JP2018079203A - Orthosis for thoracic limb - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an orthosis for thoracic limbs reducing a user's botheration, while applying energizing force in an opening direction to the user's fingers.SOLUTION: An orthosis 1 for thoracic limbs to be worn on a user's hand, includes: linear or belt-like elastic members 10 having locking parts 11 that can be locked to fingers, at first ends 10a thereof; and a support part 30 configured to be worn on a hand and by which second ends 10b of the elastic members are supported. The support part includes a first area for covering a dorsal surface of the hand, and second areas for covering dorsal surfaces of the fingers. The elastic members are configured to be disposed along the dorsal surfaces of fingers and the dorsal surface of a hand, when the support part is worn on the hand, with the locking parts locked to the fingers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an upper limb orthosis worn on an upper limb.

  In recent years, therapeutic approaches for training with braces for upper limb paralysis after stroke have been studied. In upper limb paralysis after stroke, spasticity is often exhibited, and in many cases, it is difficult to move a finger in the opening direction even though the finger can be moved in the gripping direction. When grabbing or pinching an object, it is necessary to first move the object into the movable range of the finger, so the operation of opening the finger is important.

  In this regard, Patent Literature 1 describes a finger training device that can be pulled in the direction of opening the wearer's finger. The brace includes a plurality of superelastic wires, a fastening ring provided at one end of the bundled superelastic wires, and a flexible ring connected to the other end of each superelastic wire via a thread body. It has. When the user hangs the fastening ring on the thumb and the flexible ring on the other finger, the fingers other than the thumb are pulled in the direction of opening the hand by the biasing force of the super elastic wire.

Utility Model Registration No. 3184390

  In the finger training device described in Patent Document 1, the superelastic wire is stretched like a bow on the back side of the hand when worn. Since a super elastic wire stretched like a bow is troublesome for the user, it is basically worn only during training such as occupational therapy.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an upper limb orthosis in which the user's annoyance is reduced while applying an urging force to the user's finger in the opening direction.

  The present invention is an upper limb orthosis worn on a user's hand, and has a linear or belt-like elastic member having a locking portion that can be locked to a finger at a first end, and is mounted on the hand. A support portion that is configured to be capable of supporting the second end of the elastic member, and the support portion includes a first region that covers the back of the hand and a second region that covers the back of the finger, An upper limb orthosis configured such that the elastic member is arranged along the back of the finger and the back of the hand when the support is attached to the hand while the engaging portion is engaged with the finger. .

The first region and the second region may be integrally connected.
The support part may be formed of an elastic material.

  The upper limb orthosis according to the present invention may further include a second locking portion that is provided at a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the elastic member and is locked to the base of the finger.

  The upper limb orthosis according to the present invention may further include an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust the magnitude of tension generated in the elastic member when the upper limb orthosis is mounted.

  According to the upper limb orthosis of the present invention, it is possible to pull the user's finger in the opening direction while reducing the troublesomeness of the user.

It is the figure which looked at the state with which the brace for upper limbs which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn from the hand back side. It is the figure which looked at the state with which the brace for the upper limbs was mounted on the hand from the palm side. It is the figure which looked at the state with which the upper limb orthosis which concerns on the modification of the upper limb orthosis was mounted | worn by the hand from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the state with which the orthosis for upper limbs concerning 2nd embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn from the hand back side. It is the figure which looked at the state with which the brace for the upper limbs was mounted on the hand from the palm side. It is a figure which shows typically the structure around the 2nd edge part of the elastic member in the brace for the upper limbs.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 1 is a view of the upper limb orthosis 1 attached to the hand as seen from the back of the hand, and FIG. 2 is a view of the upper limb orthosis 1 attached to the hand as seen from the palm side. is there. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper limb orthosis 1 includes an elastic member 10 and a support portion 30 on which the elastic member 10 is supported.

The elastic member 10 is a linear or belt-like member, and generates tension by being extended in the longitudinal direction. The first end portion 10a of the elastic member 10 is annular, and is provided with a locking portion 11 that can be locked by a finger.
Examples of the material of the elastic member 10 include rubber, an elastomer, and a spring.

  The support part 30 is formed of, for example, a cloth or an elastomer. The support part 30 is formed in a so-called fingerless glove shape from which a part covering the fingertip part (end joint) of a general glove is removed, and a first area 31 covering the back of the hand and a second area covering the finger back. 32. In the first region 31, the palm side is configured such that a certain region including the central portion is removed and the main part of the palm is exposed.

  Five elastic members 10 are provided corresponding to the five fingers in the hand. In each elastic member 10, the first end portion 10 a provided with the locking portion 11 is sewn on the inner surface of the support portion 30 at a position where the middle joint of each finger is located. And is supported by bonding or the like. In each elastic member 10, the second end portion 10b opposite to the first end portion is supported on a portion on the inner surface of the support portion 30 where the wrist is located when the second end portion 10b is attached.

Operation during use of the upper limb orthosis 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The user causes the fingertip to enter the first region 31 of the support portion 30 in the same operation as wearing a fingerless glove, and causes the corresponding finger to protrude from the tip opening of the second region 32. Along with this operation, the user's finger passes through the locking portion 11 of each elastic member 10, and the locking portion 11 is locked to the middle node of each finger. Since each elastic member 10 is disposed inside the support portion 30, the elastic member 10 is disposed along the finger back and the back of the hand when the support portion 30 is mounted on the hand.

  Since the second end portion 10 b of the elastic member 10 is supported by the support portion 30, it does not move relative to the support portion 30. In this state, when bending in the direction in which the finger of the user's hand wearing the upper limb orthosis 1 is bent, the elastic member 10 extends and tension is generated. The generated tension pulls the finger in the direction of opening the hand via the locking portion 11. As a result, a biasing force in the opening direction acts on the user's finger. This urging force assists the finger opening movement that occurs in the pre-stage of the grasping operation or the grasping operation.

  As described above, according to the upper limb orthosis 1 of the present embodiment, the elastic member can be locked to the five fingers in almost the same operation as wearing a glove, so that wearing and removing are easy. Can be done.

  Moreover, since the elastic member 10 is supported by the support part 30, when the elastic member 10 is extended | stretched, it is suppressed that it protrudes on a back of a hand, or shift | deviates to the width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction. As a result, it is possible to apply a biasing force in the opening direction with respect to the user's finger while reducing the troublesomeness of the user. Moreover, it is prevented that the biasing force which acts on a finger | toe by the shift | offset | difference to the width direction of the elastic member 10 is prevented, and the effect of the brace 1 for upper limbs is hold | maintained suitably.

  In addition, the user's troublesomeness is reduced, so that the user can continue wearing in daily life as well as during occupational therapy training in hospitals, etc. It is possible to assist the grasping operation and the grasping operation in daily life. As a result, improvement in training effect and QOL (quality of life) can be expected.

  In addition, since a part of the palm side of the first region 31 of the support part 30 is removed, a part of the palm of the user is exposed at the time of wearing. Therefore, the tactile sensation of what is grasped or grasped is not excessively impaired, and can be suitably worn even in daily life. In addition, when the support part is formed of an elastic material such as an elastomer, the amount of elastic material in the support part is greater on the back side than on the palm side. The effect of the upper limb orthosis can be enhanced by reinforcing the urging force.

  At present, the upper limb orthosis is often produced by an occupational therapist for each patient, but the upper limb orthosis 1 of this embodiment has a shape close to that of a general glove and has a simple structure. Therefore, mass production is easy. If the dimensions of the fingers are approximately the same, the upper limb orthosis of the same size can be worn without any problem, so that the versatility is high and there is no need to make it for each patient. Therefore, the burden on occupational therapists and the like can be remarkably reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the annular locking portion is formed at the end of one elastic member has been described, but instead of this, one elastic member as in the modification shown in FIG. The folded portion may be the locking portion 11A by folding the member 10A at the intermediate portion. In this case, both end portions in the folded state become end portions of the elastic member 10A, the end portion on the side where the locking portion 11A is located is the first end portion 15, and both end portions of the elastic member 10A in the state before being folded back. The end portion on the side where the is located becomes the second end portion 16.

In addition, the first region of the support portion may be configured to cover the entire palm side. In this way, although the above-mentioned effect by removing a part on the palm side cannot be obtained, the finger does not come out from the hole formed by the removal during the wearing of the upper limb orthosis, Another advantage is that it can be done smoothly.
As another example of the support portion, a part of the finger pad side region of the second region may be removed.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, components that are the same as those already described are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted.

4 is a view of the upper limb orthosis 101 attached to the hand as seen from the back of the hand, and FIG. 5 is a view of the upper limb orthosis 101 attached to the hand as seen from the palm side. is there.
The elastic member 110 in the present embodiment includes a second locking portion 111 provided in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction in addition to the locking portion 11. In this embodiment, the 2nd latching | locking part 111 is formed in the cyclic | annular form which can insert a user's finger | toe.

In the support portion 30, a dial (adjustment portion) 102 is provided near the second end portion of the elastic member 110. A second end portion of each elastic member 110 is connected to the dial 102, and thereby the second end portion is supported by the support portion 30.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the connection portion between the dial 102 and the elastic member 110. The dial 102 has a shaft portion 103 and is attached to the support portion 30 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 103. In the first region 31 of the support portion 30, a support tube 105 is attached to a portion located near the user's wrist when worn so as to be arranged around the wrist. A hole 105 a is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the support tube 105 at a position corresponding to each elastic member 110. As shown in FIG. 6, the second end portion 110 b of each elastic member 110 enters the support tube 105 from the corresponding hole 105 a and passes through the support tube 105 and is connected to the shaft portion 103.

  The upper limb orthosis 101 according to the present embodiment configured as described above can be worn by the substantially same operation as the first embodiment. At the time of wearing, the locking part 11 is locked to the middle joint of the finger as in the first embodiment, and the second locking part 111 is locked to the proximal joint closer to the palm. That is, in the present embodiment, the elastic member 110 is locked to the user's finger at two points, the middle joint and the base joint.

  In order to adjust the magnitude of the tension generated by the elastic member 110, the user turns the dial 102. Then, the shaft portion 103 rotates and the second end side of each elastic member 110 is wound around the shaft portion. As a result, the elastic member 110 is extended to increase the tension. If the second end portion side of each elastic member 110 is wound around the shaft portion by a predetermined amount in the initial state, adjustment to weaken the tension by operating the dial 102 is also possible. As a mechanism for holding the dial 102 at a predetermined rotational position, for example, a known ratchet mechanism or the like can be used.

  In the upper limb orthosis 101 of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to apply an urging force in the opening direction to the user's finger while reducing the troublesomeness of the user.

Moreover, since the elastic member 110 has the 2nd latching | locking part 111, an elastic member is latched by a user's finger | toe at two points, and can apply urging | biasing force in the stable state.
Furthermore, since the dial 102 is provided, the urging force acting on the finger can be adjusted to a suitable magnitude.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which one elastic member has a locking portion and a second locking portion has been described, but instead of this, two long and short elastic members are arranged for one finger. The locking portion of the short elastic member may be locked to the base of the finger. In this case, if two adjustment parts are provided and a long elastic member is connected to one adjustment part and a short elastic member is connected to the other adjustment part, the urging force acting on the middle joint and the urging force acting on the base joint are independent. It is also possible to make adjustments.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and combinations of components may be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Various changes can be added to or deleted from the components.

  For example, the locking portion may not be formed of the same material as the elastic member, and may not be a complete (closed) ring as long as it can be locked to the finger.

  In the support portion, the first region and the second region may be separated. However, as described above, it is preferable that the first region and the second region are integrated because it is easy to mount and remove.

  Furthermore, the elastic member may not be arranged corresponding to all five fingers. The elastic member may be arranged corresponding to only one or more specific fingers according to the medical condition of the user.

  In addition, the application target of the upper limb orthosis of the present invention is not limited to the above-described stroke. The upper limb orthosis of the present invention can be suitably applied to other diseases in the nerves and muscles of fingers and rehabilitation in trauma.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Upper limb orthosis 10, 10A, 110 Elastic member 10a, 15 1st edge part 10b, 16 2nd edge part 11, 11A Locking part 30 Support part 31 1st area | region 32 2nd area | region 102 Dial (Adjustment) Part)
111 Second locking part

Claims (5)

An upper limb orthosis worn on the user's hand,
A linear or belt-like elastic member having a locking portion that can be locked to a finger at the first end;
A support portion configured to be attachable to the hand, and supporting a second end portion of the elastic member;
With
The support part is
A first area covering the back of the hand and a second area covering the back of the finger;
The elastic member is configured to be arranged along the back of the finger and the back of the hand when the support portion is attached to the hand while the locking portion is locked to the finger.
Upper limb orthosis.   The upper limb orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are integrally connected.   The upper limb orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is formed of an elastic material.   The upper limb orthosis according to claim 1, further comprising a second locking portion provided at a middle portion in a longitudinal direction of the elastic member and locked to a proximal joint of the finger.   The upper limb orthosis according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment unit configured to be able to adjust a magnitude of a tension generated in the elastic member when the upper limb orthosis is mounted.

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