JP2020089639A - Human body orthosis - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve a human body orthosis for correcting, mitigating, or preventing an abnormal posture of a body part such as an inferior limb and superior limb so as to be capable of flexibly coping with difference among symptoms of patients.SOLUTION: A human body orthosis 1 for coping with talipes equinus and talipes varus/valgus of a foot 5 includes a lower leg supporter 7 and a foot supporter 9 that are coupled with each other. The foot supporter 9 is capable of pitching (dorsal flexion and plantar flexion) and rolling (abduction and adduction). Elastic force in a dorsal flexion direction is applied to a left side part and right side part of the foot supporter 7 by energization members 31, 33, respectively. Individual adjustment of internal and external elastic force makes it possible to separately perform adjustment of force resisting the talipes equinus and adjustment of force resisting the talipes varus/valgus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a human body brace attached to a lower limb or an upper limb of a patient, and more particularly to a device applicable to correct, reduce or prevent a posture abnormality of a body due to cerebrovascular disorder or neuropathy.

Patients with cerebrovascular or neuropathy often develop postural abnormalities in the lower or upper extremities. One example is the foot. The pointed foot is a condition in which the foot flexes and the ankle extends like a tiptoe, and the posture of the foot is fixed in that state. In addition, the ankle bends to the right or left so that the sole of the foot faces inward (this movement is called adduction), and there is also a symptom that the posture of the foot is fixed in that state, which is called clubfoot. Both of these symptoms appear for some time in combination, which is called clubfoot.

One of the causes of such postural disorders is the increase in muscle tension (contraction) outside the control of the patient's will due to cerebral blood vessel or nerve disorders, resulting in bending or twisting of the lower or upper limbs. It is to let. If the abnormal posture is left uncorrected for a long time, the muscles are contracted and hardened, and the abnormal posture is fixed.

In the short leg orthosis disclosed in Patent Document 1, a foot rest on which a foot sole is placed and a calf accessory that is applied to the calf are pivotally attached so as to be able to perform plantar flexion and dorsiflexion on the axis of the ankle. A compression spring is attached to the calf appendage and the heel rear portion of the foot rest to prevent plantar flexion of the foot rest.

The foot-foot/varus-shaped walker disclosed in Patent Document 2 is formed of a flexible material such as cloth or leather, and is detachably attached to an orthopedic body that covers at least most of the toes and legs such as ankles. It consists of a locking band that is wound and a tightening band that is tightened between two points, that is, an appropriate position on the outer portion of the orthopedic body and an appropriate position on the front of the locking band.

JP, 9-103443, A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-163826

The type and degree of abnormal posture symptoms vary from patient to patient. For example, one patient may have clubfoot and another patient may have clubfoot, or some patients may have milder symptoms but another may have heavies. This is because the type, site, and extent of the disorder, the characteristics of muscles and joints, and the like differ depending on the patient.

However, it is difficult for the orthosis according to the related art described above to flexibly cope with the difference in symptoms among patients.

An object of the present invention is to improve a human body orthosis for correcting, reducing or preventing a posture abnormality of a body part such as a lower limb or an upper limb so as to more flexibly cope with a difference in symptoms of patients.

Other objects of the present invention will be presented in the following description.

A body brace according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is to be attached to a lower leg of a patient, and includes a foot supporter to be attached to the foot of the patient, a lower leg supporter to be attached to the lower leg of the patient, and a leg supporter for the lower leg supporter. And a foot urging mechanism that applies an elastic force between the foot supporter and the lower leg supporter.

The foot connecting mechanism has a pivoting mechanism that enables pitching (eg, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) and rolling (eg, adduction and abduction) of the foot supporter.

The foot urging mechanism has an elastic first pair of resisting forces against the posture abnormality in the pitching direction of the foot, and an elastic second countering force to counteract the posture abnormality of the foot in the rolling direction, It has a plurality of elastic parts which are added between the foot supporter and the lower leg supporter.

The foot biasing mechanism also enables adjustment of the first pair of resistance forces and adjustment of the second pair of resistance forces separately or independently of each other by adjusting the plurality of elastic parts. It has a first adjusting mechanism.

According to the human body brace configured as described above, the first pair of resistance forces in the dorsiflexion direction against the foot of the patient is applied to the foot of the patient, and the leg against the clubfoot or valgus foot is counteracted. A second counter force can be added. Since the first opposing force and the second opposing force can be adjusted separately, it is possible to deal flexibly according to the symptoms and characteristics of the patient's foot.

The bodily orthosis may further include the following configuration. The constitution is a thigh supporter to be mounted on the thigh of a patient, a knee connecting mechanism for connecting the lower leg support to the thigh supporter, and a knee biasing mechanism for applying elastic force between the lower leg supporter and the thigh supporter.

The knee connecting mechanism has a bending mechanism that allows the lower leg support to bend with respect to the thigh supporter.

The knee biasing mechanism has an additional elastic component that exerts an elastic third counteracting force between the lower leg support and the thigh supporter against the posture abnormality caused by flexion at the knee of the lower leg of the patient.

The knee biasing mechanism also has a second adjustment mechanism that allows adjustment of the third opposing force by adjusting an additional elastic component.

According to the human body brace configured as described above, not only the posture abnormality of the foot but also the posture abnormality in which the lower limb is bent and solidified by the knee can be coped with. Then, since the third opposing force against the abnormal posture of the knee can be adjusted, it is possible to deal flexibly according to the symptoms and characteristics of the patient.

The human body brace also includes the adjustment of the first pair of resistances described above includes the adjustment of the strength of the first pair of resistances, and the adjustment of the second pair of resistances includes selection of the direction of the second pair of resistances and the second Adjusting the strength of the counter force.

Since the human body brace configured in this way is capable of adjusting the strength of the first pair of resistance forces, selecting the direction of the second resistance force, and adjusting the strength, in particular, a pointed foot, a clubfoot, a clubfoot, Can treat both clubfoot and clubfoot.

In the bodily orthosis, the plurality of elastic parts described above are a first elastic part that applies a first elastic force in the dorsiflexion direction to the left side portion of the foot supporter and a second elastic part in the dorsiflexion direction to the right side portion of the foot supporter. A second elastic component for exerting an elastic force, and a first adjusting mechanism for adjusting the intensity of the first elastic force of the first elastic component; And a second adjusting component for adjusting the strength of the second elastic force of the second elastic component.

According to such a configuration, by adjusting the elastic force of the first elastic component and the elastic force of the second elastic component respectively, the adjustment of the first pair of resisting forces that counteracts the foot and the clubfoot or the outside foot. The second counterforce against the counterfeet can be adjusted separately.

In the bodily orthosis, the first adjustment mechanism may be configured to be able to adjust the first and second opposing forces steplessly. Thereby, flexible adjustment is easy.

In the bodily orthosis, the rotation mechanism includes a pitching mechanism that allows the foot supporter to swing around a pitch axis that passes through the patient's ankle joint in the left-right direction, and a roll axis that passes through the patient's ankle joint in the front-rear direction. And a rolling mechanism that allows the foot supporter to swing around the center.

According to this configuration, since the pitch axis and the roll axis both pass through the patient's ankle joint, the pitching (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) and rolling (adduction and abduction) of the foot supporter center on the patient's ankle joint. Done Therefore, during pitching (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) and rolling (adduction and abduction), there is almost no change in the relative position between the patient's foot and the foot supporter, and the foot supporter to the patient's foot does not change. The action can be maintained in an appropriate state.

A human body brace according to another embodiment is to be attached to a patient's upper limb, and a hand supporter to be attached to a patient's hand, a forearm supporter to be attached to a patient's forearm, and a hand supporter for the forearm supporter. A hand connecting mechanism for connecting and a hand urging mechanism for applying an elastic force between the hand supporter and the forearm supporter are provided.

The hand connection mechanism has a rotation mechanism that enables pitching (eg, palm flexion and dorsiflexion) and yawing (eg, pronation and supination) of the hand supporter.

The hand urging mechanism includes an elastic first pair of resisting forces against a posture abnormality in the pitching direction of the hand and an elastic second countering force to counteracting a posture abnormality in the yawing direction of the hand. A plurality of elastic parts are provided between the hand supporter and the forearm supporter.

The hand biasing mechanism can also adjust the first pair of resistance forces and the second resistance force separately or independently of each other by adjusting a plurality of elastic parts. It has a first adjusting mechanism.

According to the human body brace configured as described above, the first dorsiflexion direction for countering an abnormal posture in the pitching direction of the hand of the patient (for example, an abnormal posture in which the palm is flexed). In addition to applying the counter force, it is possible to apply a second counter force for countering a posture abnormality in the yawing direction of the hand (for example, a posture abnormality in which the hand is prone or pronation). Since the first opposing force and the second opposing force can be adjusted separately, it is possible to flexibly deal with the symptoms and characteristics of the abnormal posture of the hand of the patient.

The bodily orthosis may further include the following configuration. The configuration includes an upper arm supporter to be mounted on the upper arm of a patient, an elbow connecting mechanism that connects the forearm supporter to the upper arm supporter, and an elbow urging mechanism that applies an elastic force between the forearm supporter and the upper arm supporter.

The elbow connecting mechanism has a bending mechanism that allows the forearm supporter to bend with respect to the upper arm supporter.

The elbow urging mechanism has an additional elastic component that applies an elastic third counter force against the posture abnormality caused by flexion of the patient's upper limb at the elbow between the forearm supporter and the upper arm supporter.

The elbow biasing mechanism also has a second adjustment mechanism that allows adjustment of the third opposing force by adjusting the additional elastic component described above.

According to the human body brace configured as described above, not only the posture abnormality of the hand but also the posture abnormality in which the upper limb is bent and solidified at the elbow can be coped with. Then, since the third opposing force against the posture abnormality of the elbow can be adjusted, it is possible to deal flexibly according to the symptoms and characteristics of the patient.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a human body brace according to one embodiment. The front view of the same equipment is shown. The rear view of the same equipment is shown. The side view of the human body orthosis according to another embodiment is shown. The side view of the human body appliance which concerns on another embodiment is shown.

Hereinafter, some embodiments will be described. In the present specification and claims, the terms “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down” refer to the patient himself/herself when the patient is wearing an orthosis and standing upright. It means front, rear, left, right, top and bottom, respectively.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a human body brace according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a front view of the same appliance. FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the brace.

The human body brace 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be useful for correcting, reducing or preventing abnormal postures of the lower limbs of a patient, particularly acupoints, clubfoot and clubfoot, and their complications. The human body brace 1 is worn on the lower limb, and FIGS. 1 to 3 exemplify one for the right leg. Incidentally, the one for the left leg is structurally the same as the illustrated human body brace 1, but the shapes and arrangements of the respective parts are symmetrical with respect to it.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a human body orthosis 1 for lower limbs (right leg) includes a lower leg supporter 7 attached to a lower leg 3 of a patient and a leg supporter 9 attached to a leg 5 of the patient. ..

The lower leg supporter 7 is made of a material having appropriate flexibility and rigidity (for example, synthetic resin, cloth, a composite material or a combination thereof), and has a shape that fits at least part of the surface of the lower leg 3 of the patient. In the illustrated example, the lower leg supporter 7 fits on the rear surface (the surface of the calf portion) of the lower leg 3 and the left and right side surfaces, but this is not necessarily the case. The lower leg supporter 7 may be fitted to the front surface (the surface of the shin portion on the other side) and both side surfaces of the lower leg 5. In short, the lower leg supporter 7 may have any shape as long as it can be fixed to the lower leg 5. In the illustrated example, the lower leg supporter 7 is fixed to the lower leg 3 by a suitable fastener such as a fastening belt 11.

The foot supporter 9 is made of a material having appropriate flexibility and rigidity (for example, synthetic resin, cloth, a composite material or a combination thereof), and has a shape that fits a part of the surface of the foot 5 of the patient. In the illustrated example, the foot supporter 9 has a shoe shape and fits all or a part of the bottom surface, the back surface (the surface of the heel), the left and right side surfaces, and the top surface (the surface of the instep) of the foot 5, but not necessarily so. It doesn't have to be. The foot supporter 9 may have a shape like sandals or sandals so as to fit mainly on the bottom surface of the foot 9 of the patient. In short, the foot supporter 9 can be fixed to the patient's foot 5 and can exert a force (described later) against the patient's foot 5 against the apex, clubfoot and valgus foot. Any shape is acceptable as long as it is set.

The foot supporter 9 is swingable with respect to the lower leg supporter 7 in at least two different directions.

One of the two different directions is the direction in which the foot supporter 9 bends up and down with respect to the lower leg supporter 7 (in other words, the patient's ankle 5 with respect to the lower leg 3), that is, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. Direction. The swing in this direction is referred to as "pitching" in this specification, and the central axis of the swing is referred to as "pitch axis". As shown in FIG. 1, the pitching movable angle range α of the foot supporter 9 substantially covers, for example, the pitching movable angle range (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) of the patient's foot 5. The pitch axis of the foot supporter 9 coincides with the pitch axis of the foot 5 of the patient, that is, is arranged so as to pass through the joint of the patient's ankle in the left-right direction. Therefore, since the foot supporter 9 can be pitched around the ankle joint of the patient, there is almost no change in the relative position between the foot supporter 9 and the foot 5 of the patient when performing the pitching. The action on the foot 5 of the patient can be maintained in an appropriate state.

The other swinging direction of the foot supporter 9 is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a direction in which the foot supporter 9 bends left and right with respect to the lower leg supporter 7 (the ankle 5 with respect to the lower leg 3), that is, the inward direction. The direction of tumbling and abduction (varus and valgus). The swing in this direction is referred to as "rolling" in this specification, and the central axis of the swing is referred to as "roll axis". The rolling angle range β of the foot supporter 9 substantially covers the rolling angle range of the patient's foot 5. The roll axis of the foot supporter 9 is arranged so as to match the roll axis of the patient's foot 5, that is, so as to pass through the joint of the patient's ankle in the front-back direction. Therefore, since the foot supporter 9 can be rolled around the ankle joint of the patient, there is almost no change in the relative position between the foot 5 and the foot supporter 9 of the patient when the rolling is performed, and the foot supporter 9 does not change. The action on the foot 5 of the patient can be maintained in an appropriate state.

In order to enable the pitching and rolling of the foot supporter 9 described above, the coupling mechanism between the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 has, for example, the following complex rotation mechanism.

That is, the bearing member 13 is provided between the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9, and the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 are connected via the bearing member 13. The bearing member 13 is, for example, a ring-shaped member, and the inner space thereof has a size such that the patient's foot 5 can be easily passed therethrough. The bearing member 13 is arranged at substantially the same height as the height of the joint of the patient's ankle.

Two parts on the left and right sides of the bearing member 13 are rotatably coupled to two parts 71, 73 on the left and right sides of the lower end of the lower leg supporter 7 via two rotary shafts 15, 17, respectively. The central axes of the rotary shafts 15 and 17 are arranged in a straight line, and the straight line serves as a pitch axis. The pitch axis of the foot supporter 9 is arranged so as to pass through the patient's ankle joint in the left-right direction, that is, in the lateral direction, that is, to coincide with the pitch axis of the patient's foot 5 (the central axis of the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion swings). To be done. Therefore, the foot supporter 9 can pitch (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) together with the patient's foot 5 centering on the patient's ankle joint while maintaining a fit state with the patient's foot 5.

Two portions 91, 93 on the front and rear sides of the upper end portion of the foot supporter 9 are rotatably coupled to two locations on the front and rear sides of the bearing member 13 via two rotary shafts 19, 21, respectively. The central axes of the rotary shafts 19 and 21 are arranged in a straight line, and the straight line serves as a roll axis. The roll axis is arranged so as to pass through the ankle joint of the patient in the anteroposterior direction, that is, to coincide with the roll (adduction and abduction) axes of the patient's foot 5. Therefore, the foot supporter 9 can roll (addition and abduction) together with the patient's foot 5 around the patient's ankle joint while maintaining a fit state with the patient's foot 5.

The bearing member 13 is located outside (that is, from the patient's lower leg from the lower leg of the patient's lower leg 71, 73 of the lower leg supporter 7 and the two portions 91, 99 of the upper end of the foot supporter 9 coupled thereto). (Further position). As a result, the bearing member 13 does not directly touch the patient's ankle to give the patient an unnatural feeling.

The human body brace 1 further includes, for example, two biasing members 31 and 33, which apply elastic forces between the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 in two movement directions of pitching and rolling.

Each of the biasing members 31 and 33 has an overall shape such as an elongated rod, one end of which is attached to the lower leg supporter 7, and the other end thereof is attached to the leg supporter 9, so that the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot are supported. Suspended between the supporter 9 and a tensile elastic force is applied between the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9.

That is, the first biasing member 31 has a tension coil spring 311, a straight bar-shaped first arm 313, a straight bar-shaped second arm 315, and an adjusting screw nut 317. One end of the first arm 313 is coupled to one end of the tension coil spring 311. An adjusting screw nut 317 is rotatably coupled to the other end of the tension coil spring 311 about the central axis of the tension coil spring 311. The adjusting screw nut 317 is screwed into a male screw formed on the outer surface of the second arm 315.

One end of the first urging member 31 is attached to a part closer to the left side (inner side) of the lower leg supporter 7, for example, a predetermined part on the left side outer surface via a joint 41. The other end of the first urging member 31 is attached to a part near the left side (inner side) of the foot supporter 9, for example, a predetermined part on the left outer surface via a joint 43. That is, the first urging member 31 is suspended between the left (inner) portion of the lower leg supporter 7 and the left (inner) portion of the foot supporter 9. The joints 41 and 43 are flexible or flexible joints, and when the foot supporter 9 is pitched and rolled, the joints 41 and 43 receive changes in relative angles with respect to the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 of the first biasing member 31.

The tension coil spring 311 of the first biasing member 31 applies a pulling force between the left (inner) portion of the lower leg supporter 7 and the left (inner) portion of the foot supporter 9. This pulling force serves to dorsiflex and adduction of the foot supporter 9 (that is, the patient's foot 5). By rotating the adjusting screw nut 317, the relative position between the tension coil spring 311 and the second arm 315 changes substantially steplessly, so that the strength of the pulling force can be adjusted almost steplessly.

The second biasing member 33 also has the same configuration as the above-described first biasing member 31, but the left-right relationship is opposite to that.

That is, the second biasing member 33 includes the tension coil spring 331, the straight bar-shaped first arm 333, the straight bar-shaped second arm 335, and the adjustment screw nut 337. One end of the first arm 333 is coupled to one end of the tension coil spring 331. An adjustment screw nut 337 is rotatably coupled to the other end of the tension coil spring 331 about the central axis of the tension coil spring 331. The adjusting screw nut 337 is screwed into a male screw formed on the outer surface of the second arm 335.

One end portion of the second urging member 33 is attached to a portion closer to the right side (outer side) of the lower leg supporter 7, for example, a predetermined portion on the right side outer surface via a joint 45. The other end of the second urging member 33 is attached to a portion closer to the right side (outer side) of the foot supporter 9, for example, a predetermined portion on the outer surface of the right side via a joint 47. That is, the second biasing member 33 is suspended between the right (outer side) portion of the lower leg supporter 7 and the right (outer side) portion of the foot supporter 9. The joints 45 and 47 are flexible or flexible joints, and when the foot supporter 9 is pitched and rolled, the joints 45 and 47 receive a change in relative angle with respect to the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 of the second biasing member 33.

The tension coil spring 331 of the second biasing member 33 applies a pulling force between the right (outer) side portion of the lower leg supporter 7 and the right (outer) side portion of the foot supporter 9. This pulling force acts to dorsiflex and abduct the foot supporter 9 (that is, the patient's foot 5). By rotating the adjusting screw nut 337, the relative position between the tension coil spring 331 and the second arm 325 changes substantially steplessly, so that the strength of the pulling force can be adjusted almost steplessly.

A pulling force of the first biasing member 31 (hereinafter, referred to as a first pulling force) and a pulling force of the second biasing member 33 (hereinafter, a second pulling force) applied between the lower leg supporter 7 and the foot supporter 9 ) Is the force in the dorsiflexion direction applied from the foot supporter 9 to the foot 5 of the patient. This dorsiflexion force acts to correct, reduce, or prevent a foot drop of the patient's foot 5. With the adjusting screw nuts 317 and 337, the strength of the force in the dorsiflexion direction can be adjusted almost continuously.

The difference between the first and second pulling forces is the force in the direction of abduction or adduction applied to the foot 5 of the patient from the foot supporter 9. When the second pulling force is set to be stronger than the first pulling force, a force in the abduction direction is applied to the foot 5 of the patient, and in the opposite case, a force in the adduction direction is applied. This abduction or adduction force acts to correct, reduce or prevent clubfoot or valgus foot of the patient's foot 5. By the adjusting screw nuts 317 and 337, the direction of this force can be selected between the abduction direction and the inversion direction, and the intensity of the force can be adjusted almost steplessly.

As described above, the biasing members 31 and 33 allow the elastic force in the dorsiflexion direction (hereinafter, this force is referred to as a countervailing force of the foot) to correct, reduce or prevent the foot from the foot supporter 9 to the foot 5 of the patient. ), and an elastic force in the abduction direction or the adduction direction for correcting, reducing or preventing clubfoot or valgus foot (hereinafter, this force is referred to as a clubfoot reaction force). And, the strength of the reaction force against the foot is adjustable. Further, the direction of the reaction force between the inside and outside of the foot can be selected (whether it is in the abduction direction or the inversion direction), and the strength thereof can be adjusted.

By adjusting the first and second pulling forces respectively by the two adjusting screw nuts 317 and 337, the adjustment of the reaction force against the foot and the adjustment of the reaction force against the varus and valgus are separated from each other, that is, independently. It can be carried out. For example, if the strengths of the first and second pulling forces are both increased or decreased while maintaining the same difference between the strengths of the first and second pulling forces, the valgus/valgus reaction force does not change, but The opposing force increases or decreases. Further, for example, if the strength of one of the first and second pulling forces is increased and the strength of the other is reduced while maintaining the same sum of the strengths of the first and second pulling forces, the reaction force between the inner and the outer foot will be reduced. The direction or intensity of the changes in the strength of the foot, but the reaction force in the footfoot does not change.

Therefore, by adjusting the strength of the first and second pulling forces with the adjusting screw nuts 317, 337, the type of symptom of the patient (eg, foot, clubfoot, valgus foot, clubfoot, or external foot). It is possible to apply an appropriate strength and directional force to the patient's foot 5 according to the degree of the symptom, the degree of the symptom, the characteristics of the patient's foot, the wishes and preferences of the patient.

The biasing members 31 and 33 having the above-described configuration do not necessarily have to be used for the purpose of providing the reaction force against the foot and the reaction force between the foot and the foot, and a biasing member having a structure different from that may be used. Good. For example, a spring (for example, a torsion coil spring, a mainspring spring, or a leaf spring) that generates an elastic force in the pitching direction is attached to each of the rotary shafts 15 and 17 for pitching or the periphery thereof, and the foot supporter is connected from these springs. It is also possible to apply a pointed foot reaction force to 9. Further, springs (for example, a torsion coil spring, a mainspring spring, or a leaf spring) that generate elastic force in the rolling direction are attached together to the rotary shafts 19 and 21 for rolling, or the periphery thereof, and the legs are connected to the springs. The supporter 9 may be applied with a reaction force against varus valgus. In that case, adjusting tools that can change the relative positional relationship with respect to the lower leg supporter 7, the foot supporter 9, or the bearing member 13 of the springs are attached to the respective springs, and the adjusting tools are used to adjust the sharpness. It is possible to adjust the strength of the foot reaction force, select the direction of the varus-valgus reaction force (whether in the abduction direction or the adduction direction) and adjust the strength. Further, instead of the spring, an elastic material that can be elastically bent, twisted, or expanded/contracted, such as rubber or some kind of synthetic resin, can be used.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a human body brace 100 according to another embodiment. In FIG. 4, parts that are the same as those of the human body equipment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted below.

The human body brace 100 shown in FIG. 4 includes the same structure as the human body brace 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and further includes a thigh supporter 53 to be attached to the thigh 51 of the patient. In FIG. 4, only the left half portion of the thigh supporter 53 is shown, and the right half portion is not visible, but the latter has a structure substantially similar to the former and a shape substantially symmetrical.

The thigh supporter 53 is made of a material having appropriate flexibility and rigidity (for example, synthetic resin, cloth, a composite material or a combination thereof), and has a shape that fits at least a part of the surface of the patient's thigh 51. In the illustrated example, the thigh supporter 53 fits on the rear surface and the left and right side surfaces of the thigh 51, but this is not necessarily the case. The thigh supporter 53 may be fitted to, for example, the front surface and both side surfaces of the thigh 51. In short, the thigh supporter 53 may have any shape as long as it can be fixed to the thigh 51. In the illustrated example, the thigh supporter 53 is secured to the thigh 51 by suitable fasteners, such as fastening belts 55,57.

The thigh supporter 53 is connected to the lower leg supporter 7 so as to swing around the knee joint of the patient, whereby the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7 can bend around the knee joint. That is, the two parts 531 on the left and right sides of the lower end of the thigh supporter 53 are rotatably coupled to the two parts 75 on the left and right sides of the upper end of the lower leg supporter 7 via the two rotary shafts 59, respectively. It The center axes of the two left and right rotating shafts 59 are aligned in a straight line, and the straight line is the center axis of knee flexion. The central axis of the knee flexion is arranged so as to pass through the knee joint of the patient in the left-right direction, that is, the lateral direction. Therefore, the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7 can be bent together with the lower leg 3 and the thigh 51 of the patient around the knee joint of the patient while maintaining the state of being fitted to the lower leg 3 and the thigh 51 of the patient, respectively.

Between the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7, for example, two biasing members 61 are provided. The biasing members 61 apply an elastic force (hereinafter, this force is referred to as a knee flexion counter force) against the knee flexion between the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7.

Each of the two urging members 61 has basically the same structure as the urging member 31 between the foot supporter 9 and the lower leg support 7 described above. That is, each of the biasing members 61 has an overall shape such as an elongated rod, one end of which is attached to the thigh supporter 53, and the other end of which is attached to the lower leg supporter 7, and the thigh supporter 53 and Suspended between the lower leg supporter 7 and a knee flexion counter force is applied between the upper leg supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7.

The illustrated left-side biasing member 61 has a tension coil spring 611, a straight bar-shaped first arm 613, a straight bar-shaped second arm 615, and an adjusting screw nut 617. One end of the first arm 613 is coupled to one end of the tension coil spring 611. An adjusting screw nut 617 is coupled to the other end of the tension coil spring 611 so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the tension coil spring 611. The adjusting screw nut 617 is screwed into a male screw formed on the outer surface of the second arm 615.

One end of the left biasing member 61 is attached via a joint 63 to a position closer to the left side (inner side) of the thigh supporter 53, for example, a predetermined position located in front of the rotary shaft 59 on the left outer surface. The other end of the left-side biasing member 61 is attached to a part closer to the left side (inner side) of the lower leg supporter 7, for example, a predetermined position located in front of the rotary shaft 59 on the left outer surface via a joint 65. That is, the left (inner) biasing member 61 is suspended between the left (inner) side portion of the thigh supporter 53 and the left (inner) side portion of the lower leg supporter 7. The joint 63 is a flexible or flexible joint and receives a change in the relative angle of the biasing member 61 with respect to the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7 when the lower leg supporter 7 bends with respect to the thigh supporter 53.

The right (outer) biasing member (not shown) is also suspended at the right (outer) position of the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7 which is substantially symmetrical to the left (inner) biasing member 61 described above. The right (outer) urging member also has substantially the same structure as the left urging member 61 described above.

The tension coil springs 611 of the two biasing members 61 provided between the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7 apply an elastic knee bending counterforce between the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7. The strength of the knee flexion counter force can be adjusted substantially steplessly by turning the adjusting screw nut 617 of the two urging members 61.

This knee flexion resistance has a function of correcting, reducing or preventing a posture abnormality in which the lower limb of the patient flexes and solidifies at the knee joint. The knee flexion resistance can be adjusted according to the degree of symptoms of the patient, flexion characteristics of the patient's lower limbs, needs and preferences.

Note that the biasing member 61 having the above-described configuration does not necessarily have to be used for the purpose of providing the knee flexion counter force, and a biasing member having a structure different from that may be used. For example, a spring (for example, a torsion coil spring, a spiral spring or a leaf spring) that generates an elastic force in the direction opposite to the flexure is attached to or around the rotary shaft 59 for knee flexion, respectively, and A knee flexion counter force may be applied between the thigh supporter 53 and the lower leg supporter 7. Alternatively, an urging member using a compression coil spring may be suspended between predetermined portions of the lower leg supporter 7 and the thigh supporter 53 behind the rotary shaft 59 so that the compression coil spring generates a knee bending counterforce. Good. In those cases, the knee flexion counterforce can be used by attaching an adjusting tool that can change the relative positional relationship of the springs to the thigh supporter 53 or the lower leg supporter 7 to each spring. It is possible to adjust the intensity of. Further, instead of the spring, an elastic material that can be elastically bent, twisted, or expanded/contracted, such as rubber or some kind of synthetic resin, can be used.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a human body appliance 200 according to another embodiment. In FIG. 5, parts that are the same as those of the human body equipment 1, 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are given the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted below.

The human body device 200 shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the human body device 100 shown in FIG. 4 except that the connection structure between the foot supporter 9 and the lower leg supporter 7 is modified so that the foot supporter 9 is longer than the lower leg supporter 7. The rotation of the patient's foot 5 can be performed around the axis of the direction (in other words, the foot 5 of the patient can be rotated about the axis of the lower leg 3 in the longitudinal direction, that is, external rotation and internal rotation can be performed). The rotation of the foot supporter 9 (foot 5) is referred to as "yawing" in this specification.

That is, the upper ends of the two left and right foot support arms 81 (only the left foot support arm 81 is shown in FIG. 5; the left foot support arm is not visible) have two upper and lower sides of the outer surface of the lower leg supporter 7. The two parts are connected to each other via two rotary shafts 83. The center axes of rotation of the two rotary shafts 83 are arranged in a straight line, and the straight line passes through the lower leg supporter 7 (lower leg 3) right and left in the lateral direction. The two leg support arms 81 can swing back and forth around the two rotary shafts 83, respectively. The bearing member 13 is connected to the lower ends of the two foot support arms 81 in a pitchable manner via two rotary shafts 15 and 17 for pitching. This configuration allows yaw of the foot supporter 9 with respect to the thigh supporter 7 (ie, rotation of the patient's foot 5).

Two biasing forces are applied between the two leg support arms 81 and the lower leg supporter 7 to apply an elastic force (hereinafter, this force is referred to as a rotation counterforce) against the yawing of the foot supporter 9 (that is, the rotation of the foot 5). A member 85 is provided.

Each biasing member 85 has an elastic component that generates an elastic force, for example, a torsion coil spring 86. One end of the torsion coil spring 86 is attached to each foot support arm 81, and the other end is attached to an adjusting screw nut 87 arranged on the lower leg supporter 7. The adjusting screw nut 87 is screwed onto the adjusting screw bolt 88. The adjusting screw bolt 88 is attached to a certain position on the lower leg supporter 7 in a state of being rotatable about the central axis of the bolt shank. By manually turning the head 89 of the adjusting screw bolt 88, the adjusting screw bolt 88 rotates, the adjusting screw nut 87 moves, and the amount of twist of the torsion coil spring 86 changes, and as a result, the foot supporting arm 81 receives it. The strength of the elastic force that opposes the swing changes.

The difference between the elastic forces applied to the two foot support arms 81 becomes the rotational resistance against the foot supporter 9. By adjusting the strength of the elastic force applied to the two foot support arms 81 with the adjusting screw bolt 87, the direction of the counter rotation force (outer rotation direction or inner rotation direction) is selected, and the strength of the counter rotation force is adjusted. You can

It should be noted that, instead of the above-described configuration using the torsion coil spring 86, another type of elastic component (such as a tension coil spring, a compression coil spring, a leaf spring, or another elastic material) is used to generate a counter rotating force. Various configurations can be adopted.

The several embodiments described above are merely examples for the purpose of description, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only those embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms different from the above-described embodiments.

For example, all of the human body orthosis 1, 100, 200 according to the above-described embodiment is for coping with the posture abnormality of the lower limbs. However, a human body brace for coping with an abnormal posture of the upper limb can be configured within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the hand bends in the palm (the hand bends at the wrist joint so that the palm approaches the forearm), and pronation or supination (the hand rotates in the thumb direction or the opposite direction with the forearm as the axis of rotation), and the forearm It is common in many patients with cerebrovascular accidents that the swelling of the elbow joint bends and stiffens.

In order to correct, reduce or prevent such an abnormal posture of the upper limb, for example, a human body brace for the upper limb having the following configuration can be provided within the scope of the present invention.

That is, the body orthosis for the upper limb includes a hand supporter, a forearm supporter and an upper arm supporter that can be mounted on the patient's hand, forearm and upper arm, respectively.

The hand supporter is capable of palmar flexion and dorsiflexion (that is, pitching) around the patient's wrist joint with respect to the forearm supporter, and pronation and supination (that is, yawing) about the longitudinal axis of the forearm supporter. As is the case, they are connected via a complex rotation mechanism. The forearm supporter is connected to the upper arm supporter such that the forearm supporter can bend around the patient's elbow joint.

Further, the human body brace for the upper limb includes a biasing mechanism. The urging mechanism consists of elastic force in the direction against hand pitching, especially palm flexion (palmiflexion force), and elastic force against hand yawing, ie pronation and pronation (pronation/external resistance). Force) between the hand and forearm supporters.

The urging mechanism is an adjustment for adjusting the strength of the palmar flexion force, selecting the direction of pronation-pronation-external force (pronation or pronation), and adjusting the strength of pronation-external resistance. It has a mechanism. The adjustment mechanism makes it possible to perform the adjustment of the strength of the above-mentioned palmar flexion force and the adjustment of the direction and the strength of the pronation-external resistance force separately from each other, that is, independently.

Furthermore, the human body orthosis for the upper limb is provided with another biasing mechanism, which applies an elastic force (elbow flexion counter force) in the direction opposing flexion of the arm at the elbow joint to the forearm supporter and the upper arm. Add between supporters. The elbow biasing mechanism has an adjustment mechanism, which allows adjustment of the strength of the elbow flexion resistance.

A person having ordinary skill in the art can easily design an upper limb orthosis having the above-described configuration by applying the configuration of the lower limb body orthosis 200 shown in FIG. 5 and making some modifications. Is.

For example, the foot supporter 9, the lower leg supporter 7, and the thigh supporter 53 of the human body device 200 for the lower limbs shown in FIG. 5 can be appropriately changed into shapes and structures suitable for mounting on the hands, forearms and upper arms. .. Further, the structure of connection and bias between the foot supporter 9 and the lower leg supporter 7 is appropriately changed so as to suit the characteristics of hand pitching (palsoflexion and dorsiflexion) and yawing (pronation and supination). be able to. Further, the connection and urging structure between the lower leg supporter 7 and the thigh supporter 53 can be appropriately changed so as to match the bending characteristics of the elbow joint. As described above, by appropriately modifying the lower limb and the upper limb based on FIG. 5 and the description thereof, those skilled in the art can easily design the human body orthosis for the upper limb as described above.

1,100,200 Human body orthosis 3 Lower leg 5 Feet 7 Lower leg supporter 9 Feet supporter 13 Bearing members 15, 17 Rotating shafts 19, 21 (for pitching of foot supporters) Rotating shafts 31, 33 (for rolling of foot supporters) Biasing members 311 and 331 (which generate the reaction force against the foot and the reaction force against the inside and outside the foot) Tension coil springs 317 and 337 (which generate the reaction force against the foot and the reaction force between the inside and outside the foot) Adjustment screw nut 51 (for adjustment) Thigh 53 Thigh supporter 59 (for knee flexion) Rotating shaft 61 (for producing knee flexion resistance) Biasing member 611 (for producing knee flexion resistance) Tension coil spring 617 (for knee flexion resistance) Adjusting screw nut 81 Foot support arm 83 Rotating shaft 85 (for yawing of foot supporter) Biasing member 86 (Produces rotation counterforce) Torsion coil spring 87 (Revolution counterforce) Adjusting screw nut 88 (for adjusting) and adjusting screw bolt (for adjusting the counter-rotational force)

Claims (8)

In the human body brace attached to the lower limbs of the patient,
A foot supporter attached to the patient's foot,
A lower leg supporter attached to the lower leg of the patient,
A foot connecting mechanism that connects the foot supporter to the lower leg supporter;
A foot urging mechanism that applies an elastic force between the foot supporter and the lower leg supporter;
Equipped with
The foot connecting mechanism has a rotating mechanism that enables pitching and rolling of the foot supporter,
The foot urging mechanism includes an elastic first pair of resisting forces against an abnormal posture of the foot in the pitching direction, and an elastic second opposing force against an abnormal posture of the foot in the rolling direction. A plurality of elastic parts for applying a force between the foot supporter and the lower leg supporter,
By adjusting the plurality of elastic parts, the foot urging mechanism can perform the adjustment of the first pair of resistance forces and the adjustment of the second pair of resistance forces separately or independently of each other. An orthosis having a first adjusting mechanism according to claim 1. The human body appliance according to claim 1,
A thigh supporter attached to the thigh of the patient,
A knee connecting mechanism for connecting the lower leg supporter to the upper leg supporter;
A knee urging mechanism that applies an elastic force between the lower leg supporter and the thigh supporter,
Further equipped with,
The knee connecting mechanism has a bending mechanism that allows the lower leg supporter to bend with respect to the thigh supporter,
The knee urging mechanism has an additional elastic component that applies an elastic third counter force against an abnormal posture due to flexion of the patient's lower limbs at the knee between the lower leg supporter and the thigh supporter. ,
The above-described knee urging mechanism has a second adjusting mechanism that allows adjustment of the third opposing force by adjusting the additional elastic component. The human body brace according to any one of claims 1 and 2,
The adjustment of the first pair of drags includes the adjustment of the strength of the first pair of drags,
The body brace, wherein the adjustment of the second counter force includes the selection of the direction of the second counter force and the adjustment of the strength of the second counter force. The human body brace according to claim 3,
The plurality of elastic parts,
A first elastic component that applies a first elastic force in the dorsiflexion direction to the left side portion of the foot supporter,
A second elastic component that applies a second elastic force in the dorsiflexion direction to the right side portion of the foot supporter,
The first adjustment mechanism is
A first adjusting component for adjusting the strength of the first elastic force of the first elastic component;
A human body brace including a second adjusting component for adjusting the strength of the second elastic force of the second elastic component. The human body brace according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The human body appliance in which the first adjustment mechanism can adjust the first and second opposing forces steplessly. The human body orthosis according to claim 1,
The rotating mechanism is
A pitching mechanism that allows the foot supporter to swing about a pitch axis that passes through the ankle joint of the patient in the left-right direction,
A human body brace including a rolling mechanism capable of swinging the foot supporter around a roll axis passing through the ankle joint of the patient in the front-rear direction. In the human body brace attached to the patient's upper limbs,
A hand supporter attached to the patient's hand,
A forearm supporter worn on the patient's forearm,
A hand connection mechanism for connecting the hand supporter to the forearm supporter,
A hand biasing mechanism that applies an elastic force between the hand supporter and the forearm supporter,
Equipped with
The hand connection mechanism has a rotation mechanism that enables pitching and yawing of the hand supporter,
The hand biasing mechanism has an elastic first pair of resisting forces against an abnormal posture in the pitching direction of the hand, and an elastic second opposing force against an abnormal posture of the hand in the yawing direction. And a plurality of elastic parts that add between the hand supporter and the forearm supporter,
The hand urging mechanism adjusts the plurality of elastic parts, thereby enabling the adjustment of the first pair of resistance forces and the adjustment of the second pair of resistance forces to be performed separately or independently from each other. A human body brace having a first adjustment mechanism. The human body appliance according to claim 7,
An upper arm supporter attached to the upper arm of the patient,
An elbow connection mechanism that connects the forearm supporter to the upper arm supporter,
An elbow urging mechanism that applies an elastic force between the forearm supporter and the upper arm supporter,
Further equipped with,
The elbow connection mechanism has an elbow bending mechanism that enables the forearm supporter to bend with respect to the upper arm supporter,
The elbow urging mechanism has an additional elastic component that applies an elastic third counter force against an abnormal posture due to flexion of the patient's upper limb at the elbow between the forearm supporter and the upper arm supporter. ,
The elbow urging mechanism has a second adjusting mechanism that enables adjustment of the third counter force by adjusting the additional elastic component.

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