A BRADFORD doctor who suffered distracting knee pain has come up with a new invention he hopes will be answer to Muslims' agony-free prayers.

It has taken four years for Sulleman Moreea, who works at Bradford Royal Infirmary as a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist , to get his special support prayer mats on to the production line.

Now a factory in China is making them in three different sizes, for three different heights, and next week he will be taking the upright light-weight foam supports in to mosques and community centres around Bradford to show fellow Muslims how kneeling for prayers can at last be pain free.

The SupportMan cushions will go on sale soon online and a video will be posted on Youtube showing people how to work out which size they will need, by kneeling astride a pile of books.

Dr Moreea said: "I've had a couple of operations on my knees because of sports injuries - I've damaged ligaments, had cartilage removed and got screws in, so I found when kneeling I couldn't pray properly because I was getting distracted by the pain.

"I wanted to find a way of making things better so when I went to visit a friend in Mauritius who has a foam company we got talking and started working on an idea to make a support cushion."

"We needed something like a little seat that had to be able to take people's weight, be stable and not topple over. The foam goes between the legs as prayers are said - the shape of it opens up the angle of the knees which takes the pain away from them, making it more comfortable."

The supports are made with the same kind of foam used in lifejackets, are washable and very resistant.

Dr Moreea plans to donate some supports to local mosques for people to try and said: "We are not making these to become millionaires. We're doing this because it's been good for me and I want to share that with people so they can give their 100 per cent to prayers and not to their aches and pains."