JP2009056103A - Knee supporter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a knee supporter preventing deformation caused by lateral displacement of a knee joint by protecting the collateral ligament in particular and aiding its function. <P>SOLUTION: This knee supporter is provided with: a body 11 formed with a relatively horizontally long cloth material in the expansion state; two notch parts 12 and 12 notched inward from left/right side edges respectively in a substantially intermediate part in the vertical dimension of the body; a rigid member 13 disposed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the body at an area in one side of the intermediate part in the horizontal direction of the body; an elastic upper belt 15 having the base end part fixed to the rigid member at a position upper than the notch part and extending in the horizontal direction; and an elastic lower belt 16 having the base end portion fixed to a rigid member at a position lower than the notch part and extending in the horizontal direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a knee supporter that enables stable walking by preventing deformation of a knee joint.

Conventionally, for example, there is a case where a knee joint is deformed due to, for example, aging or intense sports, which causes obstacles in walking or difficulty in walking.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a healthy knee joint, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a knee joint in which deformation has occurred.
In these drawings, around the knee, a femur 1 as a thigh bone, a tibia 2 as a bone under the knee, a rib 3 outside the tibia 2, and a patella as a dish portion (not shown) There is.
In order to smoothly move the knee, the patella is encased in a patella ligament (not shown) and joined to the rectus femoris muscle, which is one of the quadriceps femoris, to exercise the bending and stretching of the knee.
The femur 1 and the tibia 2 and the rib 3 are connected by a ligament. In particular, the inner collateral ligament 4 and the outer collateral ligament 5 function to maintain lateral stability during walking.
For example, when the generation of articular cartilage declines or decreases or disappears due to aging, obesity, injury, etc., and the function of the ligaments weakens, osteophytes 6 are formed as shown in FIG. As a result, the knee joint is displaced (inclined) in the direction of the arrow, making walking difficult.

Many supporters for knees have been proposed to protect such knee joints or correct their deformation.
As shown in FIG. 1, the supporter of Patent Document 1 is formed entirely of a stretchable material, and covers the central portion 4, the upper belt 2 wound around the thigh, and the calf portion. And a lower belt 3 to be worn, with the central portion 4 applied to the knee portion and the belts wound around the belt.
In this supporter, in particular, a plurality of slits are provided in the central portion 4 so that the knee can be bent and stretched easily.

JP 2002-65711 A

However, in Patent Document 1, it is easy to bend the knee joint. However, the belt is simply wrapped around the knee joint, and the function of the ligament and the like is related to the structure of the knee joint. In particular, there has been no contrivance to prevent the knee joint from shifting laterally as shown in FIG.
In other words, in connection with the ligaments of the knee, no effort has been made to help its function.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in particular, a knee supporter capable of preventing deformation due to lateral displacement of the knee joint by protecting the collateral ligament of the knee and assisting its function. The purpose is to provide.

  In the first aspect, the above object is achieved in that the main body formed of a slightly horizontally long cloth material and inwardly cut inward from the left and right side edges at substantially the middle portion with respect to the vertical dimension of the main body 2 Two notches, a rigid member arranged so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body in one region from the middle with respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body, and a position above the notch A base end portion is fixed to the rigid member, and a stretchable upper belt extended horizontally, and a base end portion is fixed to the rigid member at a position below the notch portion, This is achieved by a knee support with an extended elastic lower belt.

According to the configuration of the first invention, the central portion of the main body is placed on the back side of the knee and wound around the knee so that the knee is exposed from the two notches. Further, the upper belt is extended and fixed laterally on the knee, and the lower belt is extended and fixed laterally under the knee. When mounted in this manner, the rigid member of the main body abuts against the side surface of the knee, suppresses this, and applies an inward force, thus assisting the function of the collateral ligament and causing the knee joint to shift outward. This can be prevented.
Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a knee supporter capable of preventing the deformation caused by the lateral displacement of the knee joint, particularly by protecting the collateral ligament of the knee and assisting its function.

According to a second invention, in the configuration of the first invention, the rigid member is arranged so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body in one region with respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body in one region thereof. A first rigid member, and a second rigid member arranged so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body in a region other than an intermediate portion with respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body. The base end portion of the upper belt is fixed to the first rigid member, and the base end portion of the lower belt is fixed to the second rigid member.
According to the configuration of the second invention, with respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body, the first rigid member is disposed on one side from the intermediate portion, and the second rigid member is disposed on the other side. In addition, since the base end portion of the upper belt and the base end portion of the lower belt are fixed to the second rigid member, the upper belt and the lower belt extend alternately.
Therefore, when the knee supporter is mounted, the first rigid member and the second rigid member are in contact with different side portions on both sides of the knee joint, and are pulled in different directions by the upper belt and the lower belt. .
As a result, the first rigid member and the second rigid member appropriately abut against the corresponding side surface portions of the knee joint without causing positional displacement.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect of the invention, the main body includes an upper locking piece and an upper locked piece formed separately on the left and right at the upper part of the two cut portions, It comprises a lower locking piece and a lower locked piece formed separately on the left and right at the lower part of the two cut portions, and each locking piece is overlapped and locked to the locked piece, Further, the upper belt and the lower belt are locked.
According to the configuration of the third invention, after the upper locking piece and the locked piece and the lower locking piece and the locked piece are respectively locked, the upper belt and the lower belt are respectively mounted. By doing so, the aligned state can be more reliably maintained without the first rigid member and the second rigid member being separated from each other or inclined.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the third aspect of the invention, the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece are provided diagonally to each other when the main body is deployed.
According to the structure of 4th invention, since the said upper locking piece and the said lower locking piece are mutually provided in the diagonal position, the shake of the joint at the time of a walk can be suppressed by a twist effect. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, one member of a hook-and-loop fastener is formed on the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece, and at least the upper locked piece and The other member of the hook-and-loop fastener is formed on the lower latch piece.
According to the configuration of the fifth invention, the upper locking piece is overlaid on the upper locking piece and the upper locked piece, and the lower locking piece is stacked and locked on the lower locked piece. And the lower locking pieces can be locked at the diagonal positions, so that the twisting effect can be reliably exhibited, and the shaking of the joint during walking can be more reliably suppressed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of any one of the second to fifth aspects of the invention, the upper belt is fixed to the first rigid member on the back side of the fabric of the main body, and the horizontal end is fixed. Extending over the second rigid member, extending from a slit formed in one end of the main body to the front side, and the lower belt on the back side of the fabric of the main body, The base end portion is fixed to the rigid member, extends horizontally, passes over the first rigid member, and extends from the slit formed in the other end portion of the main body to the front side. Features.
According to the configuration of the sixth invention, the upper belt and the lower belt are fixed to the other rigid member only by fixing the respective base end portions to the corresponding first rigid member and second rigid member, respectively. Since it is guided to each slit and extended to the front side in a state where it is not performed, the belt can be lengthened and a tightening force can be applied over the entire circumference of the foot.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the sixth aspect of the invention, one member of a hook-and-loop fastener is formed at the front end portion of the upper belt and the lower belt to serve as a locking portion, The other member of the surface fastener is formed as a locked portion.
According to the configuration of the seventh invention, when the upper belt and the lower belt are stretched and adjusted, they can be locked at an arbitrary position on the surface of the main body, so that the degree of freedom of adjustment is large.

The eighth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to seventh inventions, the back surface of the main body is covered with a cloth material.
According to the configuration of the eighth aspect of the invention, the upper belt and the lower belt fixed to the back surface of the fabric of the main body do not directly touch the skin, thereby reducing discomfort such as skin rubbing when the belt is tightened In addition, it is possible to obtain a more comfortable wearing feeling due to the sweat absorption of the cloth material.

According to a ninth invention, in the configuration of the eighth invention, the rigid member is fixed to the cloth material on the back surface of the main body except the portion where the upper belt and the lower belt pass over the rigid member. It is characterized by being.
According to the configuration of the ninth aspect of the invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the upper belt and the lower belt from shifting up and down.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the structure according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the rigid member is a synthetic resin or steel bone inserted into a bag formed along the longitudinal direction of the main body. It is characterized by that.
According to the configuration of the tenth invention, by using a synthetic resin or metal, it is possible to obtain a bone as a rigid member that has sufficient rigidity, is not bulky, and is not heavier than necessary.

An eleventh invention is characterized in that, in the structure of the tenth invention, the bone is a spring coil or an elastic plastic bone.
According to the configuration of the eleventh invention, by forming a bone from these materials, the rigidity required to prevent the knee joint from shifting outward and the knee joint to bend and stretch during walking are to some extent. Elasticity suitable for following can be obtained.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. As long as there is no description of the effect, it is not restricted to these aspects.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a knee supporter (hereinafter referred to as “supporter”) according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, FIG. 2 is a front view of the supporter according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view showing the belt structure and the like by removing the back material of the supporter of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the supporter 10 is mounted so as to be wound around the upper and lower positions of the joint of the knee H of one leg L.

2 to 4, the supporter 10 is formed of a cloth material that is slightly horizontally long in the unfolded state and has a shape in which the width dimension (vertical dimension in the figure) of the horizontal dimension in FIG. 2 is slightly narrowed. It has a main body 11.
The main body 11 is made of, for example, a blended fiber of 90% nylon and 10% polyurethane, and the surface material in FIG. 2 is a locked portion 23 that can lock a hook-and-loop fastener as will be described later. For example, the entire surface is preferably covered with a French pile as a surface fastener female member made of, for example, 90% nylon and 10% polyurethane.
The back material shown in FIG. 3 of the main body 11 is formed of a two-weight ricot made of a blend of 85% polyester and 15% polyurethane, for example, which is rich in elasticity and sweat absorption and has a good touch. FIG. 4 is a view excluding the back material.

In FIG. 4, along the first virtual center line YC drawn at an intermediate position with respect to the vertical dimension of the main body 11, two notches 12 and 12 respectively cut inward from the left and right side edges, A first rigid member 13 arranged so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11 in one region with respect to a second virtual center line TC drawn at an intermediate position with respect to the lateral dimension; and a second virtual center And a second rigid member 14 arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11 in the other region with respect to the line TC.
Further, the supporter 10 has a base end portion fixed to the first rigid member 13 at a position above the notches 12, 12, and a stretchable upper belt 15 extended in the horizontal direction, and the notch 12. , 12, a base end portion is fixed to the second rigid member 14, and a stretchable lower belt 16 extended in the horizontal direction is provided.

The two notches 12 and 12 of the main body 11 are configured such that the surface of the knee H is exposed when the open ends are opposed to each other when the supporter 10 is mounted as shown in FIG. It is set as the structure which does not disturb.
Further, the main body 11 is divided into an upper locking piece 17 and an upper locking piece 18 formed separately on the left and right at the upper part of the two notch parts 12 and 12, and left and right at the lower part of the two notch parts 12 and 12. A lower locking piece 19 and a lower locked piece 20 formed separately are provided.
Further, at least one of the rigid members must be formed corresponding to the outer collateral ligament of the knee H. In this embodiment, a total of two rigid members are provided so as to be compatible with the inner collateral ligament. As a result, the first rigid member 13 and the second rigid member 14 are formed.

Each rigid member needs to have a higher rigidity than at least the flexibility of the main body 11, and a stay or a bone is provided as a rigidity that can reinforce the main body 11. Alternatively, a long leaf spring or the like is used. In this embodiment, it is preferable to use a metal or synthetic resin as the rigid member, and not only has rigidity higher than that of the main body 11 but also flexibility so as not to prevent the knee joint from bending and stretching. Alternatively, as a material having elasticity, a metal spring coil or a plastic bone is used.
Specifically, along the longitudinal direction of the main body 11, thin bags 13a and 14a are sewn, for example, with polyester as a container, and bones are inserted into the bags 13a and 14a, respectively. Thereby, the rigid members 13 and 14 are formed.

The upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16 have the same configuration, and both are long belts formed in a band shape having a predetermined width. The upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16 are stretch belts made of, for example, polyurethane and rich in elasticity.
As shown in FIG. 4, the upper belt 15 has a proximal end fixed to the first rigid member 13 on the back side of the fabric of the main body 11, extends horizontally, It passes over the rigid member 14 and extends to the front side from a slit 26 formed at one end of the main body 11. In addition, the lower belt 16 is fixed to the second rigid member 14 on the back side of the fabric of the main body 11, and extends horizontally to pass over the first rigid member 13 to pass through the main body 11. Is extended to the front side from a slit 27 formed at the other end of the

  Further, one member of a hook-and-loop fastener is formed at the respective front end portions of the upper belt 15 and the lower belt 17 to form locking portions 24 and 25, and these locking portions 24 and 25 are formed on the surface of the main body 11 described above. The other part of the hook-and-loop fastener formed on almost the entire surface ("French pile" in this embodiment) is locked to the locked portion 23 formed.

This embodiment is configured as described above and is used as follows.
The center part of the back surface of the main body 11 appearing in FIG. 3 is applied to the back side of the knee H in FIG. 1, and the portions extending to the left and right of the main body 11 are exposed so that the knee H is exposed from the two notches. Wrap around the knee H. Then, the locking portion 21 of the upper locking piece 17 is overlapped and locked on the upper locked piece 18. Further, the locking piece 22 of the lower locking piece 19 located diagonally to the upper locking piece 17 is overlapped on the lower locked piece 20 and locked.
After temporarily fixing in this way, the upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16 are adjusted for expansion.
That is, since these belts are both formed of a highly stretchable material, they are stretched horizontally in opposite directions so as not to be applied to the knees H in FIG. At the position where the locking portion 24 arrives, the locking portion 24 in FIG. 2 is locked. Similarly, at the position where the locking portion 25 of the lower belt 16 has reached, it is locked to the locked portion 23 of FIG. As a result, the upper belt 15 and the belt 16 that are alternately arranged in parallel are alternately fixed above and below the knee H.

In this way, when the supporter 10 is mounted as shown in FIG. 1, the first rigid member 13 and the second rigid member 14 fixed to the main body 11 are respectively different side portions on both sides of the knee joint. The upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16 are pulled in different directions.
As a result, the first rigid member 13 and the second rigid member 14 are appropriately brought into contact with the corresponding side surface portions of the knee joint without causing positional displacement, and the outer side collateral ligament and the inner side collateral Energize the ligaments inward to help these ligaments work. Therefore, for example, when the elderly person or the like wears the supporter 10 during walking, the knee joint can be prevented from being displaced outwardly and deformed.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the rigid members 13 and 14 exhibit the correction force by the pulling forces of the upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16, a high effect can be expected, and these are arranged alternately as described above. In addition, since the pulling force in the opposite direction is exhibited up and down across the knee H, there is no positional shift and a more reliable effect can be expected.
In addition, when mounting, after the main body 11 of the supporter 10 is wound around the knee joint, first, the upper locking piece 17 is diagonally opposed to the upper locking piece 17 on the upper locked piece 18. Since the upper and lower belts 15 and 16 are extended after the lower locking pieces 19 at the positions are temporarily locked and temporarily fixed, positioning is easy even during mounting. The upper belt 15 and the lower belt are adjusted in extension.
As a result, the fixing is reliable, and the tension can be freely adjusted according to the physical condition of the day such as the thickness and preference of the individual foot L and swelling of the foot.
In particular, when adjusting the extension of the upper belt 15 and the lower belt 16, since the locked portion 23 is formed on the entire surface of the main body, it can be locked at an arbitrary position, so that the degree of freedom of adjustment is large.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
The main body, the belt, and the like can be appropriately formed of other materials.
The shape of the main body is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and may be a shape adapted to a wider range or a narrow range from the viewpoint of how much of the knee joint is covered.
There may be only one rigid member that contacts the outer collateral ligament, or three or more rigid members. The upper belt and the lower belt may be separated from each other so as to extend from the left and right.
A pair of upper locking pieces, upper locked pieces, lower locking pieces, and lower locked pieces may be provided.

The schematic perspective view which shows the wearing condition of embodiment of the knee supporter of this invention. The surface view of the expansion | deployment state of embodiment of the knee supporter of this invention. The rear view of the expansion | deployment state of embodiment of the knee supporter of this invention. The figure of the state which removed the back surface material of the supporter of FIG. Schematic of a healthy knee joint. Schematic which shows the deformation | transformation state of a knee joint.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Knee supporter, 11 ... Main body, 12, 12 ... Notch part, 13 ... 1st rigid member, 14 ... 2nd rigid member, 15 ... Upper belt , 16 ... lower belt, 17 ... upper locking piece, 18 ... upper locking piece, 19 ... lower locking piece, 20 ... lower locking piece

Claims (11)

In the unfolded state, a body formed of a slightly horizontally long cloth material,
Two notches that cut inwardly from the left and right side edges in the middle of the vertical dimension of the main body,
With respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body, a rigid member arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction of the main body in one region from the middle part thereof;
A stretchable upper belt having a base end fixed to the rigid member at a position above the notch and extended in the horizontal direction;
A knee supporter comprising: a stretchable lower belt having a base end portion fixed to the rigid member and extending in a horizontal direction at a position below the notch.   The rigid member is arranged such that the rigid member is arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body in one region from the intermediate portion with respect to the horizontal dimension of the main body, and the horizontal direction of the main body. And a second rigid member disposed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the main body in a region other than the intermediate portion with respect to the dimensions, and the base end portion of the upper belt is the first rigid member. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein the knee support is fixed to a member, and a base end portion of the lower belt is fixed to the second rigid member.   The main body has an upper locking piece and an upper locking piece formed separately on the left and right at the upper part of the two cut parts, and a lower locking piece formed divided on the left and right at the lower part of the two cut parts. And a lower locking piece, each locking piece is overlapped and locked to the locked piece, and the upper belt and the lower belt are locked. The knee supporter according to claim 1 or 2.   The knee supporter according to claim 3, wherein the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece are provided diagonally to each other when the main body is deployed.   One member of a hook-and-loop fastener is formed on the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece, and the other member of the hook-and-loop fastener is formed at least on the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece. The knee supporter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the knee supporter is provided.   The upper belt has a proximal end fixed to the first rigid member on the back side of the fabric of the main body, extends horizontally, passes over the second rigid member, and is one end of the main body. A distal end portion is extended from the slit formed on the front side of the main body, and the lower belt is fixed to the second rigid member on the back side of the fabric of the main body, and the base end portion is fixed to the second rigid member. 6. A front end extending from a slit formed at the other end of the main body to the front side of the main body, extending horizontally and passing over the first rigid member. The knee supporter according to any one of the above.   One member of a hook-and-loop fastener is formed on the front end portion of the upper belt and the lower belt to form a locking portion, and the other member of the hook-and-loop fastener is formed on almost the entire surface of the main body to be locked. The knee support according to claim 6, wherein the knee support is a part.   The knee supporter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a back surface of the main body is covered with a cloth material.   The said rigid member is being fixed to the cloth material of the back surface of the said main body except the location where the said upper belt and the said lower belt pass on the said rigid member. Knee supporter.   The knee supporter according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rigid member is a synthetic resin or steel bone inserted into a bag formed along the longitudinal direction of the main body. .   The knee support according to claim 10, wherein the bone is a spring coil or an elastic plastic bone.

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