WO2007027573A2

WO2007027573A2 - Lumbar lordosis brace

Info

Publication number: WO2007027573A2
Application number: PCT/US2006/033464
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronald P. Dellanno
Original assignee: Dellanno Ronald P
Priority date: 2005-08-30
Filing date: 2006-08-29
Publication date: 2007-03-08
Also published as: WO2007027573A3

Abstract

A lumbar lordosis correction brace (2), comprising a lower portion (6) adapted for fixedly and comtbrtably encircling the lower trunk of a patient to be treated, an upper portion (7) adapted for comfortably encircling the trunk of said panent above the said lower portion, one or more lordosis contact means (5) being provided at the parts ot said upper and lower portions facing the back of said patient for maintaining pressure against desired portions of the patient's spine, and means (4) to controllably displace said upper portion vertically from said lower portion to generate over an extended period limited axial traction so as to preserve the lumbar lordosis, and with directed lumbar lordosis support at the patent's spine

Description

LUMBAR LORDOSIS BRACE

Inventor: Ronald P. Dellanno

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to therapeutic devices and apparatus for treatment and correction of human abnormalities and injuries; and more specifically

relates to a therapeutic device designed to support and rehabilitate the lumbar spine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Injuries to the lumbar spine are caused by obesity, industrial injuries, whiplash, sports injuries, by forward head posture arising e.g. from prolonged sitting at computer stations and from other causes, and from falls and other trauma. The present invention remedies and/or ameliorates these maladies by providing axial traction to relieve joint pressure on the lumbar facets and discs, and by achieving other lumbar lordosis rehabilitation. The invention in another aspect, can be utilized to relieve and remedy spinal stresses arising from anatomical weight shifts generated by the abdominal distention of pregnancy.

This bio-mechanical lumbar brace has the versatility of correcting several different misalignment postures that can cause pain and result in permanent lumbar joint arthritic degeneration, The mild axial traction produced by this brace is in contrast to more forceful conventional lumbar traction. In contrast, high force lumbar traction has been used in the prior art to decompress herniated discs and facets joints over short intervals of time (usually less than thirty minutes). This type of lumbar traction is more effective if the patient is lying down so as to avoid the opposing compressive force of gravity. High force axial traction will unfortunately cause the lumbal- lordotic curve to straighten because of its vertical pull on the spine. This straightening can cause damage to the lumbal- ligaments which is why the time of this kind of traction must be limited. The present invention is designed to preserve the lumbar lordosis by providing mild axial traction to the lumbar spine while simultaneously applying a horizontal or +z directional force at targeting areas where the lumber lordosis has collapsed. This directional lumbar fulcrum can be similarly applied to different areas of the lumbar curve depending on where it is misaligned. The ultimate effect is to maximize lumbar paraspinal ligament rehabilitation while preventing patients with impaired lumbar spines from becoming disabled. The longer the corrective forces are applied, the faster the ligaments will heal.

This invention offers a lumbar brace solution to these patients because it can be worn over many hours, perhaps throughout the entire workday if desired. This would allow a person with significant permanent impairment of the lumbar spine to return to work and avoid disability and workman compensation claims.

The application for use are injuries from accident, whiplash, sports, obesity, pregnancy, or any injury to the lumbar spine. Chiropractors, physiatrists, orthopedists, EMT and hospital care-givers will all find this a useful adjunct to their care.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a lumbar lordosis correction brace is provided which is embodied in first, a therapeutic version that can be used by physicians who have determined where the lumbar spine needs the most support to rehabilitate the lumbar lordosis; and second, in a generic simplified version which is readily used by a patient with only limited supervision by the physician. Unlike numerous devices of the prior art which are intended to function as braces, the present invention does not merely constitute wrapping around the body and support for muscles. But rather it additionally offers lumbar traction and directed lumbar lordosis correction.

The device of the invention generally comprises a lower portion which is fixedly securable about the patient at the lower trunk, and an upper portion which while also secured about the patient (above the lower portion), is vertically and controllably spaceable from the lower portion as to effect the desired axial traction. The upper portion is thus controllably displaced vertically from the lower portion to generate over an extended period limited axial traction so as to preserve the lumbar lordosis, and with directed lumbar lordosis support at the patient's spine.

The rear of the lumbal- brace is provided with one or more lumbar lordosis pads. Such pads can be made of foam or other rigid or semi-rigid materials and/or air bladders to serve as support fulcrums on specific lumbar-sacral vertebra or support the entire lumbar lordosis as a unit. The side panels of the lumbar brace can be made of various materials. The controlled displacement of the upper portion of the brace with respect to the fixed lower portion can be accomplished by several different mechanisms. One or more air chambers or bladders can thus be provided that expand vertically between the two portions to effect the displacement and thereby offer width to the lumbar vertebral joints; or a mechanical system based on a lever or helical screw jack construction can be used to produce the same effect. The side panels are preferably made of a firm material that can support the lifting mechanism, whether using the air lift approach or mechanical system.

The mentioned panels preferably have an inner lining of a comfortable material so as to provide hours of relief to persons in pain from lumbar joint disease. The effect of the two support features is to provide mild lumbar traction while offering rehabilitation to the lumbar lordotic curve. This acts to increase healing and prevent progressive lumbar joint disease. The rear panels are made of a contoured plastic, fabric or similar material and are provided with the mentioned lumbar lordosis pads to be applied to the lumbar spine. Apertures or openings at the rear panels can also be provided to enable adjustments of the lordosis pads.

In a further, low cost and simplified embodiment of the invention, a suspension system is used to generate lumbar traction. The upper portion of the brace is suspended by this system which functions much like ordinary pants suspenders. In this manner the suspenders provide a simple and inexpensive way to generate mild axial traction to the upper portion of the lumbar brace. Thus there are at least three ways disclosed to provide the desired axial traction in the invention, i. e. , by one or more air chambers or bladders, by a mechanical jack system, and by a suspension system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is further illustrated in the drawings appended hereto, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a lumbar lordosis brace ("LLB") in accordance with the invention being utilized in connection with a representative person undergoing treatment;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 1, but shows the change/traction in the LLB from an adjustment of the device;

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict the LLB in a non-adjusted (5A) and adjusted (5B) state, using a screw adjustment mechanism;

FIGS. 6A and 6β depict the LLB in a non-adjusted (6A) and adjusted (6B) state using an air bladder mechanism;

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict the LLB in a non-adjusted (7A) and adjusted (7B) state using a jacking mechanism;

FIG. 8 depicts the internal positions of the lift pads and lordosis pads;

FIGS. 9 A and 9B respectively show a side plan and an exploded perspective view of the components used in the screw adjustment mechanism of FIGS. 5 A and 5B; FIGS. 1OA and 1OB are top and front perspective views of the jacking mechanism of FIGS 7 A and 7B; FIG 1OC is an exploded perspective view of the components shown in Fig 1OA and 1OB;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are similar views to those of FIGS. 1, 2 & 3, but show a second embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 14A and 14B depict the change in configuration of the second embodiment in order to lift the upper portion LLB.

FIG. 15 shows a cross section of the tubular frame embedded in the rigid foam mold; and also depicts the material overlay on the pads/glands;

FIG. 16 A and 16B depict a patient in a before/after treatment utilizing the LLB of the invention; and

FIG. 17 is a side view of a pregnant patient wearing an embodiment of the invention which is generally similar to that in Figures 10 through 14.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In Figures 1 through 5 A and 5B a representative patient 1 is shown being treated by the device of the present invention. Patient 1 is thus shown wearing a first embodiment of the lumbar lordosis brace 2. The brace 2 (hereinafter referred to for simplicity as "LBJ 2") comprises an upper portion 7 and a lower portion 6. The lower portion 6 is fixedly secured to patient 1 by encircling the patient at or above the hip. The lower portion 6 comprises two side pieces 41 and 43, which are joined at the front of the patient by straps 3 which are self-adjustable or adjustable by the technician to enable the portion 6 to be comfortably secured. The upper portion 7 of LBJ 2 similarly comprises two side portions 41 A and 43 A which are also joined at front and back of the patient by similar adjustable straps 3. A flexible strap 45 extends between upper and lower portions 6 and 7 for convenience in storage.

A key concept of the present invention is the ability to controllably displace upper portion 7 with respect to vertically fixed lower portion 6 in order to achieve vertically directed traction of the patient's spine, which as will be seen is in firm contact with LBJ 2 in a manner as will be discussed. In order to enable the controllable vertical displacement a lift mechanism 4 is provided. In the embodiment so far discussed this takes the form of a simple screw jack mechanism 47 bridging the rigid side panels 41, 41 A and 43, 43 A of upper and lower portions 6 and 7, with the screw mechanism being adjustable by manual rotation of hand knob 11. Details of the screw mechanism 47 are shown in Figures 9A and 9B where the hand knob 11 is seen to actuate an acme screw 12 within acme nut 13 and guide sleeve 14. By adjustment of knob 11, the screw mechanisms 47 at each opposed side of the LBJ, the spacing between the fixed lower portion 6 and moveable upper portion 7 is adjixsted.

Inflatable or non-inflatable lordosis pads 5 are provided on alternate sides of the rear of LBJ 2 as best seen in Figure 3, and a series of three inflatable and/or non- inflatable pads 8 are provided at the middle of the back portion of LBJ 2. These pads can be affixed to a flexible material 49 that extends between the side panels of each upper and lower portion as seen in Figure 3.

Figures 6 A and 6B show an alternate adjustment means 50 that may be utilized in LBJ 2 to displace upper portion 7 with respect to lower portion 6. In this instance an inflatable chamber 51 encircles and resides in the space between the irpper and lower portions 6, 7, and is manually inflatable by a simple bulb 9 which is compressed by the user, physician, or technician regulating use of the device.

In Figures 7 A and 7B a further mechanism 60 is shown which enables displacement of upper and lower portion by a simple lever jacking arrangement. Further details of this jacking arrangement are seen in Figures 1OA, 1OB and 1OC. As best seen in the exploded view of 1 OC a lift arm 19 held in place within housing 15 by pin 20 displaces a guide rod 10. A release arm button 16 provided within housing 15 interacts with a spring 17 mounted and held in place by a back plate 18.

In Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 a simplified, low cost version of the present invention is shown. The said device once again includes an upper portion 23 and lower portion 24, which in this instance may comprise a relatively flexible material such as a cloth or other flexible material construction. The upper portion is provided with rigid foam lift pads 26, and a rigid foam lordosis pad 27 may also be provided for generating pressure at the desired spinal vertebra of the patient. The essential further aspect of this embodiment is that the upper portion 23 is now supported by suspension straps 28 extending from shoulder straps 22 passing over the shoulders of the patient. The suspension straps 28 are adjustable in a manner similar to adjustments that are effected in simple pants suspenders. Thus in this instance the upper portion 23 of the LBJ is moved in an upward direction with respect to the fixed lower portion 24 by adjustment of the suspension straps, and thereby the same general result is achieved as in the other embodiments of the invention although in a simpler manner and usually with application of less controlled and intense pressure than can be achieved in the more refined arrangements of the other embodiments. As in the prior embodiments the alternate side panels 55, 55A, 56, 56A are joined to each other by adjusting the straps 25 which enable accurate fitting of the upper and lower portions to the patient to be treated.

In Figure 15 a side view is shown of typical upper and lower panels 43 A, 43 of LBJ 2 of Figures 1 to 5 A, 5B, but in this only parts of the side panels appear. Air chambers 32 are shown here in enlarged fashion. Tubular passages 30 are also shown in the relatively rigid foam or other materials forming the side panels. These passages 30 enable air pressure to be provided to the interior of the air chambers through suitable valving, and if needed tubing. Also an aperture 57 is shown, which can be used with a movable insert to provide direct pressure against selected vertebrae. The device is shown with a screw mechanism 47 such as previously discussed.

Figures 16 A and 16 B show side views of a typical correction enabled by displacement of upper and lower portions of the LBJ in accordance with the invention. Figure 16A illustrates an initial configuration in which upper and lower portions of the LBJ are in relative proximity, and Figure 16B illustrates the effect of vertical displacement to enlarge the space between the two portions, plus the effect of the pads or inflatable devices bearing against the rear of the patient's spine. The increase of the lordosis curve is seen by the reduction in the space between the spinal curve and the patient's abdomen.

In Figure 17 the invention is shown in use with a pregnant patient 1. Similar portions of the apparatus as in the prior Figures are identified by corresponding reference numbers.

The maternity brace in Figure 17 provides a lower abdominal cushioned strap that is attached to the suspender system that allows the patient to control the amount of lift to the pregnant abdomen. A lift strap 28 assists in this. The rear of the brace has a lumbar lordosis pad and/or air bladder mechanism that is also patient controlled to act as a support fulcrum. The lifting of the pregnant abdomen brings the weight of its content closer to the vertical axis of the spine while the lumbar lordosis mechanism acts as a support fulcrum in the rear. The invention thus again provides axial traction to relieve joint pressure on the discs and facets. In addition, the lumbar lordosis mechanism offers relief and rehabilitation to the lumbar spinal curve. The lumbar lordosis mechanism can be made of lumbar pads, air bladders or a combination of both systems. They can offer support to individual vertibrae or the entire lumbar spine.

While the present invention has been set forth in terms of specific embodiments thereof, the instant disclosure is such that numerous variations upon the invention are now enabled to those skilled in the art, which variations yet reside within the scope of the present teaching. Accordingly, the invention is to be construed by broadly interpreting the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A lumbar lordosis correction brace, comprising: a lower portion adapted for fixedly and comfortably encircling the lower trunk of a patient to be treated; an upper portion adapted for comfortably encircling the trunk of said patient above the said lower portion; one or more lordosis contact means being provided at the parts of said upper and lower portions facing the back of said patient for maintaining pressure against desired portions of the patient's spine; and means to controllably displace said upper portion vertically from said lower portion to generate over an extended period limited axial traction so as to preserve the lumbar lordosis, and with directed lumbar lordosis support at the patent's spine.

2. A correction brace in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said displacement means comprise an expansible air chamber intervening between said upper and lower portions of said brace.

3. A correction brace in accordance with Claim I₅ wherein said displacement means comprises a selectively enlargable mechanical connection between said upper and lower portions of said brace.

4. A correction brace in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said displacement means comprise means for suspending the said upper portion of said brace from the patient's shoulders, and means for selectively adjusting the height of suspension.

5. A correction brace in accordance with Claim 1, wherein aid lordosis contact means comprise shaped pads. A correction brace in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said lordosis contact means comprise expandible air chambers.