AU673228B2

AU673228B2 - Self-adhesive prefabricated bandage

Info

Publication number: AU673228B2
Application number: AU57898/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stefan Bodenschatz; Peter Staudinger
Original assignee: Beiersdorf AG
Current assignee: Beiersdorf AG
Priority date: 1993-04-19
Filing date: 1994-03-17
Publication date: 1996-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-17
Also published as: ES2133433T3; DE59408324D1; DE4312655A1; AU5789894A; EP0621023A2; EP0621023B1; EP0621023A3

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990

COMPLETE

SPEC I F I CATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

r r o s Name of Applicant: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: BEIERSDORF AKTIENGESELLSCHA"T Stefan BODENSCHATZ and Peter STAUDINGER SHELSTON WATERS Clarence Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 "SELF-ADHESIVE PREFABRICATED BANDAGE" n The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- I -la- Self-adhesive prefabricated bandage Description The invention relates to a prefabricated bandage which is self-adhesively coated on one side for supporting the ankle joint.

Functional bandaging, so-called taping, is a treatment method for prophylactic use and for the therapy of injuries, illnesses and changes to the locomotor system. The aim of taping is to imitate the capsular ligament structures by means of selectively applied bridles and by this means to achieve selective support. The tape bandage is, in this case, applied as strips of preferably non-elastic self-adhesive bands and protects, supports and relieves endangered, damaged or disordered portions of a functional unit. It permits functional stressing in the pain-free movement range, but prevents extreme movements.

The application of bandages of this kind, however, requires specialist ability and experience. Tape bandages therefore cannot generally be applied by a layman.

The object of the invention is to overcome, or substantially ameliorate, at least one of the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art.

This object is achieved by means of a prefabricated bandage which is selfadhesively coated on one side for supporting of the ankle joint with two elongated strips, wherein the first strip is designed such that it call be adhered under the foot arch such i that each of its ends extends as far as above the ankle region and covers the latter, and the second strip is arranged adjacent to the first strip and is connected centrally thereto via a comnnection part, and this second strip has a length such that one of its free parts can be guided, starting from the medial, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the outer ankle as far as the heel and, if appropriate, further below the inner ankle approximately as far as -2the big toe, and its other free part can be guided, starting from the lateral, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the inner ankle as far as the heel and, if appropriate, further below the outer ankle as far as the small toe.

The invention starts from a bandage according to German Patent 39 31 550, which relates to a bandage with an adhesive reverse side for supporting the ankle and consists of two elongated strips which are connected to one another in an L-shape. Of the two strips, one is adhered under the foot arch of the wearer such that each of its ends extends as far as the ankle region and covers the latter. The other strip is adhered around the ankle. Although an arrangement of this kind is capable of supporting the ankle, it canot support the entire foot joint.

Because of the differently designed arrangement of the second strip and its :Z: different guidance on the foot, the bandage according to the invention, on the other hand, is capable of effectively supporting the ankle joint.

The angle between the two strips to the right and left of the connection part, which virtually represents the centre axis of the bandage, may encompass a wide range :from 0 to approximately 800. That is to say, in one extreme case, the strips extend parallel to one another and there is only an incision ,;tween them, in the other extreme case they are virtually at right angles to one another. They preferably extend parallel to n: 1. ~V\P i~a 4i B, 3 another, but an angle of 25-350 has proven favorable and gives an appropriate guidance direction for the bands.

To prevent tearing in at the inner end of the incisions, small cutouts (holes) and may be located there.

The connection part between the two strips is advantageously as wide as the metatarsis, so it comes to lie below the latter during application of the bandage.

The length of the strips is determined by their application technique, which is described in greater detail fui'ther below. In the case of the first strip it is approximately 50-60 cm and in the case of the second strip approximately 80-100 cm.

The width of the strips corresponds approximately to the width of the adhesive bands which are usually used for taping, the shorter first strip being preferably designed somewhat wider than the longer second strip.

Their width is approximately 5-6 cm or 3.5-4.5, usually 3.75, cm.

20 The bandage overall is designed in one piece, it being possible either to cut it cut or punch it out as a whole from a large surface-area bandage material or to Sassemble it from individual parts. The latter, for example, in such a manner that one half of the longer 25 second strip in each case is attached centrally to e e go the shorter strip by sewing, welding or adhesive bonding.

The strips preferably consist of non-elastic material, that is to say primarily of a woven cotton, like conventional tape adhesive strips. However, they may also consist entirely or partly of one of the other materials known for slings and bandages, of natural or synthetic base materials including polyester fabric and, if appropriate, may have a certain elasticity in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction, in particular in the transverse direction. It is important here that, although on the one hand the material has sufficient strength to provide the joint with good support, on the other hand it is also ductile and can be modeled against 4 the foot.

On its side facing the skin, the bandage is coated with one of the known readily adhering selfadhesive compositions based on rubber or synthetic polymers. These should preferably be air-permeable and water vapor-permeable and highly skin-compatible.

Until the use of the bandage, this adhesive layer is covered with a sheet material treated so as to be adhesive-repellent, for example siliconized paper.

It has proven favorable to design this cover in several parts, for example three parts. In this case, one part, which is also strip-shaped, covers the first shorter strip of the bandage and one further strip-shaped part in each case each cover half of the longer strip. As an application aid, the covering parts may be marked in color or be numbered.

A five-part covering is particularly advantageous. In this case, one part covers the continuous center section of the bandage and four further strips each cover the parts and of the strips and An inwardly rounded contour (10, 11) at the boundary line between the covering parts may facilitate their peeling off.

The bandage is applied by first removing the release paper from the center section and fixing the latter against the sole of the foot (plantar), with the e00o leading edge approximately in the center of the foot.

Then the release paper strips are removed from the parts and of the shorter, first strip and said 30 parts are in each case adhered up against the ankles. The two parts of this so-called U-bridle extend over inner and outer ankle (the malleoli) to the proximal lower leg and are molded against the ankle joint contours. During application, care should be taken that the foot is at right angles to the lower leg.

Then the covering is removed from one half of the longer strip and the latter is adhered, starting from the medial (inside), via the dorsal back of the foot, to the outer ankle and as far as the heel. The remainder of the strip part, which is still free, may be cut off or, if appropriate, be applied leading further as far as the big toe. This part of the bandage serves in particular for guiding the calcaneofibular ligament.

Subsequently the covering of the other half of the longer strip is removed and the latter is adhered, starting from the lateral, via the dorsal back of the foot, medially to the inner ankle and as far as the heel, which it encloses approximately at the base of the Achilles tendon. From. there, the strip is guided further below the outer ankle towards the small toe and adhered on. Its end is fixed at the dorso-plantar with slight lifting of the outer edge of the foot. This part of the bandage serves for supporting guidance of the 10 anterior talofibular ligament.

By means of the arrangement of the bandage, an effective, good support of the ankle joint is achieved overall, which permic. free mobility within the pain-free movement range, however restricts and fixes at extreme angles.

The prefabricated bandage described is suitable for the prophylactic support of the most frequently affected capsular ligament structures of the ankle joint and, because of its shape, may also be applied by the user in a simple manner.

The bandage according to the invention is illustrated by way of example of Figures 1 and 2. In these signifies the first strip, signifies the second strip, and signify the free parts of the strip and and signify the two free parts of the strip signifies the connection part between the two strips and and (9) each signify a small cutout at the inner end of the incisions, (10) and (11) signify the rounded contour of the release paper parts and signifies the angle between the strips and

Claims

1. A prefabricated bandage which is self-adhesively coated on one side for supporting the ankle joint with two elongated strips, wherein the first strip is designed such that it can be adhered under the foot arch such that each of its ends extends as far as above the ankle region and covers the latter, and the second strip is arranged adjacent to the first strip and is connected centrally thereto via a connection part, and this second strip has a length such that one of its free parts can he guided, starting from the medial, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the outer ankle as far as the heel and, if appropriate, further below the inner ankle approximately as far as the big toe, and its other free part can be 10 guided, starting from the lateral, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the inner anlde as far e ""as the heel and, if appropriate, further below the outer ankle as far as the small toe.

2. The self-adhesive prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two strips extend at an angle from 0-80 to one another, to the right anid left of the connection part.

3. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two strips extend parallel to one another.

4. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the center connection part between the two strips is approximately as wide as the metatarsis.

The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first strip is approximately 50-60 cm long and the second strip is approximately 80-100 cm long.

6. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first strip is approximately 5-6 cm wide and the second strip is approximately 3.5-4.5 cm wide. I1 z

7. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bandage overall is designed in one piece.

8. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection between the two strips has been produced by adhesive bonding, welding or sewing.

9. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two strips are covered on their adhesive-coated side with release paper.

The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 9, wherein the release paper is designed in three parts, one part covering the first strip and one further part in each case covering each half of the second strip.

11. The prefabricated bandage as claimed in claim 9, wherein the release paper is designed in five parts, one part covering the center section and four further strips covering the left and right part of the first strip and covering the left and right part of the second strip.

12. A prefabricated bandage substantially as herein described with reference to the 15 accompanying drawings. i4 DATED this 21 st Day of August, 1996 BEIERSDORF AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Fl Attorney: STUART M. SMITH 0 Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia 20 of SHELSTON WATERS o 8 Abstract of the Disclosure Prefabricated bandage which is self-adhesively coated on one side for supporting the ankle joint with two elongated strips, wherein the first strip is designed such that it can be adhered under the foot arch such that each of its ends extends as far as above the ankle region and covers the latter, and the second strip is arranged adjacent to the first strip and is connected centrally thereto via a connection part and this second strip has a length such that one of its free parts can be guided, starting from the medial, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the outer ankle as far as the heel and, if appropriate, further approximately as far as the big toe, and its other free part can be guided, starting from the lateral, via the dorsal back of the foot, to the inner ankle as far as the heel and, if appropriate, further below the outer ankle as far as the small toe. oe eeo e oe