JP3242885U - thoracolumbar orthosis - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a thoracolumbar orthosis capable of adjusting the position of a chest support part or a lower abdomen support part to a position more suitable for the wearer's body shape than a conventional ready-made thoracolumbar orthosis adopting a dial lock type. I will provide a. A thoracolumbar device (100) includes a chest support section (10) for supporting a wearer's chest (Ch), a lower abdomen support section (20) for supporting a wearer's lower abdomen (La), and a chest support section (10) and lower abdomen support section (20). a holding mechanism (arm mechanism) 130 for holding the upper connection portion 110, an upper connection portion 110 for connecting the chest support portion to the arm mechanism, and a lower connection portion 120 for connecting the lower abdomen support portion to the arm mechanism; includes an upper shaft member 111 that pivotally supports the chest support section 10 on the arm mechanism, and an upper connection piece 112 that connects the arm mechanism and the chest support section 10, and the upper connection piece can be fixed to the arm mechanism. A plurality of upper fixed portions 131b are arranged at different distances from the upper shaft member. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thoracolumbar orthosis, and more particularly to a structure of a thoracolumbar orthosis that can be assembled on-site according to the patient's body shape.

Frame-type thoracolumbar braces (also called Jewett) are braces used for patients with vertebral compression fractures. Since the burden on the patient is heavy and it takes several days to prepare, ready-made products that can be used on the same day are often used.

However, conventional ready-made thoracolumbar braces are often incompatible with the body shape of the patient.

Therefore, the development of off-the-shelf thoracolumbar braces that can be assembled on-site and that can be adapted to both standard and non-standard patients is underway.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses such a thoracolumbar brace as a corset.

JP 2019-47966 A

However, in the corset (1) described in Patent Document 1, the angle of the chest arm (25) constituting the chest support (5) is set with respect to the holding member (the plate member (31) of the vertical arm structure (7)). A dial lock mechanism is used as a mechanism for adjusting the In this dial lock type mechanism, the holding mounting holes (53) and (57) for mounting bolts for fixing the angle of the chest arm (25) with respect to the plate member (31) are dimensioned in the width direction for weight reduction. In a narrow area (see FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1) around these pivots (bolt mounting holes (51), (55)) where the chest arm (25) and the plate member (31) overlap with the constrained placed.

In this case, since the number of holding mounting holes (53) and (57) to be arranged is limited, when adjusting the fixed angle of the chest arm (25) with respect to the plate member (31), the fixed angle is There is no choice but to change the angle by a certain angle or more corresponding to the pitch of the mounting holes.

As a result, in the corset of Patent Literature 1, it is difficult to match the fixing angle of the chest arm (25) to the plate member (31) to a position suitable for the body shape of each individual patient.

Compared to conventional ready-made thoracolumbar orthosis that adopts a dial lock type, the present invention is a thoracolumbar that can match the position of the chest support part or the lower abdomen support part to a position more suitable for the body shape of the wearer. The purpose is to obtain an orthosis.

The present invention provides the following items.
(Item 1)
A thoracolumbar orthosis,
a chest support for supporting the chest of the wearer;
a lower abdominal support part that supports the lower abdomen of the wearer;
a holding mechanism that holds the chest support and the lower abdomen support;
an upper connection that connects the chest support to the retention mechanism;
a lower connection portion that connects the lower abdomen support portion to the holding mechanism;
The upper connection portion includes an upper shaft member that pivotally supports the chest support portion on the holding mechanism, and an upper connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the chest support portion. A plurality of upper fixed portions to which connecting pieces can be fixed are arranged at different distances from the upper shaft member; and a lower connecting piece for connecting the holding mechanism and the abdomen supporting portion. The holding mechanism includes a plurality of lower fixed portions to which the lower connecting pieces can be fixed. A thoracolumbar brace positioned at different distances from the lower shaft member.
(Item 2)
The chest support part is provided between a chest frame to which the upper shaft member and the upper connecting piece are attached, a chest pad that can contact the chest of the wearer, and the chest frame and the chest pad. A thoracolumbar brace according to item 1, comprising a thoracic elastic body.
(Item 3)
The thoracolumbar orthosis according to item 1, wherein the plurality of upper fixed portions included in the holding mechanism are a plurality of upper screw holes formed in a member constituting the holding mechanism.
(Item 4)
The lower abdomen support part includes an abdomen frame to which the lower shaft member and the lower connecting piece are mounted, an abdomen pad capable of contacting the abdomen of the wearer, the abdomen frame and the abdomen pad. The thoracolumbar brace according to item 1, comprising a lower abdominal elastic body provided between the thoracolumbar spine brace.
(Item 5)
The thoracolumbar orthosis according to item 1, wherein the plurality of lower fixed portions are a plurality of lower screw holes formed in a member constituting the holding mechanism.

According to the thoracolumbar orthosis according to the present invention, the position of the chest support part or the lower abdomen support part is more suitable for the body shape of the wearer than the conventional ready-made thoracolumbar orthosis adopting the dial lock type. can be adjusted to

In addition, in this thoracolumbar orthosis, the adjustment unit for adjusting the angle formed by the chest support with respect to the holding mechanism (i.e., how many times the holding angle can be adjusted) can be determined by rotating the chest support to the holding mechanism. It can be easily adjusted by changing the distance from the supporting upper shaft member to the connecting portion between the upper connecting piece and the chest support.

Further/or, in this thoracolumbar orthosis, the adjustment unit for adjusting the angle formed by the lower abdominal support section with respect to the holding mechanism (that is, how many times the holding angle can be adjusted) is set in the holding mechanism. It can be easily adjusted by changing the distance from the lower shaft member that pivotally supports the support portion to the connecting portion between the lower connecting piece and the lower abdomen support portion.

Further, when assembling the thoracolumbar orthosis on-site, the upper connecting piece for connecting the holding mechanism and the chest support part has an optimum length predicted from the body shape of the user, so that the chest support part can be It is possible to eliminate the need for adjustment of the angle formed by the holding mechanism with respect to the holding mechanism, or to reduce the amount of adjustment of the angle, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work.

In addition/or, when assembling the thoracolumbar brace on site, by using a piece having an optimum length predicted from the body shape of the user as the lower abdomen connecting piece for connecting the holding mechanism and the lower abdomen support part. Also, it is possible to eliminate the need for adjustment of the angle formed by the lower abdomen support portion with respect to the holding mechanism, or to reduce the amount of angle adjustment, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work.

1 is a side view of a thoracolumbar brace 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the thoracolumbar brace 100 shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a connection state of the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 shown in FIG. 1 disassembled into constituent elements. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state after changing the angle of the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 in the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 shown in FIG. 1 ;

The present invention will be described below. It should be understood that the terms used herein have the meanings commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. Thus, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In case of conflict, the present specification (including definitions) will control.

Compared to conventional ready-made thoracolumbar orthosis that adopts a dial lock type, the present invention is a thoracolumbar that can match the position of the chest support part or the lower abdomen support part to a position more suitable for the body shape of the wearer. The task is to obtain an orthosis,
A thoracolumbar orthosis,
a chest support for supporting the chest of the wearer;
a lower abdomen support for supporting the lower abdomen of the wearer;
a holding mechanism that holds the chest support and the lower abdomen support;
an upper connection connecting the chest support to the retention mechanism;
a lower connection connecting the lower abdomen support to the retention mechanism;
The upper connection portion includes an upper shaft member that pivotally supports the chest support portion to the holding mechanism, and an upper connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the chest support portion. are located at different distances from the upper shaft member, and/or the lower connecting portion comprises: and a lower connecting piece that connects with the abdomen supporting portion, and the holding mechanism includes a plurality of lower fixed portions to which the lower connecting piece can be fixed are arranged at positions with different distances from the lower shaft member. By providing a lumbar orthosis, the above problems have been solved.

In the thoracolumbar orthosis of the present invention having such a configuration, the chest support part is pivotally supported by the upper shaft member to the holding mechanism, and the chest support part is connected to the holding mechanism by the upper connecting piece, and the upper connecting piece is connected to the holding mechanism. Since a plurality of upper fixed portions, the pieces of which can be fixed to the holding mechanism, are provided at positions with different distances from the upper shaft member, the portion to which the upper connecting piece is fixed by the holding mechanism has a plurality of upper fixed portions. By changing between the sections, the angle of the chest support relative to the retention mechanism can be adjusted.

Moreover, in this case, the angle of the chest supporting portion (chest frame) with respect to the holding mechanism occurs when the upper fixed portion, which is the portion to which the upper connecting portion is fixed by the holding mechanism, is moved to the adjacent upper fixed portion. The change can be smaller than that of the dial lock type, and the angle of the chest support section with respect to the holding mechanism can be accurately adjusted to the optimum angle.

The reason is as follows.

As in the present invention, when the chest support portion pivotally supported by the holding mechanism is further connected to the holding mechanism by an upper connecting piece, unlike the dial lock type, the upper connecting piece of the chest support portion is connected. Not only the area near the pivot (upper shaft member) (the narrow area where the holding mechanism and the chest support overlap), but also the area far from the pivot (the wide area of the chest support that does not overlap with the holding mechanism). ) can also be set.

Here, the region close to the shaft support is a region on the circumference with a small radius centered on the shaft support, and the region far from the shaft is a region on the circumference with a large radius centered on the shaft support. .

In addition, when a point is displaced by the same distance on a circle with a small radius and a circle with a large radius, the change in central angle due to the displacement of a point on the circle with a large radius is Less than the change in central angle due to displacement of a point on the circumference. Here, the central angle is the angle formed by a straight line connecting a point on the circumference and the center of the circle and a reference straight line passing through the center of the circle.

Therefore, in the present invention, the part to which the upper connecting piece is fixed in the holding mechanism is one upper fixed part to the adjacent upper fixed part (one upper fixed part is different from the upper fixed part in the distance to the pivot part). The magnitude of the change in the angle of the chest support section caused when it is displaced to the fixed section) can be made smaller than in the dial lock type.

Further, in this thoracolumbar orthosis, the adjustment unit for adjusting the angle (holding angle) formed by the chest support section with respect to the holding mechanism is adjusted from the upper shaft member that pivotally supports the chest support section to the upper connecting piece. It can be easily adjusted by changing the distance to the connection site between the and the chest support.

Moreover, when assembling the thoracolumbar orthosis on site, it is preferable to use an upper connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the thoracic region supporting portion, and that has an optimum length predicted from the body shape of the user. By doing so, it becomes possible to eliminate the need to adjust the angle formed by the chest support section with respect to the holding mechanism, or to reduce the amount of angle adjustment, thereby making it possible to improve the workability of the assembly work. .

Alternatively/further, in the thoracolumbar orthosis of the present invention, the lower abdomen supporting part is pivotally supported by the lower shaft member to the holding mechanism, and the lower abdomen supporting part is connected to the holding mechanism by the lower connecting piece, and Since the plurality of lower fixed portions to which the connecting piece can be fixed to the holding mechanism are provided at positions with different distances from the lower shaft member, the portions to which the lower connecting piece is fixed by the holding mechanism are provided in the plurality of lower covering portions. By changing between the anchors, the angle of the lower abdominal support relative to the retention mechanism can be adjusted.

Moreover, in this case, when the lower part to be fixed, which is the part to which the lower connecting part is fixed by the holding mechanism, is moved to the adjacent lower part to be fixed, the lower abdomen support part (lower abdomen frame) for the holding mechanism is generated. can be made smaller than the dial lock type, and the position (attachment angle) of the lower abdomen support section with respect to the holding mechanism can be adjusted to a position (angle) more suited to the body shape of the patient.

This is because, also in this case, the change in the angle of the lower abdominal support section with respect to the holding mechanism that occurs when the lower fixed section in the holding mechanism to which the lower connecting piece is fixed is moved by one is the change in the angle of the chest support section with respect to the holding mechanism. This is because it can be made smaller than the dial lock type, as in the case of .

Further, in this thoracolumbar orthosis, the adjustment unit when adjusting the angle (holding angle) formed by the lower abdominal support section with respect to the holding mechanism (that is, how many times the holding angle can be adjusted) is set in the holding mechanism. It can be easily adjusted by changing the distance from the lower shaft member that pivotally supports the abdomen support portion to the connecting portion between the lower connecting piece and the abdomen support portion.

In addition, when assembling the thoracolumbar orthosis on site, it is preferable to use a piece having an optimum length predicted from the body shape of the user as the lower abdomen connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the lower abdomen support part. stomach. This is because, by doing so, it is possible to eliminate the need to adjust the angle that the abdomen support portion makes with respect to the holding mechanism, or to reduce the amount of angle adjustment, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work.

As described above, the thoracolumbar orthosis of the present invention includes a chest support, a lower abdominal support, and a holding mechanism for holding them. , the chest support part and/or the lower abdomen support part are connected to the holding mechanism by the connecting piece, and the part where the connecting piece is fixed to the holding mechanism at that time (fixed part of the holding mechanism) is extended to the shaft support part of the holding mechanism. The other configuration is not limited and may be arbitrary as long as it is possible to select from a plurality of fixed portions arranged at different positions.

(chest support)
The other configuration of the chest support is not particularly limited as long as it is a portion that supports the chest of the wearer. It preferably includes a chest pad that can contact the wearer's chest, and a chest elastic provided between the chest frame and the chest pad. By providing the chest elastic body, it is possible to change the posture of the chest pad according to the body shape of the wearer and bring it into close contact with the chest of the wearer. For example, the chest elastic body may be a clip-shaped piece or a spring-shaped body.

However, the chest support does not necessarily have to have a chest elastic body. For example, if the wearer has a standard body shape, even if the chest pad is directly fixed to the chest frame, there is no problem as long as the chest support is designed according to the standard body shape. From the viewpoint of simplification of the configuration, a configuration that does not include the chest elastic body is also possible.

Moreover, it is preferable that a pair of left and right chest frames are provided, and the pair of left and right chest frames are connected by a chest connecting plate. In this case, the interval between the pair of chest frames can be adjusted by changing the length of the overlapping portion between the pair of chest frames and the chest connecting plate.

However, the left and right chest frames are not provided as a pair, but may be a structure in which a pair of left and right chest frames and a chest connecting plate connecting them are integrated.

(lower abdomen support)
Other configurations of the lower abdomen support part are not particularly limited as long as it is a portion that supports the lower abdomen of the wearer. It preferably includes an abdomen frame, an abdomen pad capable of coming into contact with the wearer's abdomen, and an abdomen elastic body provided between the abdomen frame and the abdomen pad. By providing the lower abdomen elastic body, the posture of the lower abdomen pad can be changed according to the shape of the wearer's body so that it can be brought into close contact with the wearer's lower abdomen. The lower abdominal elastic body may be a clip-shaped piece or a spring-shaped body, like the chest elastic body.

However, for the same reason as in the case of the chest support part, the lower abdomen support part may not include the lower abdomen elastic body if, for example, the wearer has a standard body shape.

In addition, it is preferable that a pair of right and left lower abdomen frames are provided in the same manner as the chest frame described above, and the pair of left and right lower abdomen frames are connected by a lower abdomen connecting plate. In this case, the interval between the pair of right and left lower abdomen frames can be adjusted by changing the length of the overlapping portion between each lower abdomen frame and the lower abdomen connecting plate.

However, the abdomen frame may have a structure in which a pair of left and right frame bodies and an abdomen connecting plate connecting them are integrated.

(Holding mechanism)
Other configurations of the holding mechanism are not limited as long as they hold the chest support section and the abdomen support section. For example, the holding mechanism may be composed of one arm member that holds the chest support and the abdomen support, or may include a plurality of arm pieces.

For example, when the holding mechanism includes a plurality of arm pieces, the distance between the chest support portion and the lower abdomen support portion held by the holding mechanism can be adjusted by changing the length of overlapping portions of adjacent arm pieces.

Moreover, the plurality of upper fixed portions to which the upper connecting pieces can be fixed, which are included in the holding mechanism, are, for example, a plurality of upper screw holes formed in the members constituting the holding mechanism.

In this case, the fixing screw can be directly screwed into the member constituting the holding mechanism. It can be easily done by screwing it into the member. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be provided with a long hole and fixed at an arbitrary position of the long hole to further enable adjustment according to the body shape of the wearer.

Further, the plurality of lower fixed portions to which the lower connecting pieces can be fixed, which are included in the holding mechanism, are, for example, a plurality of lower screw holes formed in the members constituting the holding mechanism. As with the upper fixed portion, for example, it may be provided with a long hole and fixed at an arbitrary position of the long hole to further enable adjustment according to the body shape of the wearer.

In this case as well, it is possible to screw the fixing screw directly into the member constituting the holding mechanism. It can be easily done by screwing it into the member.

(upper connection part)
The upper connection portion connecting the chest support portion to the holding mechanism includes an upper shaft member that pivotally supports the chest support portion to the holding mechanism, and an upper connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the chest support portion. Other configurations are not particularly limited as long as the plurality of upper fixed portions to which the upper connecting pieces can be fixed are arranged at different distances from the upper shaft member.

The upper shaft member may include a bolt passing through the holding mechanism and a nut screwed onto the bolt, or may be a pin attached to the holding mechanism. The upper connecting piece may be a bar-shaped piece or a plate-shaped piece.

Here, it is preferable that the upper connecting piece has an optimum length predicted based on the body shape of each individual wearer. Since the upper connecting piece is a member that defines the angle of the chest support portion with respect to the holding mechanism, the length of the upper connecting piece should match the body shape of the wearer as much as possible. This is because adjustment work for matching the angle of the chest support portion with respect to the holding mechanism to the body shape of the wearer is unnecessary or simplified during assembly. However, the upper connecting piece may have an optimum length based on the wearer's standard body shape rather than the individual wearer's body shape. This is because the angle of the chest support portion with respect to the holding mechanism can be adjusted to suit the individual body shape of the wearer by changing the portion of the holding mechanism to which the upper connecting piece is fixed (upper fixed portion). .

(bottom connection part)
The lower connecting portion connecting the lower abdomen support portion to the holding mechanism includes a lower shaft member that pivotally supports the lower abdomen support portion to the holding mechanism, and a lower connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the lower abdomen support portion. Other configurations of the mechanism are not particularly limited as long as a plurality of lower fixed portions to which the lower connecting pieces can be fixed are arranged at positions with different distances from the lower shaft member.

The lower shaft member may include a bolt passing through the holding mechanism and a nut screwed onto the bolt, or may be a pin attached to the holding mechanism. The lower connecting piece may be a rod-shaped piece or a plate-shaped piece.

Here, it is preferable that the lower connecting piece has an optimum length predicted based on the body shape of each individual wearer. Since this lower connecting piece is a member that defines the angle of the lower abdomen support portion with respect to the holding mechanism, it is possible to use a lower connecting piece having a length that matches the body shape of the wearer as much as possible. This is because, at the time of assembly, the work of finely adjusting the angle of the lower abdomen supporting portion with respect to the holding mechanism to match the body shape of the wearer becomes unnecessary or simple. However, the lower connecting piece may have an optimum length based on the wearer's standard body shape rather than the individual wearer's body shape. The angle of the lower abdomen supporting portion with respect to the holding mechanism can be adjusted to match the body shape of each individual wearer by changing the portion (lower portion to be fixed) to which the lower abdomen connecting piece is fixed in the holding mechanism. is.

In addition, the material constituting the thoracolumbar orthosis may be metal such as stainless steel, resin such as acrylic or vinyl chloride, or hard wood. may be used.

However, in the thoracolumbar orthosis of the following embodiments, the chest support section is formed by connecting a pair of chest frames with a chest connection plate, and the lower abdomen support section is formed by connecting a pair of lower abdomen frames with a lower abdomen connection plate. The pair of left and right holding mechanisms shall each include an upper arm piece, an intermediate arm piece, and a lower arm piece.

(one embodiment)
One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a thoracolumbar brace 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 2b) shows an exploded connection portion between the chest frame 11 and the chest connection plate 13, and FIG. 2(c) shows an exploded connection portion between the abdomen frame 21 and the abdomen connection plate 23. FIG. The arrows in FIG. 2(b) indicate the screw insertion holes 11c of the chest frame 11 and the screw insertion holes 13a of the chest connection plate 13, which are superimposed and fastened with the same fastening member (bolt and nut). The arrows in 2(c) indicate the screw insertion holes 21c of the abdomen frame 21 and the screw insertion holes 23a of the abdomen connection plate 23 which are superimposed and fastened with the same fastening member (bolt and nut).

This thoracolumbar brace 100 is worn by a patient (wearer) who has suffered a spinal compression fracture or the like. This thoracolumbar orthosis 100 holds a chest support section 10 that supports the wearer's chest Ch, a lower abdomen support section 20 that supports the wearer's lower abdomen La, and the chest support section 10 and lower abdomen support section 20. a holding mechanism (hereinafter referred to as an arm mechanism) 130, an upper connection portion 110 connecting the chest support portion 10 to the arm mechanism 130, and a lower connection portion 120 connecting the lower abdomen support portion 20 to the arm mechanism 130. ing.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the arm mechanisms 130 are provided so as to be positioned on both sides of the wearer's upper body. A fixing belt Bt is attached for this purpose. Here, the fixed belt Bt is attached to the arm mechanism 130 at a height position corresponding to a portion (abdomen Ad) located between the chest Ch and the lower abdomen La of the wearer. (FIGS. 1, 2, etc.), the specific mounting position, configuration, etc. of the fixing belt Bt are not limited.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of arm mechanisms 130 provided on both sides of the wearer's upper body have the same structure. , the description of the arm mechanism 130 shown in FIG. 1 (located on the left side of the wearer).

Furthermore, the upper connecting portion 110 includes an upper shaft member 111 that pivotally supports the chest support portion 10 on the arm mechanism 130 and an upper connecting piece 112 that connects the arm mechanism 130 and the chest support portion 10 . The arm mechanism 130 has a plurality of screw holes 131b (upper fixed portion) (see FIG. 3) to which one end portion of the upper connecting piece 112 (the end portion on the lower side of the paper surface of FIG. 1) can be fixed. 111 are arranged at different positions.

The chest support part 10 includes a chest frame 11 to which an upper shaft member 111 and an upper connecting piece 112 are attached, a chest pad 12 that can come into contact with the chest Ch of the wearer, and a chest pad 12 attached to the chest frame 11 so that the posture can be changed. and a chest elastic 14 to be attached. Here, the chest frames 11 are provided on the left and right so as to be positioned on both sides of the chest Ch. In the left and right chest frames 11, opposing ends on the central side of the chest Ch are connected by a chest connection plate 13. (See Figure 2). A chest pad 12 is attached to the center of the chest connection plate 13 by a chest elastic body 14 . The chest elastic body 14 and the chest pad 12 are fastened together with a fixing bolt 14a and a fixing nut 14b (see FIG. 3). The chest connecting plate 13 and the chest elastic body 14 are fixed by a fixing bolt 14c and a fixing nut (not shown) (see FIG. 2).

The chest support 10 may have a structure in which the chest pad 12 is directly attached to the chest connecting plate 13 without the chest elastic body 14 interposed therebetween.

Further, the lower connection portion 120 includes a lower shaft member 121 that pivotally supports the abdomen support portion 20 on the arm mechanism 30 , and a lower connecting piece 122 that connects the arm mechanism 130 and the abdomen support portion 20 . The arm mechanism 130 has a plurality of screw holes 132b (lower fixed portion) (see FIG. 3) to which the lower connecting piece 122 can be fixed, which are arranged at different distances from the lower shaft member 121. As shown in FIG.

The abdomen support part 20 includes an abdomen frame 21 to which the lower shaft member 121 and the lower connecting piece 122 are attached, and an abdomen pad 22 that can contact the wearer's abdomen La.

Here, the lower abdomen frames 21 are provided on the left and right so as to be positioned on both sides of the lower abdomen La. In the left and right lower abdomen frames 21, the opposite ends on the central side of the lower abdomen La are connected to the lower abdomen. They are connected by a plate 23 . A lower abdomen pad 22 is attached to the lower abdomen connecting plate 23 with a fixing bolt 22a and a fixing nut 22b (see FIG. 3).

Note that the abdominal pad 22 may not be attached directly to the abdomen support 20, but may be attached to the abdomen connecting plate 23 via a chest elastic body like the chest support 10. FIG.

In the following, the connection relationship of each part will be described more specifically.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the connection relationship between the components of the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 shown in FIG. A straight line with an arrow in FIG. 3 indicates a screw insertion hole fastened with one fixing screw and another screw insertion hole or screw hole.

(Structure of Arm Mechanism 130)
First, a specific configuration of the arm mechanism 130 as a holding mechanism for holding the chest support section 10 and the abdomen support section 20 will be described.

Here, the arm mechanism 130 includes an upper arm piece 131 connected to the chest frame 11 of the chest support 10 , a lower arm piece 132 connected to the abdomen frame 21 of the abdomen support 20 , and an upper arm piece 131 . and an intermediate arm piece 133 connecting the lower arm piece 132 . The intermediate arm piece 133 is formed with a screw insertion hole 133a through which the fixing screw B33 is passed. A screw hole 132b for screwing is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper arm piece 131 and the intermediate arm piece 133 are connected by inserting a fixing screw B33 through the screw insertion hole 133a of the intermediate arm piece 133 from the back side of the intermediate arm piece 133 (back side of the paper surface of FIG. 3). It is joined by screwing it into the screw hole 131b of the upper arm piece 131. As shown in FIG.

Similarly, the lower arm piece 132 and the intermediate arm piece 133, as shown in FIG. It is joined by screwing it into the screw hole 132b of the lower arm piece 132 through it.

By connecting the upper arm piece 131 and the lower arm piece 132 to the intermediate arm piece 133 in this way, the upper arm piece 131 and the lower arm piece 132 are connected by the intermediate arm piece 133 to form the arm mechanism 130. ing.

In the arm mechanism 130 having such a configuration, the screw insertion hole 133a of the intermediate arm piece 133 and the screw hole 131b of the upper arm piece 131 (or the screw hole 132b of the lower arm piece 132) are shown in FIG. The distance between the chest support section 10 and the abdomen support section 20 can be adjusted by shifting from the state.

(Connection structure between chest frame 11 and upper arm piece 131)
The chest frame 11 of the chest support 10 is rotatably supported by an upper shaft member 111 on a part (upper end) of the upper arm piece 131 .

Specifically, the shaft support bolt 111a of the upper shaft member 111 is inserted into the upper shaft support hole 11a formed in the base portion (wide portion) of the chest frame 11, and the shaft support bolt 111a serves as the arm mechanism. It is inserted into a shaft insertion hole 131a formed at the upper end of an upper arm piece 131 of 130 and screwed to a shaft support nut 111b.

Another portion (portion near the center) of the chest frame 11 of the chest support 10 is connected to another portion (portion near the center) of the upper arm piece 131 via the upper connecting piece 112 . .

Specifically, a fixing screw B11 is inserted into an upper insertion screw hole 11b formed in another part of the chest frame 11 from the inner side (back side of the paper surface of FIG. 3). One end of the upper connecting piece 112 is fixed to the chest frame 11 by screwing it into a screw hole 112a formed at one end. A fixing screw B12 is inserted into a screw insertion hole 112b formed at the other end of the upper connecting piece 112. By screwing this fixing screw B12 into a screw hole 131b formed in the upper arm piece 131, The other end of the upper connecting piece 112 is fixed to the upper arm piece 131 .

(Connection structure between abdomen frame 21 and lower arm piece 132)
The abdomen frame 21 of the abdomen support part 20 is rotatably supported by a part (lower end) of the lower arm piece 132 by the lower shaft member 121 .

Specifically, the pivot bolt 121a of the lower shaft member 121 is inserted into the lower pivot hole 21a formed in the root portion (wide portion) of the lower abdomen frame 21. It is inserted into a shaft insertion hole 132a formed at the lower end of the lower arm piece 132 of the mechanism 130 and screwed to the shaft support nut 121b.

In addition, another portion (portion near the center) of the abdomen frame 21 of the abdomen support portion 20 is connected to another portion (portion near the center) of the lower arm piece 132 via the lower connecting piece 122. ing.

Specifically, a fixing screw B21 is inserted into the lower insertion screw hole 21b formed in the other part of the abdomen frame 21 from the inner side (the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 3), and the fixing screw B21 is attached to the lower connecting piece 122. One end of the lower connecting piece 122 is fixed to the lower abdomen frame 21 by screwing into a screw hole 122a formed at one end of the lower connecting piece 122 . A fixing screw B22 is inserted into a screw insertion hole 122b formed at the other end of the lower connecting piece 122. By screwing this fixing screw B22 into a screw hole 132b formed in the lower arm piece 132, The other end of the lower connecting piece 122 is fixed to the lower arm piece 132 .

The thoracolumbar orthosis 100 of one embodiment described above is a ready-made product, and each member constituting each part thereof is a general-purpose part created based on the standard body shape of the wearer.

(Method for Assembling Arm Mechanism 130)
Next, a method for assembling the thoracolumbar brace 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

For example, arm mechanism 130 is assembled by connecting upper arm piece 131 and lower arm piece 132 to intermediate arm piece 133 . At this time, depending on which screw hole 131b of the upper arm piece 131 the screw insertion hole 133a of the intermediate arm piece 133 is aligned with which screw hole 131b of the upper arm piece 131, or which screw of the lower arm piece 132 is aligned with the screw insertion hole 133a of the intermediate arm piece 133. The overall length of the arm mechanism 130 (that is, the distance between the center of rotation of the chest frame 11 and the center of rotation of the abdomen frame 21) can be adjusted depending on whether it is aligned with the screw hole 132b.

(Method of Connecting Chest Frame 11 and Upper Arm Piece 131)
Furthermore, the connection between the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 is such that the base portion of the chest frame 11 is pivotally supported by the upper end portion of the upper arm piece 131, and a portion of the chest frame 11 (portion near the center) is connected to the upper arm piece 131. This is done by connecting a part of the upper arm piece 131 (the part near the center) with the upper connecting piece 112 . Here, the chest frame 11 is axially supported on the upper arm piece 131 by overlapping the shaft insertion hole 131a of the upper arm piece 131 and the upper shaft support hole 11a of the chest frame 11 and attaching the shaft support bolt of the upper shaft member 111 to them. 111a is inserted and the pivot nut 111b is screwed onto the pivot bolt 111a.

The chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 are connected by the upper connecting piece 112. The fixing screw B11 is passed through the screw insertion hole 11b of the chest frame 11 and screwed into the screw hole 112a of the upper connecting piece 112. This is done by passing the fixing screw B12 through the screw insertion hole 112b of the piece 112 and screwing it into the screw hole 131b of the upper arm piece 131 (for example, the one closest to the shaft insertion hole 131a among the four screw insertion holes 131b). .

Since the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 are provided on both the left and right sides of the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 (see FIG. 2), similar connection work is performed on both the left and right sides.

As a result, the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 are connected, for example, so that they form a standard angle corresponding to a standard body shape (see FIG. 1).

Further, since the left and right chest frames 11 constituting the chest support section 10 are connected by the chest connecting plate 13, the plurality of screw insertion holes 11c provided in the chest frame 11 are provided in the chest connecting plate 13. The width of the chest support portion 10 can be adjusted depending on which one of the plurality of screw insertion holes 13a is overlapped (see FIG. 2(b)).

(Method of connecting lower abdomen frame 21 and lower arm piece 132)
The connection between the abdomen frame 21 and the lower arm piece 132 is similar to the connection between the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 described above. This is done by connecting a portion of the lower abdomen frame 21 (portion near the center) and a portion of the lower arm piece 132 (portion near the center) with the lower connecting piece 122 .

Since the lower abdomen frame 21 and the lower arm piece 132 are provided on both the left and right sides of the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 (see FIG. 2), the same connection work is performed on both the left and right sides.

As a result, the lower abdominal frame 21 and the lower arm piece 132 are connected, for example, so that they form a standard angle corresponding to a standard body shape (see FIG. 1).

Further, since the left and right abdomen frames 21 constituting the abdomen support portion 20 are connected by the abdomen connection plate 23, the plurality of screw insertion holes 21c provided in the abdomen frame 21 are connected to the abdomen connection plate. The width of the abdomen support portion 20 can be adjusted depending on which one of the plurality of screw insertion holes 23a provided in the portion 23 is overlapped (see FIG. 2(c)).

Next, when the shape of the chest Ch of the wearer is not a standard shape corresponding to the standard body shape, but a shape deformed with respect to the standard shape due to a non-standard body shape (for example, hunched back), the upper part Angle adjustment of the chest frame 11 with respect to the arm piece 131 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state after changing the angle K of the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 from the standard angle in the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 shown in FIG.

In this case, the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 are connected by the upper connecting piece 112 so that the angle K formed by the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 is smaller than in the case of the standard shape of the chest Ch. Adjust the connection status. Here, the angle K is an angle formed by an axis A aligned with the longitudinal direction of the chest frame 11 and an axis B aligned with the longitudinal direction of the upper arm piece 131, as shown in FIG.

Specifically, the screw insertion hole 112b of the upper connecting piece 112 is overlapped with the uppermost one of the four screw holes 131b of the upper arm piece 131, and the upper connecting piece 112 is attached to the upper arm piece 131 with a fixing screw B12. From the connected state (see FIGS. 1 and 3), the screw insertion hole 112b of the upper connecting piece 112 is overlapped with the second uppermost one of the four screw holes 131b of the upper arm piece 131, and the fixing screw is inserted. At B12, the upper connecting piece 112 is changed to the state in which it is connected to the upper arm piece 131 (see FIG. 4).

As a result, the angle K formed by the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 can be made smaller than in the case of the standard shape of the chest Ch (see FIG. 1).

Thus, in the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 of this embodiment, the chest support part 10 that supports the chest Ch of the wearer, the lower abdomen support part 20 that supports the lower abdomen La of the wearer, the chest support part 10 and the lower abdomen An arm mechanism (holding mechanism) 130 that holds the support portion 20, an upper connection portion 110 that connects the chest support portion 10 to the arm mechanism 130, and a lower connection portion 120 that connects the lower abdomen support portion 20 to the arm mechanism 130. The upper connecting part 110 includes an upper shaft member 111 that pivotally supports the chest support part 10 on the arm mechanism 130, an upper connecting piece 112 that connects the arm mechanism 130 and the chest support part 10, and the arm mechanism 130 , a plurality of screw holes (upper fixed portion) 131 b to which the upper connecting piece 112 can be fixed are arranged at positions with different distances from the upper shaft member 111 .

Therefore, by selecting a screw hole 131b for fixing the upper connecting piece 112 from a plurality of screw holes (upper portion to be fixed) 131b of the upper arm piece 131 (see FIGS. 1 and 3), the upper arm piece 131 can be The angle K formed by the chest frame 11 with respect to can be adjusted.

Moreover, in the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 of the present invention, the unit of angle change when adjusting the angle K formed by the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 is made smaller than in the conventional dial lock system. can.

The reason is as follows.

In the conventional dial lock type, when changing the relative rotation angle of the chest frame 11 with respect to the upper arm piece 131 centered on the upper shaft member 111, the position is changed within the region where the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 overlap. In addition, a plurality of positioning bolt insertion holes are arranged along the circumference (small circumference) centered on the upper shaft member 111 . In this case, the number of positioning bolt insertion holes provided is restricted by the length of the circumference, and as a result, the amount of change in the angle when the bolt insertion holes are shifted by one cannot be made very small.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the rotation angle of the chest frame 11 relative to the upper arm piece 131 about the upper shaft member 111 extends beyond the area where the chest frame 11 and the upper arm piece 131 overlap. It is changed by displacing the upper connecting piece 112 along the circumference (large circumference) T centered on the shaft member 111 .

Therefore, even if the point moves the same distance on the circle, the change of the central angle due to the movement of the point on the large circle is smaller than the change of the central angle due to the movement of the point on the small circle. Therefore, compared to the case where the relative angle of the chest frame 11 to the upper arm piece 131 is changed by the conventional dial lock type, the chest frame 11 pivotally supported by the upper arm piece 131 can be moved by the upper connecting piece 112 as in the present invention. Adjusting the relative angle by rotating can reduce the minimum unit for changing the relative angle.

Similarly, in the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 of the present invention, the minimum unit of angle change when adjusting the angle formed by the lower abdomen frame 21 with respect to the lower arm piece 132 is greater than the conventional dial lock system. It is difficult to be subject to restrictions on

As a result, according to the present invention, the frame (thoracic frame 11 and lower abdomen frame 21) forming the thoracic vertebrae and the vertebrae is a ready-made product that can be assembled on site according to the body shape, and the holding mechanism ( The minimum unit for adjusting the angle with respect to the arm mechanism 130 can be made smaller than the conventional dial lock type, and the accuracy of the angle adjustment that the chest support part or the lower abdomen support part makes with respect to the holding mechanism is high. There is an effect that the thoracolumbar orthosis 100 can be obtained.

In the above-described embodiment, the members constituting the thoracolumbar orthosis are all general-purpose parts. It may be a customized part with predicted dimensions.

For example, if the upper connecting piece 112 is a customized part, the distance between one end connected to the chest support section 10 and the other end connected to the arm mechanism (holding mechanism) 130 of the upper connecting piece 112 is It is set at the optimum distance predicted based on the individual body shape of the person.

In this case, since the upper connecting piece 112 is a member that defines the angle of the chest support section 10 with respect to the arm mechanism 130, the length of the upper connecting piece should match the body shape of the wearer as much as possible. By using it, it becomes unnecessary or simple to adjust the angle of the chest support 10 with respect to the arm mechanism 130 to match the body shape of the wearer at the time of assembly.

Further, when the lower connecting piece 122 is a customized part, the distance between one end connected to the lower abdomen support part 20 and the other end connected to the arm mechanism 130 in this lower connecting piece 122 is It is set to the optimal distance predicted based on individual body shape.

In this case, since the lower connecting piece 122 is a member that defines the angle of the lower abdomen support part 20 with respect to the arm mechanism 130, the length of the lower connecting piece 122 should match the body shape of the wearer as much as possible. By using , it becomes unnecessary or simple to adjust the angle of the abdomen support with respect to the holding mechanism to match the body shape of the wearer during assembly.

Although the invention has been illustrated using the preferred embodiments of the invention as described above, the invention should not be construed as being limited to this embodiment. It is understood that the present invention is to be construed in scope only by the utility model claims. It is understood that a person skilled in the art can implement an equivalent range based on the description of the present invention and common general technical knowledge from the description of specific preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that the documents cited herein are to be incorporated by reference herein in the same manner as if the contents themselves were specifically set forth herein.

According to the present invention, the angle formed by the chest support part or the lower abdomen support part with respect to the holding mechanism for holding them can be adjusted with higher accuracy than conventional ready-made thoracic and lumbar braces that employ a dial lock type. It is useful as a thoracolumbar orthosis that can be adjusted to an angle suitable for the patient.

Reference Signs List 10 chest support 11 chest frame 11a upper shaft support hole 11b, 13a, 21b, 112b, 122b, 133a screw insertion hole 12 chest pad 13 chest connecting plate 14 chest elastic body 14a, 14c, 22a fixing bolt 14b, 22b fixing nut 20 Abdominal supporting part 21 Abdominal frame 21a Lower pivot hole 22 Abdominal pad 23 Lower abdominal connecting plate 100 Thoraco-lumbar brace 110 Upper connecting part 111 Upper shaft member 111a, 121a Pivot bolt 111b, 121b Pivot nut 112 Upper connecting piece 112a, 122a screw hole 120 lower connecting portion 121 lower shaft member 122 lower connecting piece 130 holding mechanism (arm mechanism)
131 upper arm piece 131a, 132a shaft insertion hole 131b screw hole (upper fixed portion)
132 lower arm piece 132b screw hole (lower fixed portion)
133 Intermediate arm piece Ad Wearer's abdomen B11, B12, B21, B22, B33 Fixing screw Ch Wearer's chest La Wearer's lower abdomen

Claims (5)

A thoracolumbar orthosis,
a chest support for supporting the chest of the wearer;
a lower abdominal support part that supports the lower abdomen of the wearer;
a holding mechanism that holds the chest support and the lower abdomen support;
an upper connection that connects the chest support to the retention mechanism;
a lower connection portion that connects the lower abdomen support portion to the holding mechanism;
The upper connection portion includes an upper shaft member that pivotally supports the chest support portion on the holding mechanism, and an upper connecting piece that connects the holding mechanism and the chest support portion. A plurality of upper fixed portions to which connecting pieces can be fixed are arranged at different distances from the upper shaft member; and a lower connecting piece for connecting the holding mechanism and the abdomen supporting portion. The holding mechanism includes a plurality of lower fixed portions to which the lower connecting pieces can be fixed. A thoracolumbar brace positioned at different distances from the lower shaft member. The chest support part is provided between a chest frame to which the upper shaft member and the upper connecting piece are attached, a chest pad that can contact the chest of the wearer, and the chest frame and the chest pad. The thoracolumbar brace of claim 1, comprising a thoracic elastic body. The thoracolumbar orthosis according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of upper fixed portions included in said holding mechanism are a plurality of upper screw holes formed in a member constituting said holding mechanism. The lower abdomen support part includes an abdomen frame to which the lower shaft member and the lower connecting piece are mounted, an abdomen pad capable of contacting the abdomen of the wearer, the abdomen frame and the abdomen pad. The thoracolumbar brace of claim 1, comprising a lower abdominal elastic body provided between. The thoracolumbar orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lower fixed portions are a plurality of lower screw holes formed in a member constituting the holding mechanism.

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