Sciatic nerve relaxer

Abstract

A pair of identical pressure applying members for use in treating pain in the sciatic nerve of a person, the members each consisting of a cylindrical bottom section and a conical top section extending upwardly from the top of the cylindrical section. The height of each member is about two and one half inches with the diameter being about two and one quarter inches and with the height of the bottom section being about one quarter of the height of the member. The members are adapted to be placed under a person lying on a flat horizontal surface with one member under the buttock of the person on the side of the person where the pain is and the other member under the knee of the person on the same side.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to a kit for use in treating sciatica. The invention also relates to a pair of pressure applying members for use in treating sciatica.

2. Background Art

Sciatica is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve and can be quite painful. There are two sciatic nerves in the body, one for each leg. Each nerve originates in the lower back and passes through a buttock to its respective leg, the nerve passing under the piriformis muscle in the buttock. The main branch of the nerve continues down the leg to behind the knee and then branches to the calf, the lower leg and all the way to the tips of the toes.

The sciatic nerve affects all leg functions including muscle innervation; proprioception; reflexes; skin innervation and even has an effect on the leg blood vessels thereby affecting circulation. Sciatic pain is manifested by pain going to the buttock usually on one side or the other. The pain may irradiate to the knee or lower leg to the foot indicating a more severe sciatic irritation. Symptoms may include parasthesia, leg weakness, muscle paralysis, foot problems, vascular effects and edema. There are many causes for sciatica and it is a very common aliment.

There are many types of treatment for sciatica. Very strong anesthectics, manipulation by chiropractors, stretching by physiotherapists, acupuncture, or even spinal surgery are some of the treatments. In treating sciatica it has been found that doing deep pressure point work manually with the hands at two specific points, the back of the buttock and the back of knee, helps relieve the pain and irritation of the sciatic nerve in most patients. The back of the buttock and the back of the knee are two well known nerve treatment points in acupuncture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a device that allows a person to treat himself at home with deep pressure point work. The device comprises two identical shaped members, shaped and sized to provide deep pressure both to the buttock in the region of the sciatic nerve and to the back of the knee in the region of the nerve. The members have a cylindrical bottom section with a conical top section extending up from the top of the cylindrical section. The diameter of the base of the conical section is slightly greater than the height of the conical section and the height of the cylindrical section is about one quarter of the height of the member. The cylindrical bottom section has a flat base to allow the members to be placed on the floor pointing upwardly. The size of the members is important. They must be long enough to reach the nerve deep in the buttock. The member used with the knee can be the same length as that used with the buttock since a person's knee, when lying down, is slightly raised and thus a relatively long member, as long as the member used with a buttock, is needed to apply deep pressure to the back of the knee. The shape of the members is also important. To apply deep pressure similar to that provided manually, the ends of the members are shaped to like fingertips being slightly flattened at the center and then rounded at the sides of the flattened area.

The person using the members lies on the floor, placing the members on the floor, pointing up, under and into the buttock and under and into the knee in the vicinity of the pain and rests on the members for a relatively short time to relieve the pain. The treatment can be repeated a number of times a day depending on the severity of the pain. The length of treatment can vary between three to five minutes. The treatment provides a pressure stimulus at a strategic point along the nerve. The deep pressure will help to relax the afferent and efferent fibres, which comprise the main structure of the nerve, thereby reducing pain and helping heal the inflammation. The size of the members is important

The members preferably form part of a kit that includes a package for the members and instructions with the package informing the user how to use the members. The instructions can be printed on the package or can comprise a separate member such as card or a sheet of paper carried by the package.

The invention is particularly directed toward a pair of members for use in treating pain in the sciatic nerve of a person. The members each have a cylindrical bottom section topped by a conical top section. The bottom section has a flat base and the top section has a slightly flattened top. The height of the member ranges from between about two and a quarter inches to about three inches and the diameter of the member ranges from between about two inches to two and a half inches. The bottom section has a height of about one-quarter of the height of the member and the top section has a base with a diameter slightly greater than the height of the top section. The members are adapted to be placed under a person lying on a flat horizontal surface with one member upright on the surface and under the buttock of the person on the side of the person where the pain is and the other member upright on the surface under the knee of the person on the same side of the person as the first member.

The invention is also particularly directed toward a kit for use for use in treating pain in the sciatic nerve of a person. The kit comprises: a package; a pair of members carried by the package; and instructions with the kit stating how the members are to be used. The members are adapted to be placed under a person lying on a flat horizontal surface with one member upright on the surface under the buttock of the person on the side of the person where the pain is and the other member upright on the surface under the knee of the person on the same side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the members;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a member;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a person lying on the members showing their approximate placement under the person during use of the members; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a kit having the members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The members 1, 3, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are identical so only one will be described in detail. Member 1 has bottom cylindrical section 5 and a top conical section 7 extending up from the top of the cylindrical section 5. The cylindrical section 5 has a flat base 9 and the top 11 of the conical section 7 is slightly flattened and rounded. The member 1 has an overall height ranging from about two and a quarter inches to about three inches and preferably from about two and one quarter inches to about two and three quarters inches. The diameter of the cylindrical bottom section 5 can range from about two inches to about two and a half inches and preferably is between two and an eighth inches and two and three eighths inches. The height of the cylindrical bottom section 5 is about one quarter of the height of the member 1. The conical top section 7 has a base with a diameter slightly greater than the height of the top section. The top 11 of the conical section 7 is slightly flattened, the flattened area 13 being less than one quarter of an inch in diameter. The flattened area 13 is joined to the side 15 of the conical section 7 by a rounded edge 16, the radius of the rounded edge 16 being about the half the diameter of the flattened area 13.

The height, diameter and shape of the members 1, 3 are selected to provide firm, deep pressure to the nerve while being stable in an upright position. The cylindrical section 5 at the bottom of the members saves material while providing the desired height and stability for the members. Members with a lower height than the minimum height described would not reach deep enough in the buttock to affect the nerve while members with a greater height than the maximum height described would be too uncomfortable to lie on. The shape of the conical section 7 also is selected to provide firm, deep pressure without being unduly comfortable. Too steep a conical section would be too uncomfortable while too shallow a conical section would not be effective enough in applying pressure. The shape of the top 11 of the conical section approximates a fingertip shape and applies concentrated pressure without uncomfortable pain at the point of application.

The members 1, 3 can be solid members but preferably are hollow as shown in FIG. 3 with the open bottom 17 closed by a flat circular panel 19 joined to the bottom edge 21 of the member by a suitable adhesive. The panel 19 forms the base 9 of the member. Before the panel 19 is attached the two members 1, 3 can be joined by a flexible cord 25. The cord is about two and one half feet long. Each end 27 of the cord 25 is passed through a hole 29 in the wall of the member near the base and knotted as shown at 31 before the bottom panel 19 is attached. The cord 25 merely prevents one member from being lost from the other member. If the members are solid, holes can be drilled into the sides of the members near the base and the ends of the cords can be embedded with adhesive in the holes.

In use, as shown in FIG. 4, a person lies on the floor on his back and places one of the members 1 upright on the floor just under the buttock on the side of the person where the pain is. The member 1 is generally centered in the buttock B about the center of the buttock. The second member 3 can also be placed upright on the floor just under the knee. The user then rests on both members for between three to five minutes, the person's weight causing the flattened tops 11 of the members to apply deep pressure to the inflamed sciatic nerve in the buttock and knee regions. The procedure can be repeated two or three times a day, always for a relatively short period. The members can be used individually, but it has been found that better results in relieving sciatic pain are obtained by using both members simultaneously. It is as if the members have a synergetic effect.

The members 1, 3 can be sold as part of a kit 35. The kit 35, as shown in FIG. 6, includes a package 37 holding the members 1, 3 and instructions 39 for the use of the cones. The instructions 39 can appear on a separate sheet 41 packed in the package 37 along with the members 1, 3. Alternatively, the instructions can be printed on the package 37. The package 37 can be made of cardboard folded to provide a parallepied shape; a flexible plastic bag; or a rigid plastic container as shown. The instructions 39 forming part of the kit 35 would include instructions where to place the members for treatment, the length of time to rest on the members, and the number of treatments a day. The instructions on where to place the members could include a drawing showing the approximate preferred areas of placement under a person.

Claims

1. A pair of pressure applying members for use in treating pain in the sciatic nerve of a person, the members each consisting of: a cylindrical bottom section and a conical section extending upwardly from the top of the cylindrical section, the bottom section having a flat base and the top of the top section being slightly flattened; the height of each member ranging from between two and one quarter inches and three inches, the diameter of each member ranging between two inches and two and a half inches, the height of the bottom section being about one quarter of the height of the member, the diameter of the base of the conical section being slightly greater than the height of the conical section; the members adapted to be placed under a person lying on a flat horizontal surface with one member under the buttock of the person on the side of the person where the pain is and the other member under the knee on the same side.

2. A pair of members as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top of the top section of each member has a flattened area less than one quarter inch in diameter, the flattened area joined to the side of the top section by a rounded edge having a radius about half the diameter of the flattened area.

3. A pair of members as claimed in claim 1 wherein the members are hollow and are closed by a separate bottom panel at the base.

4. A pair of members as claimed in claim 2 wherein the members are hollow and are closed by a separate bottom panel at the base.

5. A pair of members as claimed in claim 1 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord long enough to have one member placed under the buttock of a user while the other member is placed under the knee of a user.

6. A pair of members as claimed in claim 2 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord long enough to have one member placed under the buttock of a user while the other member is placed under the knee of a user.

7. A pair of members as claimed in claim 3 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord long enough to have one member placed under the buttock of a user while the other member is placed under the knee of a user.

8. A pair of members as claimed in claim 4 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord long enough to have one member placed under the buttock of a user while the other member is placed under the knee of a user.

9. A kit for use for use in treating pain in the sciatic nerve of a person comprising: a package; a pair of pressure applying members carried by the package, each member having a cylindrical bottom section and conical top section extending upwardly from the cylindrical section; and instructions with the kit stating how the members are to be used; the members adapted to be placed on their bottom section under a person lying on a flat horizontal surface with one member upright on the surface under the buttock of the person on the side of the person where the pain is and the other member upright on the surface under the knee of the person on the same side.

10. A kit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the bottom section of the members have a flat base and the top of the top section is slightly flattened; the height of each member ranging from between two and one quarter inches and three inches, the diameter of each member ranging between two and two and a half inches, the height of the bottom section being about one quarter of the height of the member, the diameter of the base of the top section being slightly greater than the height of the top section.

11. A kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein the top of the top section is less than one quarter inch in diameter and the top is joined to the side of the top section with a rounded edge, the edge having a radius about half the diameter of the flattened area.

12. A kit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the members are hollow and are closed by a separate bottom panel at the base.

13. A kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein the members are hollow and are closed by a separate bottom panel at the base.

14. A kit as claimed in claim 11 wherein the members are hollow and are closed by a separate bottom panel at the base.

15. A kit as claimed in claim 9 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord having a length at least long enough to be able to place one member under the buttock of a person lying horizontal on a flat surface, and to place the other member under a knee of the person.

16. A kit as claimed in claim 10 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord having a length at least long enough to be able to place one member under the buttock of a person lying horizontal on a flat surface, and to place the other member under a knee of the person.

17. A kit as claimed in claim 11 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord having a length at least long enough to be able to place one member under the buttock of a person lying horizontal on a flat surface, and to place the other member under a knee of the person.

18. A kit as claimed in claim 12 wherein the members are joined by a flexible cord having a length at least long enough to be able to place one member under the buttock of a person lying horizontal on a flat surface, and to place the other member under a knee of the person.