SELF-OPERATING TRACTION SYSTEM
United States Patent 3699953
A self-operating traction system is disclosed. The system includes a supporting mechanism which is positioned above an orthopedic traction apparatus to support a lifting pulley above a traction weight. The supporting mechanism also supports a control pulley and a tie cleat within arms reach of a patient. A disabling cord rides on the lifting pulley and the control pulley, and is operatively attached to the traction weight. The patient pulls on the disabling cord to temporarily disable the traction weight and secures the disabling cord to the tie cleat to permanently disable the traction weight. The supporting mechanism has several structural features which permit it to be used for a variety of orthopedic traction applications.
US Patent References:
Spinal traction chairs
Hotas - October 1961 - 3003498
Apparatus for hospital beds
Brooks - August 1936 - 2050269
Spinal traction chairs
Hotas - October 1961 - 3003498
Apparatus for hospital beds
Brooks - August 1936 - 2050269
Application Number:
05/072608
Publication Date:
10/24/1972
Filing Date:
09/16/1970
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
International Classes:
A61H1/02; A61H1/02
Field of Search:
128/75,71,83,94
Primary Examiner:
Gaudet, Richard A.
Assistant Examiner:
Yasko J.
Claims:
The embodiments of the invention in which exclusive property or privilege are claimed are defined as follows
1. In bed-type traction apparatus including beds for supporting patients in lying attitudes, traction cords with first and second ends, traction weights respectively attached to the first ends of said traction cords for causing downward forces to be exerted on said traction cords and patient attaching means respectively fixed to the second ends of said traction cords for attaching said traction cords to patients who are supported by said beds, an improvement comprising a portable traction disabling system which includes:
2. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said disabling cord guidance means comprises:
3. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said horizontal member is an elongated rigid member.
4. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said traction weight disabling system further comprises a tie cleat means attachable to said horizontal member at positions within arms reach of patients supported in said lying attitudes on said beds.
5. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the length of said horizontal member is adjustable.
6. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control pulley includes an attachment means for selectively attaching said control pulley means to said horizontal member at a plurality of positions along said horizontal member.
7. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said disabling cord guidance means further comprises guiding eyes which are supported on said horizontal member.
1. In bed-type traction apparatus including beds for supporting patients in lying attitudes, traction cords with first and second ends, traction weights respectively attached to the first ends of said traction cords for causing downward forces to be exerted on said traction cords and patient attaching means respectively fixed to the second ends of said traction cords for attaching said traction cords to patients who are supported by said beds, an improvement comprising a portable traction disabling system which includes:
2. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said disabling cord guidance means comprises:
3. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said horizontal member is an elongated rigid member.
4. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said traction weight disabling system further comprises a tie cleat means attachable to said horizontal member at positions within arms reach of patients supported in said lying attitudes on said beds.
5. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the length of said horizontal member is adjustable.
6. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control pulley includes an attachment means for selectively attaching said control pulley means to said horizontal member at a plurality of positions along said horizontal member.
7. A traction weight disabling system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said disabling cord guidance means further comprises guiding eyes which are supported on said horizontal member.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the art of orthopedic traction apparatus and more particularly to a device which enables patients to get into and out of such apparatus unassisted.
Many orthopedic patients require frequent treatment with orthopedic traction apparatus. A typical example of such apparatus is a back support traction apparatus including a traction cord which, in this case, is attached to a patient's legs and which extends from the patient's legs over a stationary pulley to a traction weight. Downward force of the weight pulling on the traction cord is transferred by the traction cord to an outward force pulling on the patient's legs. Such apparatus are used both in hospitals and in homes.
A significant difficulty with such "traction weight" type traction apparatus is that it is difficult for patients to get into them and then apply the necessary traction without help from someone else; that is, a helper must normally lift the weight in order to relieve tension on the traction cord so that a patient can attach the cord to his legs. This difficulty is especially acute when an orthopedic patient lives at home alone and must frequently call upon a neighbor or a friend to help him utilize an orthopedic traction apparatus. Although nurses are available in hospitals to help patients get into and out of orthopedic traction apparatus, such frequent use of nurses makes treatment of patients more expensive.
Although orthopedic traction apparatus of the type described above are relatively old, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 896,114, a 1908 patent to Jacobson, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,269, a 1936 patent to Brooks, a helper is still required to get into and out of such apparatus.
Some prior art patents describe orthopedic traction apparatus which are self operable (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,481 to Matthews) however, most of these traction apparatus are not of the type which employ a weight to create a traction force. Matthews, for example, describes a traction table in which a patient creates a traction force by using a crank. In many cases such traction apparatus are not as satisfactory as "traction weight" type traction apparatus.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an orthopedic traction system which enables a patient to get into and out of a "traction weight" type traction apparatus without the aid of a helper.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a self-operating traction system which is inexpensive, and which can be added as an accessory to currently existing orthopedic frames such as hospital beds and tables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the principles of this invention, a disabling cord extends from a traction apparatus to within arms reach of a patient. The disabling cord is guided and arranged by a disabling-cord guiding system so that the patient can temporarily disable the downward force of a traction weight by pulling on the disabling cord. The patient can permanently disable the force of the traction weight by pulling on the disabling cord and securing the disabling cord to a securing means which is located within arms reach of the patient. By pulling on the disabling cord or by relaxing the disabling cord, a patient can also control the force which is applied by the traction weight to the part of his body to which the traction cord is attached. The disabling-cord guiding system and the securing means are supported above a patient by a horizontal rigid member which has an adjustable length. Members of the disabling-cord guiding system (pulleys) can be adjusted along the horizontal rigid member as can the securing means. A lifting pulley is located above the traction weight.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention in a clear manner.
FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the traction weight disabling system of this invention mounted on a bed traction apparatus; and,
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same traction weight disabling system shown in FIG. 1, however, arranged in a different configuration and with certain parts added.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a bed 11 which comprises a mattress 13, a headboard 15, a footboard 17 and a horizontal brace 19. The horizontal brace 19 extends between the headboard 15 and the footboard 17 and supports the mattress 13.
Mounted on the footboard 17 is a back traction apparatus which includes a L-shaped mounting bar 21. A traction cord 23 has a traction weight 25 attached to one end and an attachment means 27 attached to the other end. The attachment means 27 is used for attaching the traction cord 23 to a patient's foot 29. Front and rear traction pulleys 31A and 31B are mounted on the L-shaped mounting bar 21 and the traction cord 23 rides on these two pulleys. The mounting bar 21 is attached directly to the footboard 17 by footboard mounting bolts 33.
In operation, the traction weight 25 pulls downwardly on the traction cord 23 and the traction cord 23, riding on the front and rear traction pulleys 31A and 31B, in turn, applies tension on a patient's foot 29. Thus, the patient's leg is pulled outwardly away from the patient.
It should be noted that the bed 11 and the back traction apparatus is not per se a part of this invention, and these apparatus are described here for the purpose of disclosing an environment in which this invention functions.
Also mounted on the bed 11 is a traction weight disabling system which is designated generally by numeral 35. The traction weight disabling system essentially comprises a rigid vertical headboard support 37, a rigid vertical footboard support 39, an expandable rigid horizontal support 41, a lifting pulley 43, a control pulley 45, a disabling cord 47, and a tie cleat 49.
The vertical headboard support 37 is mounted on the headboard 15 by headboard mounting bolts 51. In the preferred embodiment, the vertical headboard support 37 is about three inches wide and one inch thick; however, these specifications are not critical to this invention.
The vertical footboard support 39 is mounted on the footboard 17 by the footboard mounting bolts 33. Again, the vertical footboard support is about three inches wide and one inch thick; however, these specifications are not critical.
The horizontal support 41 extends between upper ends of the vertical headboard support 37 and the vertical footboard support 39 and is attached thereto by hooks 53 which are inserted in slots (not shown) in the headboard and footboard supports and mated with horizontal support pins 55. This method of attachment is likewise not critical to the invention.
The horizontal support 41 is divided into a headboard portion 41A and a footboard portion 41B. The headboard portion 41A and the footboard portion 41B overlap one another at a central area and both portions are provided with elongated holes 57 at the overlap area. Adjusting bolts 58 are inserted through the holes 57 in both the headboard portion 41A and the footboard portion 41B. The bolts 58 are tightened to clamp the two sections together and thereby form a rigid horizontal support 41 and are loosened to adjust the length of the horizontal support 41. Thus, the horizontal support 41 can be made to fit various size beds by loosening the tightening the wing nuts 59.
The control pulley 45 is attached directly to the horizontal support 41 by bolts 61. It can be seen in FIG. 1 that there are bolt-receiving threaded bores 63 provided all along the horizontal support 41 so that the control pulley 45 can be positioned at various points along the horizontal support 41.
The lifting pulley 43 is located above the traction weight 25 and is held in position by a lifting pulley support 65. The lifting pulley support 65 is attached to the horizontal support by bolts 67.
The disabling cord 47 is attached to the traction cord 23 at a point 71 and extends over the lifting pulley 43, through guiding screw eyes 73, and over the control pulley 45 to a gripping loop 75. In an unillustrated embodiment, the disabling cord is attached directly to the traction weight 25 rather than to the disabling cord 47 at point 71; the important feature is that the disabling cord is operatively attached to the traction weight 25 either directly or through a portion of the traction cord 23.
The tie cleat 49 is affixed directly to the horizontal support 41. In the preferred embodiment, the tie cleat 49 is so constructed that it can be fastened to the horizontal support 41 by means of a threaded shaft 76 which is screwed into the bolt-receiving threaded bores 63. In an unillustrated embodiment, the tie cleat is longer than as shown in FIG. 1 so that it extends below the disabling cord 47 and has holes through which the disabling cord runs.
In operation, when a patient desires to get into the back traction apparatus shown in FIG. 1, he pulls on the loop 75 which, in turn, causes tension on the disabling cord 47 and on the traction cord 23 below the attachment point 71. Thus, an upward force is applied to the traction weight 25 which lifts the traction weight 25 and thereby relaxes tension on the traction cord 23 above the attachment point 71. The patient secures the gripping loop 75 on the tie cleat 49 and thereby permanently relaxes tension on the traction cord 23 above the attachment point 71. The patient then affixes the attachment means 27 to his foot 29. At this point, the patient removes the gripping loop 75 from the tie cleat 49 and slowly lowers the traction weight 25. When the traction weight has been lowered to a certain point, its force is transferred from the disabling cord 27 to the traction cord 23 until the disabling cord 47 is fully relaxed and the force of the traction weight 25 is applied to the traction cord 23. To get out of the traction apparatus described, this process is reversed. In this regard, a patient can also apply more or less tension to his legs by applying more or less tension to the disabling cord 47 with his arms.
As an example of the versitility of the traction weight disabling system shown in FIG. 1, the same system is shown in FIG. 2 with various parts rearranged in order to provide neck or head traction for a patient. It can be seen in FIG. 2 that a patient is lying with his head toward the foot of the bed 11. The control pulley 45 is moved to the right from its FIG. 1 position and a second control pulley 45A is mounted on the horizontal support 41 over the shoulders of a patient 78. The tie cleat 49 is also moved to a new position which is within arms reach of the patient 78. In this configuration, the disabling cord 47 extends from the attachment point 71, over the lifting pulley 43, around the control pulley 45, over the second control pulley 45A, to the gripping loop 75. Thus, the control pulley 45 reverses the direction of the disabling cord 47. In this manner, the control pulleys and the tie cleat are arranged along the horizontal support 41 to desired positions in order to meet various orthopedic traction functions while accommodating a constant length of the disabling cord 47.
Similarly, if it becomes necessary to move the traction weight mounting bar 21 to the headboard 15 in order to meet various other traction situations, the horizontal support 41 can be reversed so that the lifting pulley 43 is still supported above the traction weight 25 at the headboard end of the bed 11. (This configuration is not shown in the drawings).
The traction weight disabling system described herein enables a semi-incapacitated individual to care for himself utilizing commercially available traction apparatus without the assistance of other persons. This invention does not change or alter the basic function of commercially available traction apparatus but it does improve the operation of such apparatus by enabling patients to care for themselves. In many cases this invention minimizes or eliminates the services of nurses, family members or friends and provides therapeudic value in that a patient is encouraged by a sense of accomplishment by caring for himself. The disabling device described herein can be produced inexpensively and is adaptable for home use as well as for use with orthopedic frames which are manufactured for attachment to hospital beds.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various means other than the elongated slots 57 can be used for making the horizontal support 41 expandable. Also, it should be remembered that the traction apparatus described herein is exemplary only of traction apparatus in general.
This invention relates generally to the art of orthopedic traction apparatus and more particularly to a device which enables patients to get into and out of such apparatus unassisted.
Many orthopedic patients require frequent treatment with orthopedic traction apparatus. A typical example of such apparatus is a back support traction apparatus including a traction cord which, in this case, is attached to a patient's legs and which extends from the patient's legs over a stationary pulley to a traction weight. Downward force of the weight pulling on the traction cord is transferred by the traction cord to an outward force pulling on the patient's legs. Such apparatus are used both in hospitals and in homes.
A significant difficulty with such "traction weight" type traction apparatus is that it is difficult for patients to get into them and then apply the necessary traction without help from someone else; that is, a helper must normally lift the weight in order to relieve tension on the traction cord so that a patient can attach the cord to his legs. This difficulty is especially acute when an orthopedic patient lives at home alone and must frequently call upon a neighbor or a friend to help him utilize an orthopedic traction apparatus. Although nurses are available in hospitals to help patients get into and out of orthopedic traction apparatus, such frequent use of nurses makes treatment of patients more expensive.
Although orthopedic traction apparatus of the type described above are relatively old, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 896,114, a 1908 patent to Jacobson, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,269, a 1936 patent to Brooks, a helper is still required to get into and out of such apparatus.
Some prior art patents describe orthopedic traction apparatus which are self operable (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,481 to Matthews) however, most of these traction apparatus are not of the type which employ a weight to create a traction force. Matthews, for example, describes a traction table in which a patient creates a traction force by using a crank. In many cases such traction apparatus are not as satisfactory as "traction weight" type traction apparatus.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an orthopedic traction system which enables a patient to get into and out of a "traction weight" type traction apparatus without the aid of a helper.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a self-operating traction system which is inexpensive, and which can be added as an accessory to currently existing orthopedic frames such as hospital beds and tables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the principles of this invention, a disabling cord extends from a traction apparatus to within arms reach of a patient. The disabling cord is guided and arranged by a disabling-cord guiding system so that the patient can temporarily disable the downward force of a traction weight by pulling on the disabling cord. The patient can permanently disable the force of the traction weight by pulling on the disabling cord and securing the disabling cord to a securing means which is located within arms reach of the patient. By pulling on the disabling cord or by relaxing the disabling cord, a patient can also control the force which is applied by the traction weight to the part of his body to which the traction cord is attached. The disabling-cord guiding system and the securing means are supported above a patient by a horizontal rigid member which has an adjustable length. Members of the disabling-cord guiding system (pulleys) can be adjusted along the horizontal rigid member as can the securing means. A lifting pulley is located above the traction weight.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention in a clear manner.
FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the traction weight disabling system of this invention mounted on a bed traction apparatus; and,
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same traction weight disabling system shown in FIG. 1, however, arranged in a different configuration and with certain parts added.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a bed 11 which comprises a mattress 13, a headboard 15, a footboard 17 and a horizontal brace 19. The horizontal brace 19 extends between the headboard 15 and the footboard 17 and supports the mattress 13.
Mounted on the footboard 17 is a back traction apparatus which includes a L-shaped mounting bar 21. A traction cord 23 has a traction weight 25 attached to one end and an attachment means 27 attached to the other end. The attachment means 27 is used for attaching the traction cord 23 to a patient's foot 29. Front and rear traction pulleys 31A and 31B are mounted on the L-shaped mounting bar 21 and the traction cord 23 rides on these two pulleys. The mounting bar 21 is attached directly to the footboard 17 by footboard mounting bolts 33.
In operation, the traction weight 25 pulls downwardly on the traction cord 23 and the traction cord 23, riding on the front and rear traction pulleys 31A and 31B, in turn, applies tension on a patient's foot 29. Thus, the patient's leg is pulled outwardly away from the patient.
It should be noted that the bed 11 and the back traction apparatus is not per se a part of this invention, and these apparatus are described here for the purpose of disclosing an environment in which this invention functions.
Also mounted on the bed 11 is a traction weight disabling system which is designated generally by numeral 35. The traction weight disabling system essentially comprises a rigid vertical headboard support 37, a rigid vertical footboard support 39, an expandable rigid horizontal support 41, a lifting pulley 43, a control pulley 45, a disabling cord 47, and a tie cleat 49.
The vertical headboard support 37 is mounted on the headboard 15 by headboard mounting bolts 51. In the preferred embodiment, the vertical headboard support 37 is about three inches wide and one inch thick; however, these specifications are not critical to this invention.
The vertical footboard support 39 is mounted on the footboard 17 by the footboard mounting bolts 33. Again, the vertical footboard support is about three inches wide and one inch thick; however, these specifications are not critical.
The horizontal support 41 extends between upper ends of the vertical headboard support 37 and the vertical footboard support 39 and is attached thereto by hooks 53 which are inserted in slots (not shown) in the headboard and footboard supports and mated with horizontal support pins 55. This method of attachment is likewise not critical to the invention.
The horizontal support 41 is divided into a headboard portion 41A and a footboard portion 41B. The headboard portion 41A and the footboard portion 41B overlap one another at a central area and both portions are provided with elongated holes 57 at the overlap area. Adjusting bolts 58 are inserted through the holes 57 in both the headboard portion 41A and the footboard portion 41B. The bolts 58 are tightened to clamp the two sections together and thereby form a rigid horizontal support 41 and are loosened to adjust the length of the horizontal support 41. Thus, the horizontal support 41 can be made to fit various size beds by loosening the tightening the wing nuts 59.
The control pulley 45 is attached directly to the horizontal support 41 by bolts 61. It can be seen in FIG. 1 that there are bolt-receiving threaded bores 63 provided all along the horizontal support 41 so that the control pulley 45 can be positioned at various points along the horizontal support 41.
The lifting pulley 43 is located above the traction weight 25 and is held in position by a lifting pulley support 65. The lifting pulley support 65 is attached to the horizontal support by bolts 67.
The disabling cord 47 is attached to the traction cord 23 at a point 71 and extends over the lifting pulley 43, through guiding screw eyes 73, and over the control pulley 45 to a gripping loop 75. In an unillustrated embodiment, the disabling cord is attached directly to the traction weight 25 rather than to the disabling cord 47 at point 71; the important feature is that the disabling cord is operatively attached to the traction weight 25 either directly or through a portion of the traction cord 23.
The tie cleat 49 is affixed directly to the horizontal support 41. In the preferred embodiment, the tie cleat 49 is so constructed that it can be fastened to the horizontal support 41 by means of a threaded shaft 76 which is screwed into the bolt-receiving threaded bores 63. In an unillustrated embodiment, the tie cleat is longer than as shown in FIG. 1 so that it extends below the disabling cord 47 and has holes through which the disabling cord runs.
In operation, when a patient desires to get into the back traction apparatus shown in FIG. 1, he pulls on the loop 75 which, in turn, causes tension on the disabling cord 47 and on the traction cord 23 below the attachment point 71. Thus, an upward force is applied to the traction weight 25 which lifts the traction weight 25 and thereby relaxes tension on the traction cord 23 above the attachment point 71. The patient secures the gripping loop 75 on the tie cleat 49 and thereby permanently relaxes tension on the traction cord 23 above the attachment point 71. The patient then affixes the attachment means 27 to his foot 29. At this point, the patient removes the gripping loop 75 from the tie cleat 49 and slowly lowers the traction weight 25. When the traction weight has been lowered to a certain point, its force is transferred from the disabling cord 27 to the traction cord 23 until the disabling cord 47 is fully relaxed and the force of the traction weight 25 is applied to the traction cord 23. To get out of the traction apparatus described, this process is reversed. In this regard, a patient can also apply more or less tension to his legs by applying more or less tension to the disabling cord 47 with his arms.
As an example of the versitility of the traction weight disabling system shown in FIG. 1, the same system is shown in FIG. 2 with various parts rearranged in order to provide neck or head traction for a patient. It can be seen in FIG. 2 that a patient is lying with his head toward the foot of the bed 11. The control pulley 45 is moved to the right from its FIG. 1 position and a second control pulley 45A is mounted on the horizontal support 41 over the shoulders of a patient 78. The tie cleat 49 is also moved to a new position which is within arms reach of the patient 78. In this configuration, the disabling cord 47 extends from the attachment point 71, over the lifting pulley 43, around the control pulley 45, over the second control pulley 45A, to the gripping loop 75. Thus, the control pulley 45 reverses the direction of the disabling cord 47. In this manner, the control pulleys and the tie cleat are arranged along the horizontal support 41 to desired positions in order to meet various orthopedic traction functions while accommodating a constant length of the disabling cord 47.
Similarly, if it becomes necessary to move the traction weight mounting bar 21 to the headboard 15 in order to meet various other traction situations, the horizontal support 41 can be reversed so that the lifting pulley 43 is still supported above the traction weight 25 at the headboard end of the bed 11. (This configuration is not shown in the drawings).
The traction weight disabling system described herein enables a semi-incapacitated individual to care for himself utilizing commercially available traction apparatus without the assistance of other persons. This invention does not change or alter the basic function of commercially available traction apparatus but it does improve the operation of such apparatus by enabling patients to care for themselves. In many cases this invention minimizes or eliminates the services of nurses, family members or friends and provides therapeudic value in that a patient is encouraged by a sense of accomplishment by caring for himself. The disabling device described herein can be produced inexpensively and is adaptable for home use as well as for use with orthopedic frames which are manufactured for attachment to hospital beds.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various means other than the elongated slots 57 can be used for making the horizontal support 41 expandable. Also, it should be remembered that the traction apparatus described herein is exemplary only of traction apparatus in general.