JP2018166944A - Joint supporter - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a joint supporter that prevents no exercise nor joint bending/extending action while maintaining wearing comfort.SOLUTION: A knee supporter 10 has a cylindrical supporter body 12. In the supporter body 12, there are provided a plurality of stays 26 (26A, 26B, 26C) each having flexibility on the side of a leg 14, with each of the stay 26 extended to the side of the thigh 18 and the shin 20. As a result, the supporter body 12 can support the side of the knee 16 with a pseudo supporting face 28 that is formed by the stay 26, so that no exercise nor joint bending/extending action is prevented while wearing comfort is maintained. Accordingly, generation of anxiety can be suppressed in bending/stretching movement of the leg 14 by a person having knee pain.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint supporter.

  Generally, a person with knee pain feels anxiety about performing bending and stretching with a high load on the knee. From here, various joint supporters provided with orthoses that assist knee flexion and extension have been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a knee supporter that can remove a flexion / extension assisting elastic body when it is unnecessary and can change the flexion / extension assisting force as necessary. In the knee supporter of Patent Document 1, a breathable fabric is layered on the abutment contact surface at the center of the inner surface of the inner surface of the main body of the knee winding contour, and the wound inner surface is a pile forming surface made of a single-sided pile fabric. A knee pad cloth with male hook-and-loop fasteners sewn on the free end of the back is sewn along one side of the heavy edge, and the back of the fabric A single-sided pile fabric with pockets formed by independently encapsulating a plurality of elastic bodies for flexion and extension along the part that becomes the knee flexion and extension line is layered with the pile forming surface as the surface. When an outer surface end of the winding portion is provided with a hook-and-loop fastener male piece, an opening is formed on the pile-forming surface side of one end of each pocket portion to which the elastic body for bending and stretching should be enclosed. Of the elastic body for assisting in bending and stretching with a holding part for insertion / removal at one end. So as to insert the end portion, the desorption of bending the auxiliary elastic member is allowed to be freely.
Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a knit product that can be used as a knee supporter, prevents slippage and shape loss, and prevents slippage that allows smooth movement. In the knit product of Patent Document 2, a hollow fabric bone is installed on the inner surface of the knit product, and a large number of thin plastic bones are concentrated in the flexible tube, and the flexible tube is made of the knit product fabric together with the plastic bone. By inserting it into the bone and storing it in place, the plastic bone itself has the flexible action to support the original form of the knit product and to achieve the goal of preventing smooth and free activity. I am doing so.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 proposes a joint supporter that is easy to move even when worn on the knee and has excellent stability during use. In the joint supporter of Patent Document 3, a hinge made of an elastic body is attached to the side portion of the supporter body, and the hinge is a bent portion that serves as a fulcrum when the hinge is bent as the joint bends and extends at a position corresponding to the joint. have.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-074439 Registered Utility Model No. 3196285 JP 2007-092222 A

  By the way, in the joint supporter which supports a knee joint etc., the comfortable feeling at the time of wear falls by providing a hard orthosis. Further, in the joint supporter, the support feeling for the knee cannot be improved by providing the soft brace. Furthermore, when a hinge, a stay, or the like is provided as a soft brace, the joint supporter is likely to be displaced when worn, and the displacement causes a sense of incongruity in bending and stretching operations.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a joint supporter that maintains comfort when worn and does not hinder movement or bending and stretching operations of the joint.

The joint supporter for achieving the above object includes the following aspects.
<1> A supporter body that is formed in a cylindrical shape and supports the range from one side of the joint to the other side of the joint across the joint, and an intermediate part in the front-rear direction with respect to the joint on the side surface side of the joint of the supporter body, A joint supporter provided with a plurality of flexible supports provided respectively on the front side and the rear side of the intermediate portion and extending to one side of the joint and the other side of the joint.
<2> The joint supporter according to <1>, wherein in the knee joint of the leg, the supporter body supports a range from the thigh side of the knee joint as the one side to the shin side of the knee joint as the other side.
<3> The joint supporter according to <2>, wherein a center interval of the support in the front-rear direction of the leg is 2 mm or more.
<4> The joint supporter according to <2> or <3>, wherein at least one of the supports is bent in a convex shape toward the front side or the rear side of the leg.
<5> The joint supporter according to any one of <2> to <4>, wherein an inflection point is provided in a side portion of the knee joint of the leg in at least one of the supports.
<6> The joint supporter according to any one of <2> to <5>, wherein the support is provided on each of both side surfaces of the leg.
<7> The joint supporter according to any one of <2> to <6>, wherein the support is made of metal, resin, or bamboo.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a joint supporter that does not hinder movement and bending and stretching operations of a joint while maintaining comfort during wearing.

It is a side view of the leg which shows the knee supporter which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a side view of the leg which shows the knee supporter which concerns on a modification. Each of (A) to (C) is a side view of a leg showing a knee support according to a modification. (A) And (B) is a side view of the leg which shows the knee supporter which concerns on a modification. (A) And (B) is a side view of the leg which shows the knee supporter which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, the joint supporter according to the present embodiment will be described.
The joint supporter according to the present embodiment includes a supporter body that is formed in a cylindrical shape and supports a range from one side of the joint to the other side of the joint across the joint, and the joint on the side surface side of the joint of the supporter body An intermediate portion in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of flexible supports provided respectively on the front side and the rear side of the intermediate portion and extending to one side of the joint and the other side of the joint; The joint supporter provided.
Further, the joint supporter of the present embodiment is a knee support that supports a range from the thigh side of the knee joint, which is one side, to the shin side of the knee joint, which is the other side, in the knee joint of the leg. It is a joint supporter used as a supporter.
In the joint supporter of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the center distance of the support in the front-rear direction of the leg is 2 mm or more.
In the joint supporter of the present embodiment, at least one of the supports may be bent in a convex shape toward the front side or the rear side of the leg.
In the joint supporter according to the present embodiment, a hinge portion may be provided on a side portion of the knee joint of the leg on at least one of the supports.
In the joint supporter of the present embodiment, the support may be provided on each of the both side surfaces of the leg, or may be provided on one of the side surfaces of the leg.
In the joint supporter of the present embodiment, the support may be made of metal, resin, or bamboo.

In the present specification, the axial direction refers to a cylindrical axial direction when the cylindrical supporter body is maintained in a cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape). In the present specification, the axial direction of the cylindrical supporter body may be simply referred to as “axial direction”. Further, in this specification, the “axial direction” is a direction sometimes referred to as “vertical direction” in the technical field of joint supporters, and is a direction in which a leg is inserted when the joint supporters are worn. You can also.
Further, in this specification, the “circumferential direction” of the cylindrical supporter main body refers to the “circumferential direction” when the cylindrical supporter main body is maintained in a cylindrical shape. In the present specification, the circumferential direction of the cylindrical supporter body is sometimes simply referred to as “circumferential direction”. The circumferential direction in the present specification is a direction sometimes referred to as “lateral direction” in the technical field of joint supporters.
In this specification, the surface of the leg on the side of the patella is referred to as “front surface”, the surface on the back of the knee (popliteal surface) of the leg is sometimes referred to as “rear surface”, and the lateral side of the knee joint of the leg. These surfaces may be referred to as “side surfaces”. Further, in the present specification, the side surfaces facing each other between the legs may be referred to as “inner surfaces”, and the opposite side surfaces between the legs may be referred to as “outer surfaces”.

  FIG. 1 shows a knee supporter 10 as a joint supporter according to the present embodiment in a side view. In the drawing, the upper side in the axial direction of the knee supporter 10 is indicated by an arrow UP, and the front side is indicated by an arrow FR.

  The knee supporter 10 includes a cylindrical supporter body 12. The supporter main body 12 is inserted with a human leg 14 and supports a knee 16 including a knee joint as a joint of the leg 14 in an intermediate portion in the axial direction. Further, the supporter body 12 supports the thigh 18 side of the leg 14 (one side of the thigh 18 of the knee 16) as one side of the knee joint in the upper portion in the axial direction, and in the lower portion in the axial direction. The shin 20 side of the leg 14 as the other side of the knee joint (the shin 20 side of the knee 16) is supported. That is, the knee supporter 10 is worn so that the supporter body 12 wraps between the thigh 18 side of the knee 16 and the shin 20 side of the knee 16 within a predetermined range with the knee 16 (knee joint) of the leg 14 as the center. Is done.

  The knee supporter 10 can have any configuration as the supporter body 12, but it is more preferable to use the supporter body 12 that is excellent in a feeling of fixation with respect to the knee 16 and is excellent in bending and stretching of the knee joint.

  As such a supporter body 12, one that is configured so as to generate a predetermined elasticity (elastic modulus) in each of the axial direction and the circumferential direction is used. A predetermined range between the knee 16 and the shin 20 side of the knee 16 is wrapped and supported in the circumferential direction. At this time, the supporter body 12 is applied with a configuration in which the elastic modulus in the axial direction and the circumferential direction is determined so as to obtain an appropriate tightening feeling for the knee joint.

  Further, the supporter body 12 is divided into a plurality of regions in at least one direction (preferably both directions) in the axial direction and the circumferential direction, and the elastic modulus in the axial direction and the elasticity in the circumferential direction between adjacent regions. You may be set as the structure from which a rate differs. Thereby, for example, the knee 16 portion, the thigh 18 side portion, and the shin 20 are made different in the tightening force and the extension in the axial direction in the central portion, the thigh 18 side portion, and the shin 20 side portion in the axial direction. A preferred tightening force can be applied to each of the side portions. Further, by changing the elastic modulus in the axial direction between the front side and the rear side of the supporter body 12 (for example, making the elastic modulus on the front side smaller than the elastic modulus on the rear side), the front side and the rear side of the leg 14 It is preferable that the stretchability can be changed between the sides and the leg 14 can be easily bent and stretched.

As such a supporter main body 12, it is preferable that the knitted structure is a knitted structure including a floating knitted structure. When the knitting structure of the supporter body 12 is a knitting structure including a floating knitting structure, the density and distribution of the floating yarn are changed for each region at the time of manufacturing the knee supporter 10 for each region contacting the leg 14. The elastic modulus in the axial direction can be easily adjusted, and the supporter body 12 having a different elastic modulus for each region can be easily manufactured.
Moreover, it is preferable that the supporter main body 12 is continuously manufactured by circular knitting. Thereby, each area | region which comprises the cylindrical supporter main body 12 can be manufactured separately, and compared with the case where these are sewn together, the feeling of fit at the time of wearing is produced, without producing the sense of incongruity by the projection part formed of the seam. Is improved. Furthermore, when each area | region which forms the supporter main body 12 is continuously manufactured by circular knitting, the effect that it is easy to ensure the expansion | extension rate of the supporter main body 12 whole is also show | played.
Moreover, when paying attention to the structure of the supporter main body 12, it is preferable that the supporter main body 12 has a seamless structure from the viewpoint of securing a fit and wearing rate at the time of wearing. Here, the seamless structure means an integrated structure having neither an axial seam (for example, a seam for forming a tubular shape by stitching) nor a circumferential seam (for example, a seam for stitching each part). .
The cylindrical supporter body 12 having a seamless structure can be formed, for example, by continuously manufacturing each region by circular knitting.
The surface of the knitted structure of the knee supporter 10 may be impregnated with resin, or may be printed.

The support body 12 is made of polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyolefin, polyolefin elastomer, polyamide, rayon, acrylic, cupra, acetate, promix, aramid, silicone, or other synthetic fibers; cotton, wool, silk, hemp, rayon, etc. Natural fiber; natural rubber; polyvinyl chloride; and the like.
Among them, polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, polyolefin, polyolefin elastomer, silicone, or natural rubber is preferable, and polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, polyolefin, or polyolefin elastomer is more preferable from the viewpoint of long-term durability.
Examples of the spinning of the supporter body 12 include monofilaments; multifilaments; SCY (Single Covering Yarn) coated with urethane or rubber; DCY (Double Covering Yarn) coated with urethane or rubber;

Further, the knee supporter 10 includes a thigh side mouth rubber part 22 disposed on the thigh 18 side with respect to the cylindrical supporter body 12 and a shin side mouth disposed on the shin 20 side with respect to the supporter body 12. It is preferable to include a rubber part 24. Thereby, as for the supporter 10 for knees, the fall and turning-up of the supporter main body 12 are suppressed more effectively.
When the knee supporter 10 includes the thigh side rubber band 22 and the shin side rubber band 24, the thigh side rubber band 22 and the shin side rubber band 24 are respectively connected to the supporter body 12 by sewing. Alternatively, each of them may be continuously manufactured together with the supporter main body by circular knitting.

Further, at least a part of the back surface of the thigh-side mouth rubber portion 22 (ie, the surface facing the leg 14; the same applies hereinafter) is provided with a resin layer (for example, silicone rubber) from the viewpoint of suppressing the supporter body 12 from falling off. Layer, an acrylic resin layer, an acrylic urethane resin layer, etc.) are preferably provided. The resin layer can be formed by printing, for example. The resin layer may be provided on the back surface of the shin side mouth rubber part.
As a knitting structure of the thigh side mouth rubber part 22 and the shin side mouth rubber part 24, a rubber knitting structure or a non-run knitting structure is preferable.

  The knee supporter 10 may have a configuration in which the supporter body 12 does not include the thigh-side mouth rubber part 22 and the shin side mouth rubber part 24. Further, the supporter body 12 of the knee supporter 10 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and an appropriate fixation feeling can be obtained with respect to the knee 16, and the leg 14 (the knee 16) can be bent and extended (the knee joint can be bent and extended). It is sufficient if moderate support is obtained during exercise.

By the way, a person with knee pain feels anxiety about flexion and extension of the knee with high load.
As a result of intensive studies on the anxiety about knee flexion and extension of a person with knee pain, the inventors have arranged three or more supports each having flexibility on the side of the knee 16 in the supporter body 12. Thus, since it is felt that the side surface of the knee 16 is supported by a pseudo surface, a high feeling of support for the knee 16 can be obtained without impairing the mobility of the leg 14, and knee pain is caused. I found that people's anxiety can be resolved.

  From this point, the knee supporter 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a stay 26 as a support, and there are a plurality of stays 26 (in this embodiment, three stays 26A, 26B, 26C as an example). In the following, this is referred to as a stay 26 when collectively referred to. Each of the stays 26 is disposed outside the portion of the supporter body 12 that contacts the side surface of the leg 14. In each figure, in order to clearly identify the stay 26, the actual relative width is widened (for example, wider than the dimension in the front-rear direction of the supporter body 12).

In the present embodiment, three stays 26 are described as an example, but the number of stays 26 is preferably 3 or more and 20 or less. By setting the number of stays 26 to at least three, it is possible to form the pseudo support surface 28 on the side surface of the knee 16 in the supporter main body 12, and by increasing the number of stays 26, The support surface 28 can be widened. If the number of the stays 26 exceeds 20, the distance between the stays 26 becomes too small, and the stays 26 form a substantial (not pseudo) surface, thereby restricting the movement of the knees 16.
In forming the pseudo support surface 28 in the supporter body 12, the number of stays 26 is more preferably 5 or more and 10 or less.

  In the present embodiment, in the supporter body 12, stays 26 are provided on the inner surface side and the outer surface side of the legs 14. The arrangement of the stays 26 on each of the inner surface side and the outer surface side of the leg 14 has the same configuration. In FIG. 1, one side surface side of the leg 14 is illustrated and the other side surface side is not illustrated. In addition, one side will be described.

  In the stay 26, a stay 26A is disposed at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the leg 14, a stay 26B is disposed on the front side of the stay 26, and a stay 26C is disposed on the rear side of the stay 26. The stay 26 is attached to the supporter body 12 with the longitudinal direction being the axial direction of the supporter body 12.

The stay 26 is formed of a flexible material.
The shape of each support body 12 of the stay 26 as viewed from the side may be a substantially rod shape or a substantially linear shape (thread shape). Further, the shape of each support body 12 of the stay 26 as viewed from the side may be linear, and the center line is bent or bent between the shin side and the thigh side when a person stands in a natural body. In this case, the stay 26 may be bent or bent near the side surface of the knee joint.

The outer dimension of the stay 26 with respect to the front-rear direction of the leg 14 is preferably 2 mm or less, and the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stay 26 is preferably 1 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less.
The stay 26 only needs to be such that a person wearing the supporter body 12 feels the stay 26 on the side surface of the supporter body 12, and the stay 26 only needs to have flexibility in the front-rear direction of the knee. In order to facilitate bending and stretching of the joint, it is sufficient that the front-rear direction has flexibility enough not to feel elasticity or to feel slightly elasticity. Further, if the stay 26 is strongly felt to be elastic in the front-rear direction, it is not preferable because it seems to affect the bending and stretching operation of the knee joint.
In contrast, in the lateral direction of the knee, the stay 26 preferably has elasticity as well as flexibility in order to give a feeling of support to the side surface of the knee joint.
As such a stay 26, for example, in the case of a rectangular cross section and a narrow strip shape, it can be considered that the long side of the cross section is the left and right direction of the leg 14 and the short side of the cross section is the front and rear direction of the leg 14.

  The cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stay 26 is not particularly limited. The cross-sectional shape of the stay 26 is preferably circular in view of the appearance, but is not limited thereto, and may be a narrow quadrangular shape (square shape and rectangular shape), or a polygonal shape that is a pentagon or more. There may be. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the stay 26 may be a star polygon such as a cross star shape.

As the cross-sectional shape of the stay 26, when the shape is a circle, a quadrangle, or a pentagon or more, the number of sides is small compared to the cross-sectional polygonal star shape in the same cross-sectional area. In addition to being able to improve, it is easy to flex following the knee joint bending and stretching operation, so that the knee joint can be easily bent and stretched.
Further, when the cross-sectional shape of the stay 26 is a star-shaped polygonal shape, the number of short sides is increased and the substantial cross-sectional area at the central portion can be reduced as compared with a polygonal shape having a similar cross-sectional area. Since the flexibility of No. 26 is improved and it is easy to obtain a contact feeling when the corners or the corners that are acute contact each other, a high support feeling can be obtained.

Moreover, the stay 26 may be formed in a shape in which a plurality of thin line-shaped materials are bundled. That is, it may be formed by bundling a plurality of thread-like materials, and it is preferable that the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the respective materials be within the above-described cross-sectional area range. Further, when the stay 26 is formed by bundling a plurality of materials, each material may have plasticity, the same material may be used, different materials may be included, and the materials are bundled. When the number of materials is small, each material may be different from each other.
Further, when the stay 26 is formed by bundling a plurality of materials, the cross-sectional shape of each material may be any of the above-mentioned cross-sectional shapes, the plurality may be the same cross-sectional shape, or may have different cross-sectional shapes. The material may be included, and all the materials may have different cross-sectional shapes.

Further, when the stay 26 is formed by bundling a plurality of yarn-like materials each, a core material having a larger cross-sectional area (thickness) than that of the material to be bundled is used, and the yarn-like material around the heart material is twisted and bundled. Anyway.
Further, the stay 26 formed by twisting a plurality of materials may be covered around the bundled materials. Further, the stay 26 may be covered around the above-described polygonal or star-shaped polygonal material.

The material of the stay 26 may be any material having flexibility, and any of a soft material (soft device), a semi-soft material (quasi-soft device), and a hard material (hard device) may be used.
The materials used when the stay 26 forms a soft device include polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyolefin, polyolefin elastomer, polyamide, rayon, acrylic, cupra, acetate, promix, aramid, silicone, and other synthetic fibers; cotton, wool, Natural fibers such as silk, hemp and rayon; natural rubber; polyvinyl chloride;
Among them, polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, polyolefin, polyolefin elastomer, silicone, or natural rubber is preferable, and polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, polyolefin, or polyolefin elastomer is more preferable from the viewpoint of long-term durability.
Examples of spinning when the stay 26 forms a soft brace include monofilament; multifilament; SCY (Single Covering Yarn) coated with urethane or rubber; DCY (Double Covering Yarn) coated with urethane or rubber;

Examples of the material used when the stay 26 forms the semi-soft device include various resin sheets, sponges, neoprene sponges, and the like.
Furthermore, the material used when the stay 26 forms the hard brace may be a metal, a resin, a bamboo, or a plant such as a tree other than bamboo. May be.

  Therefore, the stay 26 provided on the supporter body 12 has a material, thickness (outer diameter size and cross-sectional area), cross-sectional shape, and number of the stays 26 that the person wearing the supporter body 12 receives a sense of contact with the side 26, In addition, it may be determined as long as it is supported by the surface among the plurality of stays 26.

  The stay 26 is attached to the supporter main body 12 by causing the stay 26 to bend and to recover from the flexure as the supporter main body 12 expands and contracts. The stay 26 can be attached by sewing the stay 26 to the supporter main body 12 or by adhering it to the supporter main body 12 using an adhesive material.

  The stay 26 may be attached to the supporter main body 12 by heat fusion, or may be attached to the supporter main body 12 using a tape. Further, the hook side of the hook-and-loop fastener is provided on one of the stay 26 and the supporter main body 12, and the pile side of the hook-and-loop fastener is provided on the other of the stay 26 and the supporter main body 12, and the hook side and the pile side of the hook-and-loop fastener are engaged. Thus, the stay 26 may be attached to the supporter body 12.

  Further, at least one jig (jig) for mounting is provided at least in the longitudinal direction of the stay 26, preferably at least one end of the longitudinal direction of the stay 26 and an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. 12 may be attached.

  Alternatively, a plurality of elongated cylindrical pockets along the axial direction may be formed in the supporter body 12 and the stays 26 may be inserted and attached to the pockets. In addition, a bag-like pocket is formed on both ends (upper and lower) of the support body 12 in the axial direction, and both longitudinal ends of the stay 26 are inserted into the upper and lower pockets, so that the stay 26 is attached to the supporter body 12. May be. When pockets are formed on the upper and lower sides of the supporter body 12, the supporter body 12 is formed with a short cylindrical portion between the upper and lower pockets so that an intermediate portion of the stay 26 is held through the stay 26 in the cylindrical portion. More preferably.

  Further, as a position where the central stay 26A is attached to the supporter body 12, when the knee supporter 10 is mounted, a movement axis (a hip joint, a knee joint, and an ankle joint in a normal lower limb) in the lateral view of the leg 14 is used. It is preferable that the center stay 26A overlaps the straight line connecting the center).

Further, the positions of attaching the stays 26B, 26C on both sides to the supporter body 12 are the positions of the stays 26B, 26C at the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the stays 26B, 26C overlapped with the knee joint and the intermediate position of the stay 26A. Any position where the distance D0 between the center position and the center position of the stay 26A is 2 mm or more (D0 ≦ 2) may be used, and more preferably 3 mm or more (D0 ≦ 3). In the present embodiment, the interval D0 is 3 mm.
The numerical values of the distances D0, D1, and D2 in the present embodiment indicate the placement dimensions measured with the supporter body 12 in a non-extended state. The distances D0, D1, and D2 illustrated in FIG. 1 indicate positions where the placement dimensions are measured, and the numerical values of the distances D0, D1, and D3 in the mounted state illustrated in FIG. It is larger than the numerical value of the placement dimension.

  Further, the distance D1 between each of the center positions of the upper ends of the stays 26B and 26C and the center position of the upper end of the stay 26A, and the distance between the center position of the lower ends of the stays 26B and 26C and the center position of the lower end of the stay 26A. Each of D2 should just be the space | interval D0 or more (D0 <= D1, D2).

  In addition, the length of the stay 26 is preferably 80 mm or more from the viewpoint of assisting the quadriceps muscle, the patella ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament, and the like that connect the femur and the rib in the knee joint portion. The length of the stay 26 is preferably long, but if it is longer than necessary, both ends of the stay 26 cause unnecessary contact feeling on the thigh side and the shin side. Is preferably 400 mm or less.

  In the knee supporter 10 configured as described above, a plurality of stays 26 each having flexibility are provided on a cylindrical supporter body 12. The stay 26 is provided with a stay 26A at the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the leg 14 on the side surface side of the leg 14 of the supporter body 12, a stay 26B is provided at the front side of the intermediate portion, and a stay 26C is provided at the rear side. Each of the stays 26 extends to the thigh 18 side and the shin 20 side.

  For this reason, in the supporter main body 12, a plurality of stays 26 provided on the side surfaces form pseudo support surfaces 28 (surfaces indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1) on the side surfaces of the supporter main body 12. The support surface 28 is a surface including the stays 26A to 26C. Thereby, by wearing the knee supporter 10, the wearer feels that the side surface of the knee 16 is supported by the support surface 28 of the supporter body 12, and can suppress anxiety about knee pain.

  Here, each of the stays 26 has flexibility, and when the legs 14 (the knees 16) are bent and stretched, each of the stays 26 is bent according to the expansion and contraction of the supporter body 12 due to the bending and stretching of the legs 14. At the same time, the support body 12 returns the flexure (restores). For this reason, the knee supporter 10 does not interfere with exercise or knee bending and stretching while maintaining comfort during wearing. In particular, since the stay 26 is arranged along the motion axis of the leg 14, the stay 26 bends following the bending and stretching of the leg 14 with the knee joint as the inflection point, so the stay 26 inhibits the bending and stretching movement of the knee 16. Therefore, the knee supporter 10 does not impair the mobility of the leg 14.

Further, since the stay 26 (26A, 26B, 26C) has a center distance D0 of 3 mm or more in the front-rear direction of the leg 14, the stay 26 (26A, 26B, 26C) does not overlap each other even during the movement of the leg 14. By overlapping each other, leg movement (knee flexion and extension) is not hindered.
Further, the knee supporter 10 is provided with stays 26 on both side surfaces of the leg 14, so that the wearer can feel that both sides of the side surface of the knee 16 are stably supported. The stay 26 may be provided on one side surface (inner surface side or outer surface side) of the leg 14.

[Modification]
In the present embodiment described above, the three stays 26 (26A to 26C) each having a linear shape are provided as the support, but the number and shape of the support are not limited thereto.
The number of supports is not limited to three, and may be four or more.

FIG. 2 shows a knee supporter 10A as a joint supporter provided with four stays 26 as support members. The knee supporter 10A is provided with a stay 26B on the front side and a stay 26C on the rear side of the side surface of the supporter body 12, and a stay 26A is provided between the stays 26B and 26C. Two stays 26D and 26E are provided.
The stays 26 </ b> B to 26 </ b> E have a distance D <b> 0 between their center positions of 2 mm or more, and the stays 26 </ b> D and 26 </ b> E are arranged with the motion axis of the leg 14 in between.

  For this reason, a person wearing the knee supporter 10A feels that a pseudo support surface (not shown) is formed on the side surface of the supporter body 12 by the stays 26B to 26E, and the knee joint is stably supported. I feel that As a result, the knee supporter 10A does not interfere with exercise and knee flexion and extension while maintaining comfort when worn, and suppresses anxiety in the movement of the leg 14 by a person with knee pain. it can.

Further, at least one of the plurality of supports may be bent in a convex shape toward the front side or the rear side of the leg 14.
3A and 3B show an example in which one of three stays 26 provided as a support is bent into a convex shape.

The knee supporter 10B as the joint supporter shown in FIG. 3A is provided with a stay 26F instead of the stay 26C, and the side position of the knee 16 is closest to the stay 26A. Further, it is curved in a convex shape toward the front side.
Further, a knee supporter 10C as a joint supporter shown in FIG. 3B is provided with a stay 26G instead of the stay 26C, and the side position of the knee 16 is closest to the stay 26A. As such, it is bent (bent) in a convex shape toward the front side.

  In the knee supporters 10B and 10C configured as described above, the area of the support surface (not shown) in the vicinity of the knee 16 (the knee joint) is suppressed from increasing, and the areas of the thigh 18 side and the shin 20 side are widened. It is possible to make the wearer feel a stable support.

In the knee supporter 10B, the stay 26F is provided instead of the stay 26C. However, at least one of the stay 26A or the stay 26B may be changed to the same shape as the stay 26F, and any two of the stays 26A to 26C may be used. May be changed to the same shape as the stay 26F, or all of the stays 26A to 26C may be changed to the same shape as the stay 26F.
Further, in the knee supporter 10C, the stay 26G is provided instead of the stay 26C. However, at least one of the stay 26A or the stay 26B may be changed to the same shape as the stay 26G, and any two of the stays 26A to 26C may be used. May be changed to the same shape as the stay 26G, or all of the stays 26A to 26C may be changed to the same shape as the stay 26G.
Furthermore, in the knee supporter 10B, the stay 26F that is curved to be convex on the front side is provided, but a stay that is opposite to the stay 26F (stay that is convex toward the rear side) is provided. Also good. Further, in the knee supporter 10C, the stay 26G that is bent so as to be convex toward the front side is provided, but the stay that is bent in the opposite direction to the stay 26G (the stay that is convex toward the rear side). ) May be provided.

  When a part or all of the stay 26 is bent or curved, it is more preferable to match the leg of the person wearing the supporter body 12. That is, when a person who is said to be bending a so-called knee wears the supporter body 12, the stay 26 may be bent or curved in accordance with the bending of the knee. In this case, by bending or curving the stay 26 according to the bending of the knee, the plurality of stays 26 can give a comfortable support feeling to a person who is said to be bending the knee.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the direction of bending (or bending) may be different between the stay on the front side and the stay on the rear side of the stay 26A. In the knee supporter 10D as the joint supporter, a stay 26A and a stay 26F are provided, and a stay 26H is provided instead of the stay 26B. The stay 26H is opposite to the stay 26F (toward the rear side). And convex). Also in such a knee supporter 10D, the area of the pseudo support surface can be increased more effectively.

Further, the support may be provided with a hinge portion.
4A and 4B show an example in which a hinge is provided on the support.

The shape and the like of the hinge portion applied to the present embodiment are not limited, and various shapes and the like can be applied as the hinge portion. In the present embodiment, the function of the hinge portion only needs to have a function of connecting the upper side and the lower side of the divided stay 26.
Further, the function of the hinge portion allows the upper and lower sides of the connected stay 26 to be individually bent in the front-rear direction of the legs 14, and the upper and lower sides of the connected stay 26 are bent. It only needs to be able to function as an inflection point (or an inflection point).
Furthermore, it is preferable that the hinge portion is not loaded as the stay 26 bends when functioning as a bending point. Thereby, it can suppress that a feeling of resistance arises when the leg 14 is bent and stretched.
Moreover, the hinge part should just have flexibility about the left-right direction of the leg 14 similarly to the stay 26. FIG. At this time, the hinge portion may have elasticity in the left-right direction of the leg. Thereby, it becomes possible to produce the feeling that the knee 16 is stably supported with respect to the wearer of the supporter main body 12 by the hinge part. Further, when the wearer of the supporter main body 12 operates to bend the stay 26 in the left-right direction, a sense of resistance can be generated and a sense of stability can be felt more.

As a hinge part, the structure which connects the upper side and lower side of the divided | segmented stay 26 by one bending point is applicable. Moreover, the hinge part may apply the structure which connects the upper side and lower side of the divided | segmented stay 26 by a different bending point, and also the upper side and lower side of the divided | segmented stay 26 differ. When connecting at a point, a configuration in which two bending points can move in the front-rear direction of the leg 14 in accordance with the bending and stretching operation of the leg 14 may be applied.
The hinge portion may include an elastic body such as rubber or a spring, and may include mechanical functions such as a gear (gear) or a link. Further, since the hinge portion looks wider in the front-rear direction of the leg 14 than the stay 26, the hinge portion may have a design by applying various decorations on the surface side of the hinge portion. .
By providing a hinge portion on the supporter body 12, it can be considered that the stay 26 is greatly bent as compared with the case where one stay 26 is bent due to its flexibility. It can suppress that the stay 26 restrict | limits the bending extension range.

A knee supporter 10E as a joint supporter shown in FIG. 4A is provided with stays 26I, 26J, and 26K instead of the stays 26A, 26B, and 26C. The stay 26I is provided at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction. The stay 26J is provided on the front side of the stay 26I and is curved (bent) in a convex shape toward the rear side. The stay 26K is provided on the rear side of the stay 26I and is directed toward the front side. It is curved (folded) in a convex shape.
The stays 26 </ b> I, 26 </ b> J, and 26 </ b> K are divided at an intermediate portion in the axial direction (vertical direction), and the divided portions are connected by a hinge portion 30. When the stays 26I to 26K are bent in the front-rear direction, the hinge portion 30 is configured so that the upper and lower sides of the stays 26I to 26K are individually bent (functions to separate the upper and lower sides). Further, the hinge portion 30 is configured so that the upper and lower portions are bent integrally when the stays 26I to 26K are bent in the left-right direction (the inner direction and the outer direction of the knee 16).

A knee supporter 10F as a joint supporter shown in FIG. 4B is provided with a stay 26A, and is provided with stays 26L and 26M in place of the stays 26B and 26C. The stay 26L is provided on the front side of the stay 26A and is curved (bent) convex toward the rear side. The stay 26M is provided on the rear side of the stay 26A and is convex toward the front side. Is bent (bent).
The stays 26L and 26M are divided at an intermediate portion in the axial direction (vertical direction), and each of the upper side and the lower side is further divided. Further, the stays 26L and 26M are provided with hinge portions 30 at the respective divided portions.

  In the knee supporters 10E and 10F configured as described above, the support of the knee 16 can be improved by each of the stays 26 (26A, 26I to 26M), and the person with knee pain becomes anxious. Can be suppressed. Further, the knee supporters 10E and 10F can easily make the leg 14 bend and stretch while maintaining a feeling of fixation of the knee 16.

In addition, the knee supporter as the joint supporter may include one or a plurality of stays shorter than the stay 26 as the support.
FIGS. 5A and 5B show a knee supporter 10G as an example provided with a short stay. 5A shows the inside of the leg 14, and FIG. 5B shows the outside of the leg 14.

The knee supporter 10G is provided with a stay 26 (26 to 26C) as a support on the supporter main body 12. Further, the knee supporter 10G is provided with one or more stay portions 32 in the supporter main body 12 on the front side and the upper side (the knee 16 and the thigh 18 side) of the stay 26B. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, two stay portions 32 are provided as an example.
Each of the stay portions 32 uses a stay 34 that is shorter than the stay 26, and a plurality of stays 34 are arranged along the axial direction of the supporter body 12. It should be noted that a plurality of stays 34 are continuously arranged, so that a wearer of the supporter body 12 feels that a single short stay (support) is provided separately from the stay 26. The dot-shaped members may be arranged side by side.

In general, the rear side (rear surface) of the thigh 18 of the leg 14 has a higher body fat percentage than the other parts of the leg 14, and the supporter body 12 swells greatly on the rear side of the thigh 18. The front side has a smaller bulge than the rear side of the thigh 18.
The knee supporter 10G is provided with a stay portion 32 on the thigh 18 side. For this reason, in the knee supporter 10 </ b> G, a pseudo support surface (not shown) felt by the wearer extends to the front side of the thigh 18. Therefore, the knee supporter 10F can prevent the mobility from being lost while maintaining a sense of fixation, and can provide a higher feeling of support to the wearer, so that a person with knee pain can flex and extend the leg 14. Can further suppress the feeling of anxiety.

  Thus, in this Embodiment, the support body should just be continuously arrange | positioned along the axial direction of a supporter main body, and may be arrange | positioned intermittently by the predetermined space | interval.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the knee supporter 10 used for the knee joint support has been described as an example. However, the joint supporter of the present invention is not limited to the knee joint support, but also the elbow joint support and the wrist joint support. The present invention can be applied to a joint supporter used for support, finger joint support, or toe joint support.

10, 10A-10G Knee supporter (joint supporter)
12 Supporter body 26 (26A to 26M) Stay (support)
28 Support surface 30 Hinge part

Claims (7)

A supporter body that is formed in a cylindrical shape and supports the range from one side of the joint to the other side of the joint;
Provided on the side surface side of the joint of the supporter main body in the front-rear direction with respect to the joint, on the front side and on the rear side of the intermediate part, respectively, and each extended to one side of the joint and the other side of the joint A plurality of flexible supports;
Joint supporter equipped with.   The joint supporter according to claim 1, wherein the support body supports a range of a knee joint of a leg from a thigh side of the knee joint as the one side to a shin side of the knee joint as the other side.   The joint supporter according to claim 2, wherein a center interval of the support in the front-rear direction of the leg is 2 mm or more.   The joint supporter according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least one of the supports is bent in a convex shape toward the front side or the rear side of the leg.   The joint supporter according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein an inflection point is provided on a side portion of the knee joint of the leg in at least one of the supports.   The joint supporter according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the support is provided on each of both side surfaces of the leg. The joint supporter according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the support is made of metal, resin, or bamboo.