Therapeutic exercise contour support
View Patent ↗The therapeutic exercise contour support (TECS), made of high density flexible foam, which can either be used on traditional bench press equipment or as a stand-alone apparatus. The TECS provides support for the neck, upper body and lower back when performing bench press exercise. The TECS has a distinctive contoured surface that elevates the spine and allows the user to have a natural scapula-humeral rhythm when performing the bench press at inclined, horizontal and declined inclinations. An adjustable ergonomic neck foam support can be attached to the main contour support to maintain proper cervical curvature. The TECS can also be used for therapy by placing it on a horizontal surface and then lying on it in a supine position. This helps the scapulae to retract as they should, which may assist in alleviating pain in the upper back due to poor posture and muscle imbalance.
1. An ergonomic upper body contour support member comprising:
a first semi-circular curved surface extending longitudinally to elevate a spine of a user, wherein
the first curved surface comprises a diameter of about 100 mm;
two convex surfaces extending longitudinally along the first curved surface, wherein each convex surface extends on a different side of the contour support member, and wherein each of the two convex surfaces comprises a diameter of about 60 mm such that the convex surfaces extend laterally from said first curved surface a distance approximately equal to the diameters of the convex surfaces;
two contour surfaces, wherein each contour surface is formed on a different side of the contour support member between a respective convex surface and the first curved surface; and
said ergonomic upper body contour support member having a lower back support member located at one end of the upper body contour support member, said lower back support member having a second contoured surface that extends perpendicular to the first curved surface to form a T configuration, said lower back support member being configured to provide lower-back support to the user, wherein said lower back support member having a flat bottom and further wherein said lower back support member having an arch shape, and yet further wherein the second contoured surface comprises a diameter of about 100 mm.
2. The ergonomic upper body contour support member of claim 1 , further comprising a removable neck support member configured to be attached to the curved surface.