Patent ID: 7288077

Claim:
A method for alleviating lower back pain in a patient comprising the steps of: providing a device to alleviate lower back pain in a patient lying in a supine position with his/her back thereon, said device consisting essentially of a patient support rigid element having an imperforate, integral, elongate, symmetrical ovoid-section shaped upper surface defining an elongate axis and an elongate centrally located apex, said ovoid section being concave and opening upward from said elongate apex, said rigid element upper surface having a length extending from about the shoulder to the upper buttocks region of said patient and a width corresponding to the width of the back of the patient, said support element having opposed sidewall edges, a head end edge and a lower back end edge defining, respectively, the upper and lower boundaries of the support element between the opposed sidewall edges, said head end edge, said lower back end edge and said sidewall edges each being side-cut, forming shallow concave curves therein, said head end edge and said sidewall edges forming rounded corners defining patient shoulder areas of said upper surface, said lower back end edge and said sidewalls forming rounded corners defining patient upper buttock areas; applying liquid to the upper surface of said device, forming a moisture layer thereon; the patient casually lying in a supine position on said device between his/her shoulders and upper buttocks; the patient lifting his/her knees to their chest, thereby pushing air from the air pocket defined by said surface and the lumbar portion of the patient's back; and the patient lowering his/her knees and rotating their hips and buttocks such that the heels of their feet are on or near the level of said device to form a therapeutic position with suction force forcing the lower back and lumbar region against said device upper surface.