JP2018011903A - Supporter for lower extremity - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a supporter for a lower extremity allowing a user to easily wear or remove it according to a situation of the user and to perform wearing/removing operations without any difficulty.SOLUTION: A supporter 50 for a lower extremity for supporting walking of a wearer by contraction force of an elastic material, includes: a foot worn part 14 to be worn with it surrounding a toe part or an instep part of a foot; a knee worn part 10 to be worn with it surrounding a knee part or the vicinity of the knee part; and a first stretchable part 12 suspended between the foot worn part and the knee worn part and formed of the elastic member being present on a front side of the anterior tibial muscle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a lower limb supporter for supporting leg muscular strength during walking and facilitating walking, and more specifically, lower limb muscles (especially, anterior tibial muscle) are weakened as in elderly people. The present invention relates to a lower limb supporter that allows a person to walk safely without craving.

  Walking activities are indispensable when trying to perform daily life as usual. However, the muscles for walking movements decline with aging, and also when the amount of exercise decreases significantly due to long-term medical treatment. In this way, when the muscles required for the walking motion are weakened, the stride is reduced in the walking motion or the pedestrian is walking, increasing the risk of falling.

  For this reason, several devices for restoring the function and assisting the anterior tibial muscle used for restoring and assisting the walking function have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-132153) proposes a function recovery and assist device for the anterior tibial muscle that is used to recover and assist walking function and acquire smooth walking ability. ing. This auxiliary device includes a foot housing member into which a foot portion is inserted, and a tibial housing member that is provided on the rear side of the foot housing member so as to be tiltable and is attached to the shin portion. Driving means for tilting the toe side of the foot receiving member with respect to the heel side by connecting both ends to the front upper side of the foot receiving member and the front upper side of the shin receiving member; First and second pressure sensors which are attached to the toe side and the heel side of the bottom portion of the foot housing member and detect pressure applied to the bottom portion of the foot housing member, and detection of the first and second pressure sensors A leg control unit that determines a ground-off state and a ground contact state of the foot receiving member during walking from a value, and has a drive control unit that expands and contracts the driving unit in accordance with a walking operation, and the short leg brace is attached to the leg Anterior tibia during walking Its features are configured as an aid.

  Moreover, in patent document 2 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2014-185418), when the right way of walking cannot be carried out by daily life, a pelvis, a hip joint, a knee joint, or an ankle joint will be distorted, a pain may be caused, or it may be injured. Based on the knowledge that it is connected, we have proposed sock-like clothing that can assist in the correct weight transfer during walking. That is, Patent Document 2 is a sock-like garment that covers at least the lower body from the bottom of the patella to at least a part of the sole, and has a belt-like tightening portion having a strong tightening force on a part of the main body made of stretchable fabric. The tightening portion extends from the inside of the foot through the first knee tightening portion below the knee extending from the start to the stop along the anterior tibialis muscle and the back of the inner ankle along the gastrocnemius from the inner upper end of the tibia. A second below-knee elastic band that extends to the bottom of the bone, scaphoid bone, cubic bone, or whole cuneiform bone, and from the outer upper end of the tibia along the gastrocnemius, behind the ankle, and from the outside of the foot Have proposed a sock-like garment having a scaphoid bone, a cubic bone, or a third below-knee elastic band extending to the bottom surface of the whole wedge-shaped bone.

JP 2008-132153 A JP 2014-185418 A

  As described above, several mechanical devices for assisting or correcting walking motion have been proposed. However, the function recovery and assisting device of the anterior tibial muscle proposed in Patent Document 1 includes a drive unit that tilts the toe side of the foot accommodating member with respect to the heel side by expanding and contracting, The structure is complicated, such as requiring a sensor, and it is difficult to install the sensor.

  By the way, a mechanical device that assists or corrects walking motion only needs to be worn at the time of walking motion, and in a sitting or simply standing posture, the mechanical device has no particular meaning. . In addition, the above-mentioned obstacles to walking movement are not only due to muscle weakness, but the muscles of the lower limbs, especially the anterior tibialis muscle, are overworked in standing work, exercise or daily life, and the muscles become stiff. It may occur only in the case of.

  And if the muscles of the lower limbs are stiffened in this way, if you leave them without taking any mitigation measures, the stiffened leg muscles will compress the nerves and blood vessels of the foot, It is also feared that the former will cause numbness.

  Therefore, it is desirable that a mechanical device for assisting or correcting walking motion can be easily and quickly worn as necessary when such a symptom (a symptom in which muscles are stiffened) appears.

  Therefore, in the present invention, it is a first object to provide a lower limb supporter that can be easily attached and detached according to the situation of the user, and that can be attached and detached without difficulty. It is an issue.

  The sock-like garment proposed in Patent Document 2 includes a first below-knee tightening portion that extends from the start to the stop along the anterior tibial muscle. Proposed to approach the anterior tibial muscle with the tightening force of the first below-knee tightening part, make it easy to raise the toes during walking, prevent tripping and falling, and increase the strength by kicking the ground correctly with the toes It has been. However, this sock-like garment includes not only the first below-knee tightening portion but also the second below-knee tightening portion and the third below-knee tightening portion, and the force balance between the respective tightening portions is complicated. And when the balance of tightening force is adjusted in a complicated manner in this way, if the tightening force of any tightening portion changes due to long-term use, the balance between the tightening portions will change. On the other hand, it may be possible to hinder the walking motion.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a lower limb supporter that can support walking motion even when the tightening force has changed over many years without considering such a balance of tightening force. Let's assume the second issue.

  In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present inventor thoroughly investigated the walking motion, and as a result of trial and error as to the muscles necessary for the walking motion and the configuration for supporting the motion, the present invention. Has been completed.

  That is, in the present invention, it is a lower limb supporter for assisting the wearer's walking by the contraction force of the elastic material, and the foot mounting portion that is mounted surrounding the ankle portion, the toe portion or the back portion of the foot. An elastic material that is connected to the knee portion or the knee portion, and is connected to the leg portion and the knee portion, and is present on the front side of the anterior tibial muscle A lower limb supporter comprising the first stretchable part formed in the above.

  The foot mounting portion is mounted so as to surround the toe portion or the upper portion of the foot, and the knee mounting portion is mounted so as to surround the knee portion or the vicinity of the knee portion. These can be formed in a cylindrical shape and can be mounted by surrounding and tightening each part. Therefore, it is desirable to form these foot mounting portions and knee mounting portions using a stretchable material, for example, a material such as knit or rubber. At that time, this foot mounting part and knee mounting part should be formed in a plurality of different sizes according to the user's physique such as men, women, ages, etc., and can be used in any combination Is desirable. However, since the foot mounting portion and the knee mounting portion only need to be able to fasten each part, even if the parts are fastened using a belt or a hook-and-loop fastener, the same effect can be expected.

  In addition, a first stretchable portion formed of an elastic material is installed on the foot mounting portion and the knee mounting portion so as to exist on the front side of the anterior tibial muscle. Since the first stretchable part is formed of an elastic material such as rubber, knit, or a knit or fabric knitted with rubber, the contractive force of the first stretchable part can support the operation of the anterior tibial muscle. it can. In particular, the lower limb supporter according to the present invention supports walking motion, and the stroking or sliding foot during walking occurs when the strength of the anterior tibial muscle is weakened and it is difficult to lift the toe side of the foot For this reason, the expansion / contraction part needs to have a contraction force in a direction to lift the upper part of the foot upward. Therefore, it is desirable to form the first stretchable part in such a length that tension acts in the direction of lifting the upper part of the foot upward. Thereby, in walking motion, since the toe side is lifted by the contraction force of the first elastic member, a smooth walking motion can be realized.

  Moreover, the said expansion-contraction part exists in the knee part vicinity of a wearer in the upper end side, and a lower end side exists in an ankle part, a toe part, or the upper part of a foot | leg. In that case, in order to make the force which lifts the upper part (or toe part) of the foot to the maximum extent, it is desirable that the lower end side of the first elastic member exists on the toe side. On the other hand, when the lower end side of the first elastic member is present on the toe side, the first elastic member may be an obstacle when wearing footwear such as shoes or sandals. Therefore, when putting on footwear, it is desirable that the lower end side of the first elastic member is present on the upper part of the foot or the ankle part. Since the first elastic member supports the anterior tibial muscle, the support force can be exerted even when the lower end side is present on the ankle.

  The first stretchable part can be formed in a string shape, but is preferably formed in a band shape. When the foot mounting portion and the knee mounting portion are cylindrical, the first stretchable portion is linearly connected to the foot mounting portion and the knee mounting portion, so that the first stretchable portion is a belt-like shape. If so, it is possible to distribute the contraction force in the connection portion.

  Furthermore, in the lower limb supporter according to the present invention, it is desirable that the foot mounting portion, the knee mounting portion, and the first telescoping portion are integrated by stitching or the like, and these are detachably connected. For example, the foot mounting part and the knee mounting part and the first telescopic part can be connected by a hook, a button, a hook-and-loop fastener, a fastener or the like. In this way, when the foot mounting part and knee mounting part and the first telescopic part are detachably connected, according to the size and length of the user's lower limb, the foot mounting part, It is possible to select the knee mounting portion and the first stretchable / contracting portion, and it is possible to provide a lower limb supporter suitable for the user's body shape.

  In addition, in order to provide a lower limb supporter that matches the user's body shape, the foot mounting part and the knee mounting part are provided with an adjuster, a buckle, a hook-and-loop fastener, etc. It is also desirable to change the inner diameter of the knee mounting portion. At this time, the length of the first stretchable part can also be adjusted by a buckle, an adjuster, or the like, so that the contraction of the first stretchable part can be accurately performed according to the muscle that the user is declining in the walking motion. The force or tension can be adjusted.

  In addition, the lower limb supporter according to the present invention can be configured with a configuration for supporting the action of the greater psoas muscle, the iliac muscle, and the quadriceps muscle on the knee.

  That is, the lower limb supporter according to the present invention further includes a lumbar attachment part that is attached to surround the lumbar part or the vicinity of the lumbar part, and is connected to the lumbar attachment part and the knee attachment part, Provided is a lower limb supporter including a second stretchable part formed of an elastic material, which is present on the front side of the quadriceps.

  The second stretchable part is formed of a stretchable material like the first stretchable part. The waist stretchable part is mounted so as to surround the waist part or the vicinity of the waist part. The second stretchable part is present in front of the quadriceps muscle, and the contraction force can support the action of the psoas major, iliac muscles, and even the quadriceps. it can. That is, in the walking movement, where the action of raising the knee is performed by the psoas major muscle or iliac muscle, the contraction force of the second contraction part acts in the direction of lifting the knee. Even if the muscle strength declines, a smooth walking motion can be performed.

  As with the first contraction part, the second contraction part is provided with an adjuster or the like so that the length can be adjusted, or is detachably provided with respect to the waist attachment part. A contraction force, tension, or length can be selectively used. In addition, the waist mounting part that holds the upper end side (that is, the waist part side) of the second contraction part can be formed such that the inner diameter thereof can be changed or the second contraction can be performed in the same manner as the foot mounting part and the knee mounting part. The part can be formed so as to be detachably held.

  In the lower limb supporter with the second stretchable portion as described above, it is desirable that the second stretchable portion is formed so that the tension is larger than that of the first stretchable portion. This is because a smooth walking motion is realized in consideration of the action and strength of the muscles supported by each stretchable part.

  The lower limb supporter of the present invention supports the walking of the wearer by the contraction force of the elastic material, and surrounds the toe portion or the upper portion of the foot and the foot portion mounting portion and the knee portion or the vicinity of the knee portion. A first knee extension part formed of an elastic material, which is connected to the leg part attachment part and the knee part attachment part, and is present on the front side of the anterior tibial muscle; Therefore, it can be easily mounted and removed. In particular, when the leg mounting part and the knee mounting part are formed in a telescopic tube shape and each part is fastened and fixed, the mounting and dismounting can be performed more easily. It is possible to provide a lower limb supporter that can be easily attached and detached according to the situation of the person, and that can be attached and removed without difficulty.

  And since the 1st expansion-contraction part exists only in the front side of an anterior tibial muscle, it is sufficient to use only the tightening force of the first expansion-contraction part. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lower limb supporter that can support walking motion even when the tightening force changes over many years without considering the balance of the tightening force between the elastic members.

  And the stretchable part is made into a belt-like shape, and it is formed so that the tension acts in the direction of lifting the toe upward, and it is formed so as to be separated from the ankle, so that the toe side can be lifted, and walking The danger of whispering at the time can be avoided.

  Further, the elastic material is provided with a waist mounting portion that surrounds the waist or the vicinity of the waist, and is connected to the waist mounting portion and the knee mounting portion, and is present on the front side of the quadriceps muscle. When the second telescopic part is formed, the second telescopic part supports the operation of the quadriceps in the walking motion, so that the knee can be raised higher, thereby preventing the sliding foot I can do it.

  And, when the second stretchable part is formed with a tension larger than that of the first stretchable part, it is possible to realize optimal support according to the muscle strength of each part and the weight of the part to be lifted, Smooth walking motion can be realized.

The perspective view which shows the state which mounted | wore the leg supporter concerning 1st embodiment. (A) Front view and (B) Side view showing a state in which the lower limb supporter according to the second embodiment is mounted. The front view which shows the state which mounted | wore the lower limb supporter concerning 3rd embodiment. Schematic showing the state of walking motion with lower limb supporters

  Hereinafter, several embodiments of the lower limb supporter 50 according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments show only some embodiments and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a lower limb supporter 50 for supporting the movement of the lower limb, particularly the lower knee, and is configured to support the movement of the anterior tibial muscle M1. As shown in this figure, the lower limb supporter 50 includes a knee mounting part 10 that is mounted by tightening the vicinity of the user's knee, a foot mounting part 14 that is mounted by tightening the upper part of the foot, It is comprised with the 1st expansion-contraction part 12 constructed and constructed between both.

  In the present embodiment, the knee mounting part 10 and the foot mounting part 14 are formed in a cylindrical shape using the same material as the exercise supporter that is commercially available, and each part is formed in a size that can be tightened. Yes. However, the knee mounting part 10 and the foot mounting part 14 do not necessarily need to have elasticity, and it is sufficient that they can be reliably fixed to the part. For this reason, for example, it can be formed in a belt shape or a string shape, or can be formed so that each part can be fastened and fixed by providing a hook-and-loop fastener. In particular, the knee mounting portion 10 and the foot mounting portion 14 are preferably adapted to the user's system, and the inner diameter size can be arbitrarily changed, or a plurality of types corresponding to the user's system can be formed. It is desirable to prepare a size (M size, L size, LL size, etc.) in advance.

  And the 1st expansion-contraction part 12 can be formed with the cloth which has the stretch property (stretchability) which knitted rubber | gum. The stretching force of the first stretchable part 12 can be formed to the extent that the upper part of the foot can be lifted upward at the time of wearing, but this is related to the muscle strength of the anterior tibial muscle M1 in the user Can be adjusted arbitrarily. The first stretchable portion 12 can also be formed so that the stretchable force can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the user's muscular strength. In this case, an adjuster or the like can be provided on the first expansion / contraction part 12. However, since it is impossible to deny the possibility that the adjuster hits the shin in a walking motion or the like, it is desirable that the length can be adjusted without using the adjuster.

  In the present embodiment, the first stretchable portion 12 is provided so as to link the ankle side of the foot mounting portion 14 from the lower portion of the knee mounting portion 10. By providing in this way, even when wearing sandals or shoes, it can be installed without problems. However, since the lower limb supporter 50 according to this embodiment acts to raise the toes upward, when used in a room where no footwear such as sandals is worn, the first stretchable part 12 is preferably connected to the toe side of the foot mounting portion 14. Thus, by connecting the first elastic part 12 to the foot part, the force for lifting the foot part can be maximized.

  According to the lower limb supporter 50 formed as described above, since the toes are lifted by the first telescopic part 12 in walking motion, there is no risk of the toes being caught by stones or steps, and the problem of falling by rolling is avoided. It can be greatly improved.

  2A is a front view and FIG. 2B is a side view showing a lower limb supporter 50 according to the second embodiment. The lower limb supporter 50 according to this embodiment is formed using a foot mounting portion 14 that tightens from the heel toward the ankle. That is, the foot mounting portion 14 of the lower limb supporter 50 in this embodiment is configured to wrap around and surround the front side of the ankle from the buttocks, and the first stretchable portion 12 includes the instep of the foot. It is connected to the part existing on the part side. Also in the lower limb supporter 50 formed in this way, the first telescopic part 12 contracts, so that it is possible to support the force that the anterior tibial muscle M1 lifts the toe side. The foot can be smoothly moved during walking. In this embodiment, the tip side of the foot mounting portion is formed in the vicinity of the connection portion of the anterior tibial muscle.

  FIG. 3 shows a lower limb supporter 50 according to the third embodiment, which is further configured to support the action of the psoas muscle M2, the iliac muscle M3, or the quadriceps muscle M4 on the knee. A lower limb supporter 50 is shown. That is, the lower limb supporter 50 according to this embodiment further includes a lumbar part mounting portion 20 that is attached to the lower limb supporter 50 shown in FIG. A second stretchable portion 22 is provided between the waist mounting portion 20 and the knee mounting portion 10.

  The waist mounting portion 20 in the present embodiment, like the knee mounting portion 10 and the foot mounting portion 14, may be formed using a stretchable cloth used as an exercise supporter. It can be attached to the waist by tightening force. However, the waist mounting portion 20 does not necessarily need to be made of a stretchable cloth, and can be formed as, for example, a waist belt. In this case, the lower limb supporter 50 can be mounted more easily. Can do.

  The waist mounting portion 20 and the knee mounting portion 10 are provided with a second stretchable portion 22 made of a stretchable material, like the first stretchable portion 12, so that the walking motion At this time, the knee can be lifted by the contraction force of the second expansion / contraction part 22, thereby eliminating the sliding foot. Further, as a result of lifting the knee by the second stretchable part 22, the legs can also be lifted higher, and thereby, it is possible to avoid the whispering on stones or steps.

  The support for lifting the knee by the second stretchable part 22 is by supporting the psoas major muscle M2, iliac muscle M3, or quadriceps muscle M4 in the wearer by the contraction of the second stretchable part 22. It is. Therefore, the contraction force of the second stretchable part 22 is formed to such an extent that the wearer can support the force to lift the lower limbs in consideration of the decline in muscle strength of the psoas major muscle M2, iliac muscle M3, or quadriceps M4. It is desirable to do.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the second stretchable portion 22 is formed to have a stronger stretch force (tension) than the first stretchable portion 12. This is in order to realize a smooth walking motion in consideration of the weight of the region where the muscles (anterior tibialis muscle M1, quadriceps muscle M4) supported by each stretchable part move.

  In this embodiment, the lower limb supporter 50 includes a lower limb supporter 50 including a knee mounting part 10, a foot mounting part 14, and a first elastic part 12, a lumbar mounting part 20, and a knee mounting. Each of the upper knee lower limb supporters 50 including the portion 10 and the second stretchable portion 22 may be formed separately and used in any combination. Thus, by using the two lower limb supporters 50 divided by the knee mounting portion 10, the mounting performance can be improved.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a walking motion when the lower limb supporter 50 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is worn. In FIG. 4, when walking from the left side to the right side, the weight is moved to the right foot (B) from the state where the right foot is put forward (A), and the left foot is moved (C) to move the weight to the left foot. (D). At the stage (E) where the right foot is put forward, the foot tip is lifted by the first telescopic portion 12 and does not face downward. As a result, there is no risk of the toes being caught on stones or steps, and the fall during walking can be greatly improved. In this way, in the stage where the right foot is put forward, the second stretchable part 22 acts to lift the lower side of the thigh, so that the right foot can be easily put forward, and the right foot Can be lifted high. In the state where the right foot is installed (F), the first stretchable part 12 and the second stretchable part 22 are extended by weight shift, and therefore any muscle is used to stretch these stretchable parts. Therefore, smooth walking can be realized.

  The lower limb supporter 50 shown in the present embodiment is merely a specific example, and can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as long as each component exhibits the same effect, it can be formed in different configurations.

  The lower limb supporter according to the present invention can be used as a device for smoothly performing walking motion, and can be used not only for the elderly but also for rehabilitation. Furthermore, it can be used in various exercise applications such as slimming exercise.

10 Knee wearing part
12 First telescopic part
14 Foot attachment
20 Lumbar attachment
22 Second telescopic part
50 Lower limb supporter
M1 anterior tibial muscle
M2 psoas muscle
M3 iliac muscle
M4 quadriceps

Claims (5)

It is a lower limb supporter to support the wearer's walking by the contraction force of the elastic material,
An ankle part, or a toe part to be worn surrounding the toe part or instep part of the foot; and
A knee mounting part that is mounted surrounding the knee or the vicinity of the knee; and
A lower limb supporter comprising a first stretchable part formed of an elastic material, which is connected to the leg mounting part and the knee mounting part and is present on the front side of the anterior tibial muscle.
The lower limb supporter according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion has a band shape and is formed to have a length in which a tension acts in a direction in which the upper part of the foot is lifted upward.
The lower limb supporter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the leg portion mounting portion and the knee portion mounting portion are formed in a telescopic cylinder shape and each portion is fastened and fixed.
Furthermore, it is equipped with a waist attachment part that surrounds the waist or the vicinity of the waist and is attached.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second stretchable portion formed of an elastic material, which is connected to the waist mounting portion and the knee mounting portion and is present on the front side of the quadriceps femoris. Lower limb supporter according to item.
  The lower limb supporter according to claim 4, wherein the second stretchable portion has higher tension than the first stretchable portion.