Mechanical therapeutic apparatus

Claim 1

Mechanical therapeutic apparatus comprising: a vertical beam having a front surface; a seat connected to said vertical beam at a distance from said front surface such that a user can rest his back on said front surface when seated on said seat, means to adjust the distance of said seat from said front surface of said beam; and said seat having means for adjusting it's height; a foot rest connected to said vertical beam said footrest being spaced from said seat a distance such that a user can rest his feet on said footrest when seated on said seat; a carriage movable vertically along said beam, means located within said beam for guiding the movement of said carriage, said carriage having an opening, grasping means comprising a transverse bar adapted to be introduced in the opening of the carriage; means for braking the carriage against its downward movement; said braking means comprising a set of elastic cords of which one extremity of each is retained on a base of the beam and the other extremity, after passing over a pulley, is removably connected to an element of the carriage in active position and to an element fixed to the beam in inactive position; said braking means further comprising a set of weights mounted for vertical movement along vertical guides; and means for coupling at least one of said weights to the carriage including a rod vertically displaceable within the set of weights, locking means for connecting a selected one of said weights to said rod, and a flexible pulling member connected at one end to said rod and at the other end to the upper end of said carriage, said flexible pulling member passing over pulleys journaled at the top of the apparatus.