WO1997039664A1

WO1997039664A1 - Neck traction device

Info

Publication number: WO1997039664A1
Application number: PCT/CA1996/000253
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oliver Tiura
Original assignee: Oliver Tiura
Priority date: 1996-04-19
Filing date: 1996-04-19
Publication date: 1997-10-30
Also published as: FI974485A0; DE19681431T1; FI974485A; AU5329696A

Abstract

A neck support and traction device (10) for supporting the head and neck of a person lying on their back on a supporting surface has a support member (12) having an upper surface which (14, 14'), when the neck support (10) is located on the supporting surface below the head and neck of a person lying on their back thereon, extends upwardly and rearwardly from the supporting surface (36) to engage the back of the person's head and neck to position the head and neck at an angle to the horizontal in the range of from about 40° to about 50°. The upwardly and rearwardly extending surface is transversely inwardly curved to receive the back of the person's neck. The device can be used to relieve tension due to muscle spasms. One preferred version of the device can be rocked sideways by head motion in order to obtain a physiotherapy massage.

Description

NECK TRACTION DEVICE

This invention relates to neck traction devices and neck supports which support the head and neck of a person lying on their back on a supporting surface. Neck supports able to provide neck traction in have been previously proposed but, for various reasons, none have proved to be particularly successful in practice.

It is commonly known that stress builds up in the neck area from normal daily activity. This stress consists of the tensioning of the musculature surrounding the upper neck, particularly in the connection of the back of the neck to the cranium. Although there are known neck traction devices designed to relieve this tension which causes discomfort, these known devices have shortcomings. Much of the prior art relies either on the prolonged use of soft devices such as pillows and neck supports or on the prolonged use of mechanical devices. Neither basic type of device utilizes the possibilities of known accupressure points in the upper back of the neck to relieve tensions. Also, most pillows, braces and supports for the neck are not designed for any traction purpose at all.

The well known pillows are soft objects made of deformable materials such as molded rubber forms and are intended to easily conform to the shape of the head of the user over a prolonged period such as sleep periods. The pillow is intended to distort and change continuously to the movements of the user with minor degrees of resistance. With pillows, at no time is any concerted pressure intended to be created on any portion of the anatomy.

Neck supports commonly consist of materials which are made of firmer materials than those commonly used in pillows or braces. They have the singular purpose of holding the head and neck up off a main resting surface while the user is in a reclined position. Most such supports are geometrically regular, having a tubular or flat plane configuration, for example. Because of this, use of these supports is often uncomfortable for the user if they are used for long periods of time and they have no benefit as a traction device. They do not take into account the complex curvatures of the human neck area.

Neck braces normally consist of devices which are circumferential neck wraps intended to hold the neck in a supporting position while the wearer goes through daily living. Such units may consist of a layer of soft material, sometimes enclosed by a plastic container held together by Velcro or similar ties. They are intended to be worn for many continuous hours at a time over a number of days, with the purpose of lessening the movement of the neck to facilitate healing of the cervical area.

Known neck traction devices mainly consist of complex mechanical devices employed solely by trained medical workers for the purpose of extending the neck muscles in order to achieve greater neck mobility. These units commonly employ tensioned strapping with the tension force created by weights or springs. The user's body is immobilized while the head of the patient is grasped, causing the head to be pulled in order to stretch the neck muscles in an attempt to relieve pressures from muscle spasms. These devices are expensive, complicated, hospital based units needing regular upkeep and sanitizing due to the regular use by numerous individuals.

United States patent No. 2,910,707 issued November 3, 1959 to Lawser et al. discloses outdoor leisure equipment that can function not only as a carrying bag but also as a headrest and a knee support. This item can be separated into two main parts of substantially the same size. One of these separated parts can be used as a headrest. However, the two main components are quite large in order that the assembled unit can function as a carrying bag or container. Thus, this known headrest is too large and not appropriately configured to fit the contour and ergonomic needs of the human neck. Also, in using this known headrest as illustrated in the patent specification, the head angle is arranged so that the user is looking straight up. This head angle is not desirable when using a headrest of this type because of the risk of cutting off the blood flow to the head. Furthermore, another problem with the Lawser headrest is that the shoulders are expected to lie on the flat, inclined surface of the headrest. This arrangement requires the back of the user to be quite flat from shoulder to shoulder, resulting in user discomfort.

The neck support of the present invention is intended to overcome at least some of the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art neck traction devices and to relieve tension which causes discomfort. The present invention provides a support member which fits the contour of a user's neck and which inclines the user's head and neck at a preset angle in the 40° to 50" range. Also, an optional foam pad can be provided with the present neck support to soften the support surface at the user's discretion.

In using the preferred embodiment of the present neck support, the support is aligned with the cusp of the neck. The support is able to provide natural pressure at known accupressure relaxation points to gently and slowly return the neck musculature to normal parameters by using the downward vertical weight of the head. This is unlike many known neck supports which are not directed to the accupressure points or which have difficulty in providing the appropriate amount of pressure in a timely fashion. The present neck support is able to perform traction through natural stretching rather than a force method such as those provided by hospital traction devices. With the present neck support, the user or sufferer is able to use the support on his or her own time in a relaxed private space. No public health facility is required and one need not incur the expense of a health care worker.

With one preferred embodiment of the invention, mobile self-propelling massaging is possible wherein the head is used to move the neck support in a rocking type motion. If a similar type motion is attempted with a pillow, the pillow will give way to the motion of the head and there will be no massaging effect. With an ordinary neck support, movement of the head will not cause the neck support to move and this may cause an uncomfortable twist in the neck and pinching of the skin. Certainly the use of such neck support will not contribute to any massaging effect.

Also, the preferred neck support and traction device disclosed herein can be easily cleaned as it is made of a rigid plastic sheet material. One particularly preferred form of plastic material for the present device is molded hypoallergenic closed cell polypropylene.

The preferred neck support of the invention is molded so that its upper or top surface has the proportions and complex double contour of the human neck. Also, the preferred neck support can be made quite small having a maximum height in the transverse centre not exceeding 10.2 cm (4 inches). The result is that the neck support is highly portable and light and it can easily be stored in drawers or suitcases for storage or transport. Also, because of its simple design and construction, the preferred neck support disclosed herein is quite inexpensive to manufacture and sell, particularly in comparison to many known braces, supports and traction devices.

According to the present invention, a neck support for supporting the head and neck of a person lying on his or her back on a supporting surface comprises a support member having an upper surface which, when the neck support is located in a supporting position on the supporting surface below the head and neck of a person lying on their back thereon, extends upwardly and rearwardly from the supporting surface to engage the back of a person's head and neck, said support member having a front end portion, a rear end portion and two opposite side edges extending from said front end portion to said rear end portion, said neck support characterized by said upper surface positioning the head and neck at an angle to the horizontal in the range of from about 40° to about 50° in said supporting position and said upwardly and rearwardly extending surface curving inwardly in a transverse direction that extends between said side edges, in order to receive the back of a person's neck.

The support member may be an appropriately shaped sheet-like member which engages the support surface only at front and rear ends thereof, the support member having a front portion which, when the support member is placed on the supporting surface, provides said upper surface and extends upwardly and rearwardly from the supporting surface at an angle in the range of from about 40^βto about 50°, the support member then curving over at the top and extending downwardly to provide a rear end portion engaging the supporting surface at an acute angle thereto. The support member may have bottom edges engaging the supporting surface and shaped to enable the person to rock the neck support transversely to and fro on the support surface by to and fro transverse rolling movement of the head and neck.

The sheet-like support member may have substantially straight transversely-extending front and rear lower edges which engage the supporting surface and curved corners at the transversely opposite ends thereof to enable said transverse rocking to be effected.

The lower part of the upwardly and rearwardly extending portion of the support member may have an inverted substantially trapezoidal shape which provides said front lower edge with a length which is substantially shorter than the rear lower edge and facilitates said transverse rocking.

The support member may be of relatively hard rigid material and a sheet-like pad of relatively soft flexible material may be provided for positioning on the upper surface of the support member to provide a cushioning effect for the person's head and neck.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a person lying on their back on a supporting surface and using a neck support in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the neck support of Figure 1 showing the support member and a soft pad therefor;

Figure 3 is a rear view showing the person effecting transverse to and fro rocking movement of the neck support of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a front perspective view, partly broken away, of a neck support in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of the neck support shown in Figure 4. Referring first to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, a neck support 10 comprises a support member 12 which is an appropriately shaped relatively hard rigid sheet-like member of suitable plastic material. The support member 12 has an upper surface 14 which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the front end portion 16 and then curves over at the top to extend downwardly to a rear end portion 18. The member 12 has two opposite side edges extending from the front end portion to the rear end portion. The upwardly and rearwardly extending front portion 20 of the upper surface 14 is transversely inwardly curved, and the front and rear transversely extending lower edges 22, 24 are straight and have curved corners 26, 28 respectively at the opposite ends thereof. The support member preferably has a height of at least 7.6 cm (3 inches) and its height does not exceed 10.2 cm (4 inches) at the transverse centre thereof. When the support member 12 is placed on a horizontal flat supporting surface 36, the front portion 20 of the support member 12 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the supporting surface 36 at an angle of about 45" thereto, the support member then curving over at the top and then extending downwardly so that the rear end portion 18 is at an acute angle to the supporting surface 36. Preferably, the upwardly and rearwardly extending portion or surface 20 curves inwardly in the transverse direction along most of the vertical height thereof as shown in Figure 2.

The neck support 10 also comprises a sheet-like pad 30 of relatively soft flexible plastic material with its upper surface covered by closely spaced rows of closely spaced flat-top projections 32. In use, a person 34 lying on their back on the flat supporting surface 36 places the support member 12 under their head and neck so that the back of the head and neck engages the rearwardly and upwardly extending portion 20, with the head and neck being at an angle to the horizontal of about 45", and with the person's shoulders engaging the flat supporting surface 36 immediately in front of the support member 12 as shown in Figure 1. The person can then rest their head and neck on the support member 12 in this manner to relax the muscles in the back of the head and neck.

If desired, the person can transversely rock the support member 12 to and fro onto the curved corners 26, 28 as illustrated in Figure 3 by transverse rolling movement of the head and neck to produce a further relaxing effect. It will be noted that the lower part of the rearwardly and upwardly extending portion 20 is of inverted trapezoidal shape, thereby providing a front lower edge 22 which is substantially shorter than the rear lower edge 24 and facilitating the transverse rocking movement.

If the rigid support member 12 is initially found to be somewhat hard, the relatively soft flexible pad 30 can be placed on top of the support member 12 to provide some comfort. Alternatively, the pad 30 may be permanently secured to the support member 12, for example, by means of a suitable adhesive. The support member 38 shown in Figures 4 and 5 is similar to the support member 12 shown in Figures 1 to 3, except that side portions 40 are provided on opposite sides to prevent transverse rocking movement, the side portions 40 having front and rear lower edges 42, 44 respectively for this purpose. The side portions 40 extend between the front end portion 16' and the rear end portion 18• . Parts similar to those of support member 12 have been given the same reference numbers with the addition of a prime. Other embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.

Claims

I CLAIM:

1. A neck support for supporting the head and neck of a person lying on his or her back on a supporting surface, said neck support comprising a support member (12) having an upper surface (14, 14') which, when the neck support (10) is located in a supporting position on the supporting surface below the head and neck of a person lying on their back thereon, extends upwardly and rearwardly from the supporting surface to engage the back of a person's head and neck, said support member having a front end portion (16, 16'), a rear end portion (18, 18') and two opposite side edges extending from said front end portion to said rear end portion, said neck support characterized by said upper surface positioning the head and neck at an angle to the horizontal in the range of from about 40* to about 50° in said supporting position and said upwardly and rearwardly extending surface (20) curving inwardly, in a transverse direction that extends between said side edges, in order to receive the back of a person's neck.

2. A neck support according to claim 1 characterized in that said support member (12) is a sheet-like member of relatively hard, rigid material having a front portion (20) which extends upwardly and rearwardly at an angle in the range of from about 40° to about 50° when the support member is placed on said supporting surface, the support member then curving over at the top and extending downwardly to provide said rear end portion (18) engaging the supporting surface.

3. A neck support according to claim 2 characterized in that said support member has bottom edges (22, 24) engaging the support surface and shaped to enable the person to rock the neck support by to and fro transverse rolling movement of the head and neck.

4. A neck support according to claim 3 characterized in that said support member (12) has substantially straight transversely extending front and rear lower edges (22, 24) engageable with said supporting surface and curved corners (26, 28) at transversely opposite ends thereof to enable said transverse rocking movement to be effected.

5. A neck support according to any one of claims 2, 3 and 4 characterized in that the lower part of the upwardly and rearwardly extending portion (20) has an inverted, substantially trapezoidal shape which provides said front lower edge (22) with a length which is substantially shorter than said rear lower edge (24) and facilitates said transverse rocking movement.

6. A neck support according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that a sheet-like pad (30) of relatively soft flexible material is provided for use over said upper surface (14) of said support member to provide a cushioning effect for the person's head and neck.

7. A neck support according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said support member (12) is made of relatively hard, rigid plastic and has a height not exceeding 10.2 cm at the transverse centre thereof.

8. A neck support according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said support member includes two side portions (40) provided on opposite sides of said support member and extending between said front end portion (16') and said rear end portion (18'), said side portions having lower edges positioned to rest on said supporting surface.

9. A neck support according to claim 1 or 3 characterized in that said support member (12) has a front portion (20) which extends upwardly and rearwardly at an angle in the range of from about 40° to about 50° to said supporting surface when said support member is placed thereon.

10. A neck support according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said upwardly and rearwardly extending surface (20) curves inwardly in said transverse direction along most of the vertical height thereof.