Patent ID: 7883451

Claim:
A method to enhance return blood flow from a user's leg by engaging a calf pump mechanism comprising: (a) providing a frame; (b) providing on said frame at least one foot pedal having a toe end for supporting a toe portion of a user's foot and a heel end for supporting a heel portion of the user's foot, and a pivot axis located intermediate the toe portion and the heel portion of the foot pedal; (c) providing on said frame an inertia and momentum storage device having a mass that is freely movable on the frame in one direction of movement; (d) connecting said foot pedal to said inertia and momentum storage device; (e) using the toe portion and the heel portion of the user's foot to apply a force to said foot pedal and cause pivoting thereof about its pivot axis and to cause movement of said mass whenever the force applied to the foot pedal is greater than an inertia of said mass; (f) using the inertia of the moving mass to cause pivotal movement of said foot pedal whenever the inertia of said moving mass is greater than the force applied to said foot pedal by the user; and (g) with the mass initially at rest, applying a force by the user to the foot pedal to cause pivoting of the foot pedal about its pivot axis through a plurality of repetitions of back and forth pivotal movements of the foot pedal to overcome the inertia of the mass at rest and to then gradually increase a speed of movement of the mass in said one direction of movement until the mass reaches a desired rate of speed; and (h) after the mass reaches the desired rate of speed, periodically eliminating the force applied to foot pedal by the user and utilizing the inertia of the moving mass to pivot the foot pedal through a plurality of back and forth repetitions and cause the user's foot to be moved by the pivotal movements of the foot pedal during each of the plurality of back and forth repetitions of the pivotal movements of the foot pedal and thereby purge a circulatory system of the user in an area of muscles of the user being used, and while the mass is moving, periodically applying a force to the foot pedal by the user through another plurality of repetitions to gradually increase the speed of movement of the mass, whereby the mass in maintained in constant motion both during the plurality of repetitions of back and forth pivotal movements of the foot pedal caused by the user and during the plurality of repetitions of back and forth pivotal movements of the foot pedal caused by the inertia of the moving mass; wherein return blood flow from the user's leg is enhanced by engaging the calf pump mechanism