JP2015205138A - Knee orthosis - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a knee orthosis improving use feeling by reducing an adhesion part and being usable in various fixing methods.SOLUTION: The knee orthosis includes: a pair of reinforcement support stays 1, 1 arranged in both lateral sides of a knee; a thigh cuff 2 and a lower leg cuff 3 attached on an upper end side and a lower end side of the stays 1, 1 respectively and including a resin core material; band units 4 worn around a leg for fastening the thigh cuff 2 and lower leg cuff 3 on a thigh and lower leg respectively. The cuffs 2, 3 are formed in a U shape opening in one side when viewed along an axial direction of the leg in a wearing state. The band unit 4 includes: a pair of annular units 40, 40 arranged on both lateral sides of the knee; and a fastener band 41 fastening the cuffs 2, 3 on the knee. The annular unit 40 and stay 1 are fastened and fixed to the cuffs 2, 3 by an attachable/detachable screw 7, and a front cuff wearing state of placing the cuffs 2, 3 on the leg from the front and a rear cuff wearing state of placing the cuffs 2, 3 on the leg from the rear can be selected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a knee brace used as a supporter for assisting a knee joint during treatment or rehabilitation of knee joint diseases or during intense exercise.

  There are various types of knee braces used as supporters for reinforcing the knee joint.

  As a kind of knee brace, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a pair of reinforcing support stays arranged on both sides of the knee, and a thigh fixing part for fixing the support stays to the thighs, A knee brace having a lower leg fixing portion for fixing the support stay to the lower leg is described. The thigh fixing portion has a thigh body made of a stretchable material for wrapping around the thigh. The thigh body is mounted in a state in which the thigh body is wound around the thigh and tightened with hook-and-loop fasteners provided at both ends thereof. The crus fixing part has a crus body composed of a material having elasticity for winding around the crus. The lower leg body is mounted in a state where it is wound around the lower leg with a hook-and-loop fastener provided at both ends thereof and tightened. The reinforcing support stay can be bent along the horizontal axis in the mounted state, thereby suppressing a lateral load from being applied to the knee joint when the knee is bent. Note that the knee brace described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a fastening band for strengthening fixation by winding around the thigh main body and the lower thigh main body.

  As another type of knee brace, for example, Patent Document 3 integrally forms a pair of reinforcing support stays for pairing, an upper member for fixing to the thigh, and a lower member for fixing to the lower thigh. A knee orthosis is described. The upper member includes an arm that forms a pair of reinforcing support stays, and an upper cuff that is formed by connecting the upper ends of the arms and matches the front side of the thigh. The lower member has an arm that forms a pair of reinforcing support posts and a lower cuff that is formed by connecting the lower ends of the arms and matches the rear side of the lower leg. The upper member and the lower member are provided with bands for fixing to the thigh.

Japanese Patent No. 5033225 JP 2011-167369 A JP-A-2005-500128

  However, the types of knee braces described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 wrap the thigh body and the lower leg body around the thigh and lower leg, respectively, so that there are many close contact parts, and some wearers may feel uncomfortable such as stuffiness. It may be difficult to say that it is comfortable to wear because it may be held.

  Although the knee orthosis of the kind described in Patent Document 3 has few contact portions, the wearing mode cannot be changed. For example, for the thighs, only the fixing method using a band with the cuff applied to the thigh from the front can be used, and the thigh can be fixed using the band with the cuff applied to the thigh from the rear. Can not. The same applies to the lower leg, and in the example of Patent Document 3, it can be fixed only in a state where the cuff is applied to the lower leg from the rear. There are two fixing methods for the thigh and two for the lower thigh, so there are four fixing methods as a whole. However, conventional knee braces can be used only for specific fixing methods, and knee braces corresponding to individual fixing methods must be prepared separately.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and its purpose is to provide a knee brace that is compatible with various fixing methods while reducing the contact portion and improving the feeling of use. is there.

  In order to achieve the object, the present invention takes the following means.

  That is, the knee orthosis according to the present invention includes a pair of reinforcing support stays arranged on both sides of the knee, and a thigh cuff and a crus cuff each having a resin core attached to the upper end side and the lower end side of the stay. And a band unit mounted around the thigh to tighten the thigh cuff and the lower thigh cuff to the thigh and lower thigh, respectively, when the cuff is viewed along the axial direction of the thigh in the mounted state The band unit is inserted into the pair of ring units disposed on both sides of the knee and the pair of ring units, respectively. A hook-and-loop fastener band that fastens the cuff to the knee via a ring unit formed, and the ring unit and the stay are fastened with a set screw that can be attached to and detached from the cuff. A cuff attached state before Ategau thigh from forward, characterized in that it is selectably configure the cuff attachment state after Ategau thigh said cuff from behind.

  In this way, the cuff having the resin core is formed in a U-shape that opens to one side when viewed along the axial direction of the thigh. It becomes possible to improve. Nevertheless, the ring unit and stay that make up the band unit are fastened with a set screw that can be attached to and detached from the cuff, so it is possible to select between the front cuff wearing state and the rear cuff wearing state, and one knee brace can be used for various purposes. It becomes possible to correspond to the fixing method.

  In order to further improve the wearing feeling, the cuff has a pair of cuff side portions that are applied to the side of the thigh when worn, and a cuff connection portion that connects the cuff side portions, and the cuff connection portion. The thigh axial length is preferably set shorter than the thigh axial length of the cuff side portion.

  In order to further improve the wearing feeling and the appearance, it is preferable that the cuff is configured by covering the resin core material with a cloth material, a mesh material, a cushion material, or a covering obtained by combining them.

  In order to further improve the wearing feeling, the cuff has an insertion hole for the assembled screw, a cushion material is disposed around the insertion hole, and the assembled screw is fastened. In the above, it is preferable that the thickness of the cushion material is set so that the assembled screw is recessed from the cushion material.

  In order to improve the appearance, it is preferable that a decorative fastener for hiding the assembled screw is attached to the ring unit.

  In order to deal with various types of ligament damage, the ring unit is attached to the thigh cuff or the crus cuff so as to be rotatable around the set screw, and the tightening position of the hook-and-loop fastener band is set at the front and rear of the knee. It is preferable that any one of them is selectable.

The perspective view which shows the knee orthosis of this invention. The top view which shows a knee orthosis. The figure which looked at the thigh cuff and the lower thigh cuff along the axial direction of the thigh. The figure which shows an example of the mounting aspect of a knee brace. The figure which shows an example of the mounting aspect of a knee brace. The figure which shows an example of the mounting aspect of a knee brace.

  Hereinafter, a knee brace according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, a pair of reinforcing support stays 1, 1 that are arranged on both sides of the knee, and an upper end side of the reinforcing support stays 1, 1 And a thigh cuff 2 and a lower thigh cuff 3 attached to the lower end side, respectively, and a band unit 4 attached around the thigh for fastening the thigh cuff 2 and the lower thigh cuff 3 to the thigh and the lower thigh, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcing column stay 1 includes an upper stay portion 10, a lower stay portion 11, and a hinge portion 12 for connecting the upper stay portion 10 and the lower stay portion 11. The upper stay portion 10 and the lower stay portion 11 are formed by press-molding a metal plate such as aluminum, and a gear portion (not shown) is integrally formed at each end to constitute the hinge portion 12. ing. By engaging these gear portions, the upper and lower stay portions 10 and 11 can also follow and rotate in accordance with the movement of the knee. A knee joint pad 13 applied to the knee joint is attached to the hinge portion 12 via a hook-and-loop fastener.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thigh cuff 2 and the lower thigh cuff 3 are composed of a plate-shaped resin core material 5 and a covering 6 that covers the resin core material 5. Examples of the covering 6 include a cloth material, a mesh material, a cushion material, or a combination thereof. Of course, the cuffs 2 and 3 can be formed of only the resin core material 5. In this embodiment, two types of coverings 6 are used on the inner side and the outer side. The inner covering 6 is composed of a cushion material 6a and a cloth material 6b. The outer covering 6 is composed of a cushion material 6a and a mesh material 6b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cuffs 2 and 3 are formed in a U-shape that opens in one direction when viewed along the axial direction of the thigh in the mounted state. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cuffs 2 and 3 connect the paired cuff side portions 20 and 30 to the side of the thigh when worn and the cuff side portions 20 and 30. Cuff connecting portions 21, 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the length (length) in the thigh axis direction of the cuff side portions 20, 30 is set shorter than the length (length) in the thigh axis direction of the cuff side portions 20, 30. However, it is not limited to this relationship. Both lengths may be the same, or the magnitude relationship may be reversed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the band unit 4 is inserted into a pair of ring units 40 and 40 and a pair of ring units 40 and 40 arranged on both sides of the knee, respectively. And a hook-and-loop fastener band 41 for fastening the cuffs 2 and 3 to the knees via the paired ring units 40 and 40. The hook-and-loop fastener band 41 is configured such that hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to both ends and the hook-and-loop fastener can be attached to the band main body.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cuff side portions 20 and 30 of the cuffs 2 and 3 are formed with a plurality of insertion holes (not shown) of the assembled screws 7 (two in this embodiment). The unit 40 and the reinforcing support stay 1 are fastened to the cuff side portions 20 and 30 with a set screw 7 that can be attached and detached. A cushion material 6 a is disposed around the insertion holes of the cuffs 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the thickness of the cushion material 6a is set so that the assembled screw 7 is recessed from the cushion material 6a when the assembled screw 7 is fastened. The ring unit 40 is attached to the thigh cuff 2 or the lower thigh cuff 3 so as to be rotatable around the assembled screw 7. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the fastening position of the hook-and-loop fastener band 41 is configured to be selectable either before or after the knee. Thereby, it can respond to various ligament damages. For example, in FIG. 4, it can respond to anterior cruciate ligament damage, and in FIG. 5, it is the attachment method corresponding to a posterior cruciate ligament damage.

  The hook-and-loop fastener band 41 is wound around the ring around the thigh in a state where one end is inserted and attached to the ring of the ring unit 40 attached to the stay 1, and is passed through the ring of the hook-and-loop fastener unit 40 at the end. It is a loop-type hook-and-loop band that can be attached by folding and attaching a hook-and-loop fastener to the body of the band 41.

  With the above configuration, the front cuff wearing state (refer to the thigh cuff 2 in FIG. 4) where the cuffs 2 and 3 are applied to the thigh from the front and the rear cuff wearing state where the cuffs 2 and 3 are applied to the thigh from the rear (see the thigh shown in FIG. 6). Can be selected. 4 shows that both the thigh cuff 2 and the lower thigh cuff 3 are in the front cuff wearing state, and FIG. 6 shows that the thigh cuff 2 is in the rear cuff wearing state and the lower thigh cuff 3 is in the front cuff wearing state. In addition, both the thigh cuff 2 and the lower thigh cuff 3 can be in the rear cuff wearing state, and the thigh cuff 2 can be in the front cuff wearing state and the lower thigh cuff 3 can be in the rear cuff wearing state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a decorative fastener 14 for concealing the assembled screw 7 is affixed on the ring unit 40. The decorative fastener 14 is preferably the same color as the ring unit 40.

  As described above, the knee brace according to the present embodiment includes a pair of reinforcing support stays 1 and 1 arranged on both sides of the knee, and resin cores attached to the upper and lower ends of the stays 1 and 1, respectively. A thigh cuff 2 and a lower thigh cuff 3 having a material 5, and a band unit 4 attached around the thigh for fastening the thigh cuff 2 and the lower thigh cuff 3 to the thigh and the lower thigh, respectively. Is formed in a U-shape that opens to one side when viewed along the axial direction of the thigh in the wearing state, and the band unit 4 includes a pair of ring units 40 and 40 disposed on both sides of the knee. And a hook-and-loop fastener band 41 for fastening the cuffs 2 and 3 to the knee via the paired ring units 40 and 40 by being inserted into the paired ring units 40 and 40, respectively. And stay 1 in cuffs 2 and 3 By fastening with the detachable assembly screw 7, it is possible to select the front cuff wearing state where the cuffs 2 and 3 are applied to the thigh from the front and the rear cuff wearing state where the cuffs 2 and 3 are applied to the thigh from the rear It is configured.

  Thus, since the cuffs 2 and 3 having the resin core material 5 are formed in a U-shape that opens to one side when viewed along the axial direction of the thigh, the close contact portion between the thigh and the cuffs 2 and 3 is formed. It becomes possible to reduce and improve a feeling of wearing. Nevertheless, since the ring unit 40 and the stay 1 constituting the band unit 4 are fastened with the assembled screws 7 that can be attached to and detached from the cuffs 2 and 3, it is possible to select the front cuff attachment state and the rear cuff attachment state. A single knee brace can be used for various fixing methods.

  In the present embodiment, the cuffs 2 and 3 have paired cuff side portions 20 and 30 that are applied to the thigh side surface at the time of wearing, and cuff connection portions 21 and 31 that connect the cuff side portions 20 and 30 to each other. The length of the cuff connecting portions 21 and 31 in the thigh axis direction is set to be shorter than the length of the cuff side portions 20 and 30 in the thigh axis direction.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to further improve the feeling of wearing by reducing the portion of the cuff that is in close contact with the thigh.

  In the present embodiment, the cuffs 2 and 3 are configured by covering the resin core material 5 with a covering material 6 that is a cloth material, a mesh material, a cushion material, or a combination thereof.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to further improve the wearing feeling and appearance.

  The cuffs 2 and 3 are formed with insertion holes for the assembled screws 7, and a cushion material 6 a is disposed around the inserted holes. When the assembled screws 7 are fastened, the assembled screws 7 are the cushion materials. The thickness of the cushion material 6a is set so as to be in a state of being recessed from 6a.

  According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, the assembled screw 7 is recessed from the cushion material 6a, so that the thigh and the assembled screw 7 can be prevented from coming into contact with each other at the time of wearing and impairing the wearing feeling. It is possible to improve the feeling.

  In the present embodiment, a decorative fastener 14 for concealing the assembled screw 7 is attached to the ring unit 40. According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the appearance by hiding the assembled screws 7 made of different materials.

  In the present embodiment, the ring unit 40 is attached to the thigh cuff 2 or the lower thigh cuff 3 so as to be rotatable around the assembled screw 7, and is configured so that the fastening position of the hook-and-loop fastener band 41 can be selected either before or after the knee. ing. According to this configuration, various types of ligament damage can be dealt with.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described based on drawing, it should be thought that a specific structure is not limited to these embodiment. The scope of the present invention is shown not only by the above description of the embodiments but also by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, two bands 4 are provided in the thigh cuff in the present embodiment, but may be one or three or more. The same applies to the lower leg cuff 3.

  The specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reinforcing support stay 14 ... Hook fastener 2 ... Thigh cuff 20 ... Cuff side part 21 ... Cuff connecting part 3 ... Lower leg cuff 30 ... Cuff side part 31 ... Cuff connecting part 4 ... Hook fastener band 5 ... Resin core Material 6 ... Cover 6a ... Cushion material 7 ... Assembly screw

Claims (6)

A pair of reinforcing support stays arranged on both sides of the knee, a thigh cuff and a lower cuff having resin cores attached to the upper end side and the lower end side of the stay, respectively, and the thigh cuff and the lower leg A band unit to be worn around the thigh to tighten the cuff on the thigh and lower leg,
The cuff is formed in a U shape that opens to one side when viewed along the axial direction of the thigh in the mounted state,
The band unit includes a pair of ring units disposed on both sides of the knee, and a surface that is inserted through the pair of ring units and tightens the cuff on the knee via the pair of ring units. A fastener band,
The ring unit and the stay are fastened with a set screw that can be attached to and detached from the cuff, so that the front cuff is applied to the thigh from the front, and the rear cuff is applied to the thigh from the rear. A knee orthosis characterized by being configured to select a wearing state.   The cuff has a pair of cuff side portions that are applied to the thigh side surface when worn, and a cuff connection portion that connects the cuff side portions, and the length of the cuff connection portion in the thigh axis direction is the cuff side portion. The knee orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the knee brace is set to be shorter than a length of the side portion in the thigh axis direction.   The knee brace according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cuff is configured by covering the resin core material with a covering material, a mesh material, a cushion material, or a combination thereof.   The cuff has an insertion hole for the assembled screw, and a cushion material is disposed around the insertion hole. When the assembled screw is fastened, the assembled screw is more than the cushion material. The knee brace according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a thickness of the cushion material is set so as to be depressed.   The knee orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a decorative fastener for hiding the assembled screw is attached to the ring unit.   The ring unit is attached to the thigh cuff or the crus cuff so as to be rotatable around the set screw, and the tightening position of the hook-and-loop fastener band can be selected to one of the front and rear of the knee. The knee orthosis according to any one of?

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