JP4761262B2 - Orthopedic foot cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a foot cover for orthopedic use exclusively for a foot used when an ankle joint is fixed with a cast, a cast, a splint, a lower limb orthosis or the like by fracture or the like.

  When the ankle joint is fixed with a splint, the size is larger than the actual foot, so the size does not fit with ordinary footwear, and the footwear is covered with a substitute for a commercially available sandal or a garbage bag, etc. Therefore, Japanese people who use indoor and outdoor footwear are inconvenienced in daily life. In order to cope with the above situation, various types of foot covers have been conventionally used. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The types of well-known foot covers are roughly divided into a type that covers the entire foot in the form of a sheet or bag (see Patent Document 1), and the structure of the cover is upper (upper surface, upper part) and sole (bottom part). ) Are classified into a type in which the upper covers substantially the entire area of the upper surface of the foot (see Patent Document 2), a type in which the toes or heels are exposed, and a type in the form of sandals. While there are various types of overseas products, there are not many types of domestic products due to the lack of spread of life support products during treatment. Among the products used, the type that covers the entire upper surface of the foot and protects the fixing material from dirt is the mainstream, and in order to prioritize dirt prevention, waterproof material without ventilation is used as the upper material. Most are things.

  By the way, when fixing an ankle joint etc. with fixing materials, such as cast material, a cast, and a splint material, the material which hardens and fixes using water has come to be used generally. When these are used, the affected area is often covered with a lower wound material, and these fixing materials are applied from above to fix the affected area. By using such a wet fixing material and a lower wound material wetted with water from the fixing material, the skin becomes moist. Moreover, the inside of the fixing material is also in a high humidity state due to sweat from the skin.

  Furthermore, in recent years, the influence of water remaining on the affected area has increased due to an increase in the use of a splint material that can be easily reduced by integrating the fixing material and the lower winding material. In addition, since the sprint material wets the entire product, the entire material including the cushioning material that hits the lower wound material that directly contacts the skin gets wet, and the water content during application is high. Furthermore, since non-woven fabrics and foams are often used as lower winding materials and cushioning materials, there is a problem that they do not easily dry when wet. Therefore, it is necessary for the foot cover that covers the fixing material to have air permeability, and the necessity is particularly high when a splint material is used.

As described above, as an orthopedic foot cover, when adopting an upper structure that can cover substantially the entire upper surface of the fixed foot, evaporation of moisture contained in the fixing material or sweat coming out of the skin, Drying takes a considerable amount of time. In addition, if a long time is spent while moisture is kept inside the fixing material, the skin surface may cause a macerated state. Many of the foot cover products currently on the market use a non-breathable upper material, and therefore have a problem that steaming and skin maceration are likely to occur. On the other hand, in order to solve these problems of air permeability, there are also types that have the opening area of the upper part increased to expose the toes or heels, and sandal type foot cover products. There is a problem that the surface of the fixing material is soiled by external dust and dirt directly attached to the wet exposed portion of. Therefore, it is desired to realize an orthopedic foot cover that solves both the problems of air permeability and the problem of dirt.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-29528 Utility Model Registration No. 3047799 Japanese Patent No. 2720985 The above Patent Document 3 is cited in the description of the present invention described later.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to have sufficient air permeability despite having an upper structure that covers substantially the entire upper surface of the foot. An object of the present invention is to provide an orthopedic foot cover that is capable of improving the prevention of contamination of a fixing material, and that is simple in structure and easy to wear.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides an orthopedic foot cover including an outsole portion and an upper portion covering substantially the entire upper surface of the foot portion, and at least a part including a toe area of the upper portion includes: It is made of at least two layers of breathable base materials, and the positions of the vent holes in each layer are shifted.

  According to the above invention, in the upper part covering the substantially entire area of the upper surface of the foot part, at least part of the upper part including the toe area, which is particularly prone to moisture, is made of a breathable base material. Further, since this breathable base material is composed of two layers and the positions of the vent holes in each layer are shifted, the surface of the fixing material is not contaminated in a short time.

  Moreover, as an embodiment of the said invention, the following invention is preferable. That is, in the above-described orthopedic foot cover, at least a part including the toe area of the upper part is a connecting yarn between the front and back knitted fabrics and the front and back knitted fabrics whose center positions are different from each other. Double raschel knitted fabric connected by Further, in the above-described orthopedic foot cover, the front and back knitted fabrics whose center positions are different from each other have different opening diameters.

  The double raschel knitted fabric in the invention is known from, for example, Patent Document 3. A double raschel knitted fabric is basically a double knitted fabric composed of two layers of front and back knitted fabrics and connecting yarns connecting the two layers of knitted fabrics at an interval, and is knitted by a double raschel machine. Depending on the configuration of the knitted fabric of the front and back two layers, various modified configurations are possible. In the above invention, the center positions of the front and back knitted fabrics are shifted from each other, and more preferably, by changing the aperture diameters of the front and back knitted fabrics from each other as in the above invention, It is possible to improve the prevention of dirt on the surface of the fixing material while ensuring air permeability.

  Moreover, the said subject can be solved also by the following invention. That is, the orthopedic foot cover described above is characterized in that the two-layer breathable base material is a laminate of an open-cell foam and a jersey. The foam is, for example, a urethane foam. In this case, the foam is not a simple hole, but an air passage corresponding to the air hole is continuously and three-dimensionally complicated. On the other hand, since the jersey has mesh-shaped ventilation holes, the positions of the ventilation holes of the respective layers are shifted as a result, and it is possible to improve the prevention of dirt on the surface of the fixing material while ensuring the air permeability.

  Further, in the orthopedic foot cover described above, the breathability of the two-layer breathable base material is 3 seconds or less based on JIS L1096 breathability test B method (air amount 350 ml). Features. From the viewpoint of prevention of stuffiness, the better the air permeability, the better. However, from the viewpoint of prevention of dirt, it is necessary to provide the necessary minimum air permeability. According to empirical evaluation of wearing, the air permeability based on the air permeability test is preferably 3 seconds or less, more preferably 1 second or less. In this case, the skin exposed from the cast, the sprint, etc. can feel the ventilation and the flow of air.

  Next, from the viewpoint of providing an orthopedic foot cover that is simple in structure and easy to wear, the following invention is preferable. That is, in the above-described orthopedic foot cover, the upper portion has an upper right, an upper left, a left and right connecting portion, a left and right engaging portion, and an upper joint portion, and a left and right upper portion thereof. The outsole portion and the upper portion are joined by the upper joint portion.

  According to the orthopedic foot cover of the present invention, despite having an upper structure that covers substantially the entire upper surface of the foot, it has sufficient air permeability and can improve the prevention of contamination of the fixing material. Further, the structure is simple and the mounting can be facilitated.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of an orthopedic foot cover according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view. In FIG. 1, 1 is an outsole, 3a is an upper left, 3b is an upper right, 5 is an upper joint, 6a and 6b are left and right connecting portions, 7 is an upper end processing tape, and 8a to 8c are left and right engaging portions ( Reference numerals 1) to (3) and 10 denote toe areas. The upper part excluding the outsole 1 is configured to be openable and closable at the upper part thereof, and the outsole 1 and the upper part are joined by an upper joint part 5. The orthopedic foot cover is usually provided with an insole (insole) (not shown) on the upper surface of the outsole inside the upper portion, and a foot fixed by a fixing material is placed on the insole. Is done.

  In FIG. 1, at least a part or almost all of the upper portion including the toe area 10 is made of at least two layers of air-permeable bases, and those in which the positions of the air holes of the respective layers are shifted are used. In addition, in FIG. 1, the example which made the substantially whole upper part except the right-and-left latching | locking part (1)-(3) etc. made into the 2 layer air-permeable base material is shown. As a product, it is preferable to make almost all from the viewpoint of prevention of stuffiness and ease of production, but from the viewpoint of prevention of stuffiness, the ventilation range should include 20% or more including the toes relative to the upper coating range. Is preferred. For example, in FIG. 1, it is sufficient if the region including the toe area 10 in front of the left and right engaging portions (1) of 8a and the left and right engaging portions (2) of 8b is the two-layer breathable base material. is there.

  As the two-layer breathable base material of the upper part, for example, the double raschel knitted fabric or a laminate of an open-cell foam and a jersey is used. Details will be described in the section of the embodiment described later. In the case of fiber materials, water repellent treatment can be applied because water (rain, etc.) at the daily life level easily penetrates into the cover and the material from the water absorption of the yarn itself, gaps and openings in the knitted fabric. preferable. The water-repellent treatment on the material can further reduce direct dirt on the cover surface and penetration of moisture into the interior.

  Next, one outsole and materials used will be described. The outsole is a portion corresponding to the sole of a shoe, and the material properties required for wear resistance, slipping properties, hardness, impact buffering properties, and the like are the same as those of ordinary shoes. However, in the case of an orthopedic foot cover, since the ankle joint is fixed, in order to reduce stroking and hooking on the floor surface, it is common to have a boat bottom shape with a taper on the front and rear in terms of structure. It is. The bottom surface is formed with uneven grooves so that it is difficult to slip. As materials mainly used, materials such as synthetic rubber, polyurethane, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, and nylon are crosslinked and foamed or molded. The maximum thickness is about 10 to 20 mm, and the taper has a shape with a gap of 7 mm or more in the front and rear maximum part with a taper. Moreover, it is preferable to set the Asker hardness C to about 40 to 70 in order to prevent bottoming with a load when a foot is placed.

  Next, an insole not shown in FIG. 1 and materials used therefor will be described. In general shoes, the material of the surface fabric and the core material are often laminated, and it is composed of natural fibers, chemical / synthetic fibers, etc., resin, foam, pulp board, etc. It has a three-dimensional shape and a buffer function that are reproduced as much as possible. However, because of the different types of fixing materials used by each manufacturer, the fact that the shape and dimensions are not stable depending on the surgeon's technique, and changes in the condition of the affected area, such as patient edema, it is strictly a foot like ordinary shoes. There is no need to produce an insole that reproduces the form. However, the surface of the fixing material is often hardened with resin or gypsum, or is often covered with non-woven fabric, foam, or bandages, and is generally made of a highly rigid material, such as barefoot. The surface is soft and does not deform. Therefore, it is preferable to incorporate a foam (thickness 1 to 3 mm) capable of buffering in the core material of the insole so that the fixed foot can easily follow the insole and be stabilized.

  Next, other members in FIG. 1 will be described. The left and right engaging portions (1) to (3) indicated by 8a to 8c are, for example, hook-and-loop fastener belts provided at two places on the back and one place on the heel, and for example, nylon hook-and-loop fasteners are used as the face material. . Moreover, as materials for the upper joint portion 5, the left and right connecting portions 6a and 6b, and the upper end treatment tape 7, for example, tape materials such as polypropylene, polyester, nylon, and cotton are used. However, these are all limited to these materials. However, other materials can be appropriately employed as long as they are easy to join and strong.

  Next, with respect to Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention, together with Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the results of measuring the humidity change in the foot cover will be described with reference to FIG. First, the upper, insole, outsole, and other configurations of the examples and comparative examples will be described.

Example 1
Upper: A double raschel knitted fabric made of polyester having a hole diameter of about 1.5 mm on one side and a hole diameter of 0.5 mm or less on the other side and having relatively clogged eyes was used as a two-layer breathable base material. Since the hole is not directly penetrating because the size and position of the hole are deviated, dirt is prevented from entering by the stitches of the fiber. Water repellent treatment is applied to the material to reduce the ingress of moisture from outside the cover. The air permeability was 0.09 seconds, the thickness was 3.77 mm, and the basis weight was 365 g / m ² .

Insole: A polyester jersey was used on the surface, and a continuous foamed polyurethane foam having a thickness of 2 mm and an apparent density of 20 ± 10 kg / m ³ and a paperboard were laminated and laminated.

  Outsole: Since the ankle joint is fixed, the bottom of the boat has a tapered shape in order to reduce stroking and catching on the floor. The maximum thickness was about 18mm, and the taper had a shape with a clearance of 7mm or more in the front and rear maximum part. An uneven groove was formed on the bottom surface so as not to slip. Asker hardness C is 50 ± 5.

  Others: Two hook-and-loop fastener belts are provided on the former and one on the heel for easy opening / closing of the cover and a structure that prevents the cover from falling off.

(Example 2)
Upper: As a two-layer air-permeable base material, a polyester jersey is used on the surface, and an open cell urethane foam core material is laminated. The air permeability was 1.1 seconds, the thickness was 2.65 mm, and the basis weight was 690 g / m ² .

  The insole, outsole, etc. are the same as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
Upper: Constructed by laminating a punched core material and polyester jersey on an independent foamed polyethylene foam. The air permeability was 3.6 seconds, the thickness was 3.14 mm, and the basis weight was 370 g / m ² .

  The insole, outsole, etc. are the same as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
Upper: PVC leather cloth. The air permeability was 71.8 seconds, the thickness was 0.96 mm, and the basis weight was 708 g / m ² . The insole, outsole, etc. are the same as in Example 1.

  Next, a method for measuring the humidity in the foot cover will be described. A cast material, which was cured and fixed using water, was wound around the foot and fixed, and then a foot cover for orthopedic surgery was attached, and the humidity in the cover of the toe portion not covered with the fixing material was measured with a hygrometer. The measurement was carried out in a room with a room temperature of 24 ° C. and a humidity of 50% and almost no change in temperature and humidity by the air conditioner.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a result of measuring a humidity change in the foot cover after the orthopedic foot cover is mounted. Humidity (%) indicates the measured values of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 after 10 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, and 8 hours, respectively, immediately after mounting. Note that the measured value at the bottom of FIG. 2 indicates the indoor humidity and is substantially constant at a humidity of 50%. The air permeability of each of Examples 1 and 2 is within 3 seconds, and the comparative example is larger than that.

  According to the result of FIG. 2, the humidity in the cover shows a difference due to air permeability, and the use of a highly air-permeable base material is less likely to promote the inside of the cover to a moist environment. In the case of the comparative examples, the humidity exceeds 60%, which is not a very comfortable environmental state. Especially in the case of the comparative example 2 similar to what is generally used as a cover, the humidity has reached 80%, and the inside of the cover is in a muddy state. From the above results, it was confirmed that in the example to which the present invention was applied, the increase in humidity was small and comfortable, and the prevention of contamination on the surface of the fixing material could be improved.

The perspective view of the foot cover for orthopedics which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the result of having measured the humidity change in the foot cover after the orthopedic foot cover mounting | wearing about the Example and comparative example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Outsole, 3a: Upper left, 3b: Upper right, 5: Upper joint, 6a, 6b: Left and right connecting part, 7: Upper end processing tape, 8a: Left and right locking part (1), 8b: Left and right engagement Stop part (2), 8c: Left and right locking part (3), 10: Toe (toe) area.

Claims (4)

The orthopedic foot cover and a upper part which covers the substantially whole area of the outsole portion and foot portion upper surface, at least a portion comprising a toe area of the upper portion is made of breathable base material of at least two layers, wherein An orthopedic foot comprising a double raschel knitted fabric in which a breathable base material is formed by connecting the front and back knitted fabrics whose center positions of the openings are shifted with each other by a connecting thread. cover. The orthopedic foot cover according to claim 1 , wherein the front and back knitted fabrics whose center positions of the apertures are shifted have different aperture diameters.   The foot cover for orthopedic surgery according to claim 1, wherein the breathability of the two-layer breathable base material is 3 seconds or less based on JIS L1096 breathability test method B (air quantity 350 ml). Features an orthopedic foot cover. The orthopedic foot cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the upper portion includes an upper right, an upper left, a left and right connecting portion, a left and right engaging portion, and an upper joint portion. An orthopedic foot cover having an upper portion that is configured to be openable and closable from side to side and wherein the outsole portion and the upper portion are joined by the upper joint portion.

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