DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0013] Referring to the above figures, the equipment according to the invention comprises an annular body 1 that defines a circular seating 2 intended to fit onto the upper part of the head of a user (not shown).

[0014] In the illustrated example body 1 has been formed by bending a corrugated tube 3 of a circular cross section that is wrapped in a lining 4 made of some soft material, simple foam rubber for example, so as to render the equipment more comfortable for the wearer and, within certain limits, also make it adaptable to heads of different sizes.

[0015] Corrugated tube 3 defines an annular channel 5 within which there are arranged cursor means, which in the illustrated example have the form of three balls 6 which, rolling on the internal surface of said channel 5, can move freely along the latter.

[0016] When in use, the equipment according to the invention, as already mentioned, is worn on the upper part of the user's head. In this condition, whenever the head is made to rotate about the axis of the spinal column with a complete movement of sufficient amplitude, as normally required by exercises for the treatment of disorders of the cervical zone, the balls 6 begin to roll along channel 5 and perform a motion of revolution around the centre of body 1, that is to say, of seating 2.

[0017] It will readily be appreciated that the more uniform and symmetrical the rotation of the head, the more regular will be the motion of balls 6. In particular, in response to a disharmonic rotation said balls 6 will alternate sudden accelerations with equally sudden decelerations, eventually coming to a stop. The characteristics of this motion, which the user will perceive in particular due to the vibrations and, above all, the noise that it produces, will thus provide him with indications regarding the uniformity with which he performs the exercise, so that he will be able to correct himself. When the motion of balls 6 becomes perfectly regular, the exercise may be considered as being performed with the maximum effectiveness.

[0018] The equipment according to the invention therefore constitutes a precious help in all cases in which the exercise aims at increasing the mobility of the articulations and improving the muscular tone and symmetry of the cervical zone. Since the user himself can check whether or not the exercise is being performed correctly, there will be no need for him to be assisted by a trainer. On the other hand, thanks to its simplicity and compactness, the equipment according to the invention is particularly suitable for home-fitness employment, but can be used also in the office, during work breaks, and can readily accompany the user during travel.

[0019] The provision of several balls 6 (especially two or three) rather than just one will prove advantageous, because it will increase not only the noise produced, but also the overall inertia, and will thus assist the attainment of a uniform motion. The balls 6 or, more generally, any other employed cursor means can also be magnetized, thus conferring magneto-therapeutic capabilities upon the equipment.

[0020] When the balls 6 are of a certain weight, which can be obtained also by increasing the section of channel 5 and thus permitting the insertion of larger balls, the muscle-strengthening effect associated with the rotation of the head can be enhanced. On the other hand, the balls can also be reduced in size and increased in number. In that case—as shown in FIG. 3—the cursor means will in practice consist of a mass 16 of grains or pellets capable of producing an evocative noise of shaken sand.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 4, the noise produced by the cursor means during the use of the equipment can be amplified—and thus perceived by the user even more effectively—by associating a pair of ear-protecting cups 7a with annular body 1, said cups contacting tube 3 so that the vibrations can be transmitted from the tube to the cups, and the latter can function as sound amplifiers.

[0022] Preferably cups 7a will form part of a conventional anti-noise headset 7, of which the semicircular element 7b linking the cups is attached to tube 3 and extends diametrically above it.

[0023] Although the illustrated example consists of a corrugated tube, it is obvious that a smooth tube could also be used, and that the rolling or, more generally speaking, sliding noise could possibly be increased by using one or more cursors with a roughened surface.

[0024] The position of annular body 1 on the head of the user can be rendered more secure by providing straps adjustable in length—by means of Velcro closures, for example—extending diametrically within seating 2, so that they can clutch the head. To this end annular body 1 can be provided with a certain number of rings for connecting these straps, said rings being typically four in number and evenly spaced around the circumference. Annular body 1 can also be designed in such a way as to permit its circumference being adjusted according to the size of the user's head. As such, the regulating devices used for this purpose can well be of a traditional and known type, for example, of the type employed with sunshades or protection helmets for building workers, or a system with a threaded sleeve arranged coaxially with the tube in such a way that a rotation of the sleeve will produce either a lengthening or a shortening of the tube.

[0025] More generally, channel 5 can be formed also within a body of different characteristics, always provided that it be such as to encircle a seating suitable for fitting the head of the user.

[0026] Other variants and/or modifications could be introduced into the equipment to assist the carrying out of flexion exercises of the cervical zone of the spinal column according to the present invention without for this reason going beyond the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the claims hereinbelow.