional widths (e.g. spacers  134  have a wider cross-section than spacers  136 ). Spacers  134  and  136  are employed as spacers and also function as buffers during hot stone massage. Spacers  134  and/or  136  are placed proximate the ends of rod  120  with stones  130  nested between spacers  134  and/or  136 . The hands of the therapist do not come into direct contact with hot stones  130  but are in contact with either spacers  134  and/or  136 , or acupressure pins  144 . Spacers  134  and  136  are constructed of any suitable insulating material such as wood or plastic. Preferably, spacers  134  and  136  are constructed of wood merely for aesthetic purposes. 
     Massage apparatus  100  also preferably comprises two acupressure pins  144 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , an acupressure pin is inserted into each blind threaded hole on rod  120  to constrain the stones and spacers on the rod. Acupressure pins  144  are also employed as handles to provide additional leverage when using rod  120  in a deep tissue massage. The ends of acupressure pins  144  can themselves be used to conduct deep tissue massage. Massage apparatus  100  will allow the therapist to apply two types of pressure spots on a patient&#39;s body simultaneously by using a combination of rolling stones  130  along with sliding acupressure pins  144 . Massage apparatus  100  can also be used as a percussion tool in a slide-hammer application. 
     Massage apparatus  100  has numerous unexpected results as a consequence of its design. Generally in hot stone therapy, hot stones are moved across a patient&#39;s skin by sliding, requiring the application of oils or lubricants to the skin and/or stone to facilitate the sliding action. A major advantage of massage apparatus  100  over tools currently used in the industry is that, due to the rolling stone feature of massage apparatus  100 , oils or lubricants are not needed to perform hot stone therapy. In the instant disclosure, hot stone therapy is applied to a patient directly over sheets, draping, clothing, or on the skin, without the need for hot oils to be used at all. An oil-free hot stone therapy reduces injury risk both to the patient and to the therapist, accommodates modest patients who prefer to stay clothed during therapy, and also does not require the patient to bathe afterwards to remove any leftover oils. Hot stone therapy is completed in much less time using massage apparatus  100 . In addition, because rod  120  has acupressure components built into it (i.e. acupressure pins  140 ,  144 ), oils or lubricants are also not needed to perform acupressure on a patient using a sliding rod technique. 
     An additional unexpected result of massage apparatus  100  comes as a result of the design of stones  130 . Traditionally, stones used for hot stone therapy are rounded about their surface, and are heated using water, which is a time-consuming process. However, in the instant disclosure, because stones  130  are designed with a flat surface on each side (as opposed to a rounded surface), stones  130  can be heated on the surface of a griddle in a fraction of the time it normally takes to heat traditional stones in water. 
     Yet additional unexpected results of the instant design provide that stones  130  do not have to be handled directly by a therapist while performing hot stone therapy on a patient. Also, added benefits of massage apparatus  100  include increased leverage by the therapist using the handles of rod  120 , allowing deeper penetration of stones  130  and/or acupressure pins  140 ,  144  into targeted areas on the patient&#39;s body. 
       FIG. 2  is a top perspective view where short acupressure pin  140  is removably inserted into a blind threaded hole on the tapered end of rod  120 . A series of stones  130  and spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  are then removably slid onto the rod and are held on the rod by long acupressure pin  144 , which is removably inserted into a blind threaded hole on the blunted end of rod  120 . Additional combinations of stones and spacers can be added to the rod that results in a massage apparatus similar to that shown in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 4 . Alternatively, the arrangement shown in  FIG. 2  can be used to perform a massage where two stones  130  are used on the patient. 
       FIG. 2  shows side perspective views of ring-shaped stones  130  and spacers  131 ,  132 ,  146  and  136  illustrating the differing widths and diameters of the stones and spacers. Each stone and spacer has a similar internal bore which is slightly larger than the diameter of rod  120 , but each has differing external diameters. When massage apparatus  100  is used in a rolling massage, the stones  130  contact the patient&#39;s body while the smaller spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  do not contact the patient. 
     A preferred embodiment of massage apparatus  100  is shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 3 . As seen in the exploded view, rod  120  has acupressure pins  140  or  144  oriented at ninety degree angles from each other proximate each end of rod  120 . Two blind threaded holes (not shown) are located proximate blunt end  122  and tapered and  124  of rod  120  for receiving acupressure pins  140 ,  144 . Short acupressure pin  140  has a bulbous end  141  and a tapered shaft  142 . Bulbous end  141  can be constructed with varying radii lengths for different degrees of deep tissue massage. Preferably, tapered shaft  142  is constructed with a threaded tip  143  for screwing into a blind threaded hole on rod  120 . Alternatively, tapered shaft  142  is constructed so that it can be removably inserted into a through-bore on rod  120  where it is held in place by friction and a wedging action. Long acupressure pin  144  is constructed similarly to short acupressure pin  140  with a bulbous end  141  but has a longer tapered shaft  142 . Again, a non-threaded tapered shaft  142  can also be removably inserted into a through-bore on rod  120  where it is held in place by friction and a wedging action. Threaded acupressure pins  140 ,  144  are preferred over non-threaded acupressure pins because purely tapered pins can get loose after repeated insertions into rod  120 . 
     Acupressure pins  140  and  144 , like rod  120 , are preferably made out of bamboo. Acupressure pins are preferably removably inserted into rod  120  at a right angle, which will give the therapist the greatest amount of control to place the pressure on one specific spot on the patient&#39;s body. Acupressure pins  140 ,  144  can be used by themselves for acupressure or reflexology. Each of acupressure pins  140  and  144  are also used in conjunction with rod  120 , stones  130 , and spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  to perform multiple functions, to be discussed in greater detail in the methods below. Also shown in  FIG. 3  are stones  130 , as well as the varying external diameters of spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 , and the relative lengths of short acupressure pin  140  in relation to long acupressure pin  144 . 
     The massage apparatus of the present invention can be used to perform a rolling hot stone massage. The assembled massage apparatus  100  is preferably rolled within a common, thermostatically controlled heating pad. The heating pad is then set to the desired temperature such that the stones in contact with the pad are heated while the smaller diameter spacers and rod are not contacted by the pad. Thus, only the stones which are to contact the patient are heated while the remainder of the apparatus remains relatively cool to the touch. When ready for use, the therapist merely unrolls the heating pad, grabs the rod and rolls the stones on the patient. Through use of a heating pad, the therapist does not have to get his or her hands wet as is the case when using a hot water bath. The elimination of water is particularly important when massage oils are used as the apparatus is less slippery making it more easily manipulated in order to provide a more controlled massage. 
       FIGS. 4 through 6  are illustrative examples of the massage apparatus  100  in use to perform various massage exercises. 
       FIG. 4  is an illustrative example of a spinal massage exercise using a massage apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two stones  130  are nested between smaller diameter spacers  132 ,  134 , and  136  with smaller diameter spacers  132  and  134  placed between stones  130 . Thus, stones  130  are spaced apart from one another causing a valley to be formed between them via the smaller diameter spacers. Stones  130  contact the patient&#39;s body while the smaller diameter spacers do not contact patient  152 . Thus, therapist  150  is able to massage either side of the spine without directly impacting on the vertebrae. This type of massage is not possible using a traditional rod as the bones of the spine would be pressed by the rod causing patient discomfort and possible injury. Alternatively, therapist  150  could arrange stones  130  and spacers  132 ,  134 , and  136  in such a configuration as to massage one side of the spine using stones  130 , while massaging the other side of the spine simultaneously using acupressure pin  144 . 
     As discussed above, stones  130  can be heated, thereby providing a targeted hot stone massage to the spine without requiring the therapist  150  to hold or physically handle the hot stones  130  while also continuously changing the portion of the stone  130  in contact with the patient  152 , thereby increasing the amount of time heat is retained in the stone  130  while minimizing the amount of direct heat applied to a single point on the patient  152 . 
       FIG. 5  is an illustrative example of an exercise where two long acupressure pins  144  are inserted into the blind threaded holes of rod  120 . In the exercise shown in  FIG. 5 , the blunt end  122  of the rod  120  is used to perform a deep tissue massage on patient  152 . Long acupressure pins  144  are used to increase leverage applied to the blunt end  122  of the rod  120  providing for a deeper, more controlled massage. In addition, stones  130  are used to increase the overall weight of the massage apparatus, thereby allowing therapist  150  to give patient a deep tissue massage while not having to exert as much downward pressure on acupressure pins  144  as would otherwise be necessary. Spacers  134  and  136  are added to rod  120  to keep hot stones  130  away from the therapist&#39;s hands, as well as to lock stones  130  in tight between acupressure pins  144 . However, any additional combinations of stones and spacers can be used to perform the same exercise. 
     Similarly,  FIG. 6  is an illustrative example of an improved exercise using an embodiment of a massage apparatus of the present invention where short acupressure pin  140  is inserted into a blind threaded hole of rod  120 . With this improved apparatus, short acupressure pin  140  is used to conduct deep tissue massage with rod  120  providing additional leverage and control. 
     An additional exercise (not shown) can occur where rod  120  is used as a rolling rod without removable acupressure pins  140  or  144 , removable stones  130 , or removable spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , or  136 . The rod  120  then functions similarly to current bamboo rod massagers. 
     Yet another exercise (not shown) using the rod and acupressure pins of the massage apparatus of the present invention is described by long acupressure pin  144  being inserted into the a blind threaded hole of blunt end  122  of rod  120  while short acupressure pin  140  is inserted into a blind threaded hole of tapered end  124  of rod  120 . The tapered end of the rod is used to perform massage with the acupressure pins being used to increase user control and the leverage applied to the tapered end. 
     Still another exercise (not shown) uses only one stone  130  for conducting a massage using an apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention. A stone  130  is nested between smaller diameter spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  on rod  120 . Stone  130  is then rolled on the patient&#39;s body to perform a rolling massage. As discussed above, stone  130  can be a heated stone disc, thereby providing a targeted hot stone massage without requiring the therapist to hold or physically handle the hot stone while also continuously changing the portion of the stone in contact with the patient, thereby increasing the amount of time heat is retained in the stone while minimizing the amount of direct heat applied to a single point on the patient. 
     Another example (not shown) of one exercise using a massage apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention uses four stones  130  nested between smaller diameter spacers  131 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 . Small acupressure pins  140  are inserted into the blind threaded holes of the rod to hold the stones in place on the rod. The apparatus is then used in a rolling massage, since small acupressure pins  140  do not extend outward from rod  120  beyond the diameter of stones  130 . As discussed above, stones  130  can be heated, thereby providing a hot stone massage without requiring the therapist to hold or physically handle the hot stone while also continuously changing the portion of the stone in contact with the patient, thereby increasing the amount of time heat is retained in the stone while minimizing the amount of direct heat applied to a single point on the patient. 
     Although the disclosure has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It should be understood that applicant does not intend to be limited to the particular details described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In this regard, the term “means for” as used in the claims is intended to include not only the designs illustrated in the drawings of this application and the equivalent designs discussed in the text, but it is also intended to cover other equivalents now known to those skilled in the art, or those equivalents which may become known to those skilled in the art in the future.