This invention is an apparatus and an associated method with which a person may self-apply concurrent spinal traction and lateral spinal flexure. The apparatus comprises a mobile carriage with ankle grips, long handles and flexible links to a floor pad that is held in place by the weight of the user's upper torso. The user applies arm pressure to the handles so as to urge the carriage and the user's ankles away from the user's torso. This force on the user's ankles applies a stretching force (traction) to the user's lower spine. Alternating a slightly greater force on the handles causes the carriage, constrained by links to the floor pad, to swing to and fro in a lateral arc. The concurrent application of user-induced traction and lateral spinal flexure is but one advantage of the apparatus and is a novel combination in the field of exercise and therapeutic devices.
