WO1992015232A1

WO1992015232A1 - Posture form seating

Info

Publication number: WO1992015232A1
Application number: PCT/AU1991/000318
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeffrey J. Herbert
Original assignee: Heygarth South Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1991-03-01
Filing date: 1991-07-16
Publication date: 1992-09-17

Abstract

A seat is disclosed which is contoured to place a person in correct biomechanical and organic orientation when in a seated position. The seat comprises a seat portion (20) which has a front (40) and a rear (41). The seat portion (20) has an upwardly inclined section (42) for supporting a person's femur and knees so that they will be below the acetabulum, a lip portion (70) against which the person's ishium will be pulled, due to gravity and which will keep the ischial bones from sliding forward or anterior to bring the pelvis into a vertical or upright position or correct biomechanical and organic orientation, a substantially horizontal support portion (50) for receiving and holding the ischial bones when a person sits down and an upwardly inclinded support portion (54) for receiving the gluteal muscles and sacral iliac ligaments.

Description

POSTURE FORM SEATING

This invention relates to a seat such as a chair but also includes any other seating apparatus such as sofas- couches- stools and the like.

Many attempts have been made to produce seating which places a person in a position so that the pelvis, sacrum, spinal column and cranium are in correct biomechanical and organic orientation.

It is well recognized and documented that incorrect seating posture causes incorrect biomechanical and organic orientation of the pelvis, sacrum, spinal column and cranium which in turn creates significant central and peripheral nervous system distortions and interferences, as well as musculo-skeletal disfunction which creates health, well-being and efficiency problems.

As is well known and documented, a person's nervous system controls and co-ordinates all organic and biomechanical functions of the body.

The brain being the master control is housed in the cranium which is made up of several bony plates that are functionally movable. From the brain stem forms the spinal cord made up of tracks which carry sensory and motor function information to control and co-ordinate all bodily biomechanical and organic function. The individual vertebral spinal nerves are formed by the union of ventral and dorsal spinal nerve roots which are extensions of the spinal cord. The spinal nerves extend in pairs outwardly from the spinal cord between the vertebrae of the spinal column, sacrum and pelvis to the various organs and tissues of the body.

It has long been recognized that incorrect seating posture can cause incorrect biomechanical and organic orientation of the pelvis, sacrum, spinal column and cranium, which applies pressure on the brain, spinal cord and spinal nerve roots which in turn result in improper neural control of the various organs and tissues of the body. This in turn can result in damage and/or disease to those organs and tissues.

Many attempts have been made to produce seating which maintains the spine straight and these include seats which places a person in a generally kneeling position as well as other seating apparatus which is intended to provide lumbar support and also maintain the spine in its correct configuration.

These seats may provide some improvement to the seating attitude and may maintain the spine in a more preferred configuration.

However, this seating configuration still forces and/or requires a person to sit firmly on the sacrum, coccyx and ischial tuberosities as a triangular configuration. Due to abdominal and lumbar muscle weaknesses and gravitation forces pulling down all aspects of the pelvic bowl and general inadequate design of seating biomechanics, this locks the sacrum in a fixed position and prevents and inhibits normal vibratory rhythmic movement of the sacrum.

Correct biomechanical and organic orientation of the pelvis, sacrum, spinal column and cranium is not only important to enable the nervous system to operate optimally, efficiently and correctly but also to provide primary respiration.

Primary respiration is defined for the purposes of this specification to be the proper hydrostatic pressure and circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Inside the brain are holes called ventricals. Lining these ventricals are specialized cells called the choroid plexus. These cells produce approximately 750 is of CSF per day. This fluid exits the brain at specific holes into the external areas around the brain.

Around the brain and spinal cord are three layers of cells called the dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater from external to internal respectively.

The CSF exits foramina (holes) in the base of the brain into the space created between the pia mater and arachnoid mater called the arachnoid space.

This space is a closed system and extends around the brain down to and connects with the second sacral tubercle of the internal aspect of the sacrum in the spinal canal.

This closed system has a specific hydrostatic pressure that must be maintained for neural function to be normal and optimal. Also the CSF fluid must flow properly around the brain and spinal cord to properly hydrate, cleanse and flush the system of neural cell waste and it also transports Pituatary hormones to the external venous system through the specific villi.

Pressure and circulation of the spinal fluid is caused by movement of the cellular contractability of the brain tissue and vascular and respiratory forces. These movements and forces cause the cranium, intercranial membranes and sacrum to move in an expansion and contraction movement called flexion and extension. This movement creates a detectable third wave which is the pressure and flow movement of the CSF through the cranium and spinal column.

Since natural movement of the sacrum is at least partly responsible for circulation and hydrostatic pressure of the spinal fluid, locking of the sacrum so that it cannot move when a person is placed, seated or forced in an incorrect biomechanical and organic orientation this position will impair primary respiration which means that hydrostatic pressure and flow of the spinal fluid will be impaired.

Lack of proper pressure and circulation and the resultant impaired operation of primary respiratory system adversely effects nervous system function which adversely effects neural control of the organs and tissues of the body. This nervous system disfunction is outwardly manifested or shown by organic and biomechanical disfunction.

The object of this invention is to provide a seating apparatus which overcomes the above problems.

The invention may be said to reside in a seating apparatus comprising a seating portion, said seating portion having a recess portion for receiving a person's ishium and holding the ishium in place relative to the seat to thereby enable the person's sacrum, pelvis, spinal^' column and cranium to remain free and not to be in a locked position.

The invention may also be said to reside in a seat comprising a seating portion, said seating portion having a means for receiving and supporting a person's ishium so that the ishium does not not slip anterior to in turn ensure that the person's sacrum, spinal column and cranium are in correct biomechanical and organic orientation and are not locked due to anterior movement of the ishium.

The invention in a further aspect may be said to reside in a seating apparatus comprising: a seat portion for connection to a base so that the seating apparatus can be supported on the ground, said seat portion having a front and a rear; said seat portion having; a) an upwardly inclined section which inclines upwardly from the front of the seat portion to a first intermediate position between said front and rear of the seat portion; b) a lip portion extending from the first intermediate position and curving downwardly to a second intermediate position between the first intermediate position and the rear of the seat portion; c) a support portion extending from said second intermediate position to a third intermediate position between the second intermediate portion and the rear of the base; and d) an inclined support portion extending between the third intermediate position and the rear of the base and being inclined upwardly toward the rear of the seat portion, wherein the upwardly inclined portion is for supporting the femurs of a person so that the femurs and knees are supported in a position below the person's acetabulum and pull the person's ishium up against said lip portion and wherein said lip portion maintains the person's ischial bones from sliding anterior thereby bringing the pelvis into a correct biomechanical and organic orientation, said support portion being for receiving and hold the ischial bones when the person sits down and said inclined support portion being for supporting the person's gluteal muscles and sacro-iliac ligaments.

Since the seating apparatus of the invention receives the person's ishium and holds the ishium in place and prevents the sacrum from locking, the sacrum, pelvis, spinal column and cranium are able to move normally with vascular and respiratory forces to ensure that the primary respiratory systems operates correctly. Furthermore, since the sacrum, pelvis, spinal column and cranium are free to move the spine remains in its correct biomechanical and

organic orientation to ensure that pressure is not applied to spinal nerves by incorrect biomechanical and organic orientation of the spine. Thus, not only is the spine maintained in a correct position which does not place distortion or interferences on the nervous system but also this enables the nervous system to operate efficiently to its full potential and the primary respiratory system also to operate efficiently to its full potential.

Correct seating is not only a question of comfort, it is a precondition for occupant well-being and efficiency. Since many people are seated for a long period of time a seating posture which provides correct biomechanical and organic orientation provided by the seating apparatus of this invention thereby ensures that the health and well-being and efficiency is maintained at peak levels and is not impaired or deteriorated or interfered with by incorrect seating biomechanical and organic orientation.

Preferably the seating apparatus includes a seat frame disposed between said seat portion and said base. Preferably said seating apparatus includes cushioning material on said upwardly inclined portion for comfortably supporting a person's legs and which is able to collapse under the weight of the person so that the person's femurs are supported by the upwardly inclined portion and therefore decline so that the femurs and knees are below the acetabulum.

Preferably said lip portion has further cushioning material thereon which is more rigid than the cushioning material on the upwardly inclined portion and preferably the support portion and inclined support portion have cushioning material which is less rigid than the further cushioning material.

Preferably the cushioning material of the upwardly inclined portion, the support portion and the inclined support portion comprise low density foam padding and the cushioning material of the lip portion comprises high density foam padding. Preferably gel padding is arranged between the seat portion and the cushioning material in the vicinity of the lip portion, support portion and inclined support portion.

Preferably the seating apparatus includes a back rest for providing lumbar support, said back rest having a lumbar support portion which provides lumbar support between the second and third lumbar vertebrae.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a seat embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a seat embodying the invention; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of figure 1.

With reference to the drawings, a seat 10 is shown which comprises a stand 12 which can be of any ^desired form and in the embodiment shown comprises a support shaft 12 adjustably received in a base 14 having legs 16 supported on castors 19. The shaft 12 may be adjusted in sleeve 14 to adjust the height of the chair. The seat 10 has a frame 18 which couples a seat portion 20 to the shaft 12 and base 14. The seat may also include a back rest 22 having a lumbar support portion 24 which is preferably adjustable relative to the seat portion 20. The back rest 22 may be connected to the frame 18 by a frame portion 26.

As can be seen in figures 1 and 2 seat 10 is provided with a recessed portion 32 which is defined by a back section 33, side sections 34 and a front portion 35.

The seat portion 10, as is best seen in figure 3, is contoured so as to place a person in the correct biomechanical and organic orientation so that the sacrum, pelvis, spinal cord, and cranium are all in proper biomechanical and organic orientation so that they operate to their full potential and are not locked or impaired by

SUBSTITUTE SHEET incorrect seating posture.

The seat portion 20 has a front 40 and a rear 41. The seat portion 20 has an upwardly inclined section 42 which extends upwardly from the front 40 to a first intermediate point 44. The base 20 then has a lip portion 46 which extends from the point 44 generally downwardly to a second intermediate point 48 which is between the first intermediate point 44 and the rear 41. The base 20 then has a substantially flat support portion 50 which extends from the second intermediate point 48 to a third intermediate point 52. The base 20 then has an upwardly inclined support portion 54 which extends from the point 41 to a point at or closely adjacent to the rear 41 of the seat.

The base 20 may be provided with low density foam padding 60 in the vicinity of the front 35 and upwardly inclined portion 42 of the seat 10 and with the same low density foam padding 60 in the vicinity of the substantially horizontal support portion 4O and upwardly inclined portion 54. High density foam padding 62 is provided in the vicinity of the lip portion 46 between the two low density foam paddings 60.

The foam paddings 60 and 62 provide a cushion for seating comfort and the low density padding 60 easily collapses under a person's weight so that the person's body takes up the contouring of the seat portion 20 as will be described hereinafter. The padding 62 provides some cushioning but is somewhat more rigid than the low density padding 60 to provide support also in the manner to be described hereinafter.

For additional cushioning and comfort gel pads 70 may be provided in the vicinity of the lip portion 62 and also the horizontal support portion 50 and part of the upwardly inclined support portion 54.

The foam padding 60 and 62 may alsβ be provided with a fabric cover 72 as is conventional.

When a person seats his or herself in the chair according to the preferred embodiment of this invention the person's legs rest on the foam padding cushion 60 and in view of the low density of that padding the padding will easily collapse so that the person's legs are supported in a declined manner by the inclined portion 42. Thus, the person's femurs and knees are supported below the acetabulum and in this position the person's ishium is pulled up against the lip portion 46 and is securely supported by the lip portion 46.

The lip portion 46 maintains the ischial bones from sliding forward or anterior which maintains the pelvis in a vertical and/or upright position or correct biomechanical organic orientation generally in the recess 32 and, as noted above, the ishium is supported against the lip portion 2 so that it cannot slide further forward.

The substantially horizontal portion 50 receives and holds the ischial bones when a person sits down and the upwardly inclined support portion 54 receives the gluteal muscles and sacral iliac ligaments to support them on the seat.

The back rest 22 having the lumbar support 24 is adjusted so that the lumbar support 24 provides support between the second and third lumbar vertebrae when a person is seated in the seat 10. Little or no adjustment of the back rest 22 is required in order to alter the position of the back rest 22 so that the lumbar support portion 24 will support a person between the second and third lumbar vertebrae regardless of the height of the person. However, if adjustment is necessary the back rest 22 can be adjusted upwardly or downwardly relative to the seat portion 20 so that the lumbar support is provided between the second and third lumbar vertebrae.

Thus, the person's sacrum, pelvis, spinal column and cranium are maintained in correct biomechanical and organic orientation so that the nervous system and primary respiratory system are not impaired by incorrect seating posture and will function to their full potential and at peak efficiency.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A seating apparatus comprising a seating portion, said seating portion having a recess portion for receiving a person's ishium and holding the ishium in place relative to the seat to thereby enable the person's sacrum, pelvis, spinal column and cranium to remain free and not to be in a locked position.

2. A seat comprising a seating portion, said seating portion having a means for receiving and supporting a person's ishium so that the ishium does not slip anterior and in turn ensure that the person's sacrum, spinal column and cranium are in correct biomechanical and organic orientation and are not locked due to anterior movement of the ishium.

3. A seating apparatus comprising: a seat portion for connection to a base so that the seating apparatus can be supported on the ground, said seat portion having a front and a rear; said seat portion having; a) an upwardly inclined section which inclines upwardly from the front of the seat portion to a first intermediate position between said front and rear of the seat portion; b) a lip portion extending from the first intermediate position and curving downwardly to a second intermediate position between the first intermediate position and the rear of the seat portion; c) a support portion extending from said second intermediate position to a third intermediate position between the second intermediate portion and the rear of the base; and d) an inclined support portion extending between the third intermediate position and the rear of the base and being inclined upwardly toward the rear of the seat portion, wherein the upwardly inclined portion is for supporting the femurs of a person so that the femurs and knees are supported in a position below the person's acetabulum and pull the person's ishium up against said lip portion and wherein said lip portion maintains the person's ischial bones from sliding anterior thereby bringing the pelvis into a correct biomechanical and organic orientation, said support portion being for receiving and hold the ischial bones when the person sits down and said inclined support portion being for supporting the person's gluteal muscles and sacral iliac ligaments.

4. The seating apparatus of claim 3 including a seat frame disposed between said seat portion and said base.

5. The seating apparatus of claim 3 or 4 including cushioning material on said upwardly inclined portion for comfortably supporting a person's legs and which is able to collapse under the weight of the person so that the person's femurs are supported by the upwardly inclined portion and therefore incline so that the femurs and knees are below the acetabulum.

6. The seating apparatus of claim 5 wherein said lip portion has further cushioning material thereon which is more rigid than the cushioning material on the upwardly inclined portion and preferably the support portion and inclined support portion have cushioning material which is less rigid than the further cushioning material.

7. The seating apparatus of claim 6 wherein the cushioning material of the upwardly inclined portion, the support portion and the inclined support portion comprise low density foam padding and the cushioning material of the lip portion comprises high density foam padding.

8. The seating apparatus of claim 6 wherein gel padding is arranged between the seat portion and the cushioning material in the vicinity of the lip portion, support portion and inclined support portion.

9. The seating apparatus of claim 3 wherein the seating apparatus includes a back rest for providing lumbar support, said back rest having a lumbar support portion which provides lumbar support between the second and third lumbar vertebrae.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET