JP3483311B2 - Knee support - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knee joint supporter mounted on a knee joint for treating or preventing a knee joint disorder. 2. Description of the Related Art There are various types of knee joint diseases, and most of them have difficulty walking because the knee joint swings back and forth or left and right. Various structures have been proposed for supporters used for treatment or prevention of these diseases, from simple to complex. In a knee joint supporter, one of the important factors particularly for preventing lateral displacement of the knee joint is to closely support the side of the knee joint with the supporter. However, since the sides of the knee joint are inherently hard to get fat, they have a complicated concave shape. However, it is impossible to prevent the knee joint from swaying.
For this reason, the knee joint has been conventionally fixed from the side using many auxiliary belts and stays from above the supporter, but these knee joint supporters are fixed above and below the joint, but the joint part is fixed Creates a gap with the inner surface of the supporter, and cannot prevent the joint from swinging.
In addition, the structure and weight are considerable and are not appropriate for relatively mild diseases, aside from severe ones. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a knee joint supporter having a simple structure capable of preventing lateral sway for relatively mild knee joint disease. is there. [0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a tubular body for covering a knee joint and an adjacent part thereof, and an inner surface of the body, which is located on a side of the knee joint. A pad fixed at a position corresponding to a recess extending vertically above and below the joint, the pad having a shape capable of deforming in the bending direction of the joint with the movement of the knee joint. In the present invention, by covering the knee joint with a cylindrical main body, the pad fits into a recess existing over the knee joint on the side and upper and lower sides, and the cylindrical main body has an inner surface. Pressing force is applied directly to the joints that are in direct contact with the joints that are not in contact with the inner surfaces of the joints that do not contact the inner surface of the joints via a pad, which suppresses the swaying of the knee joints, and the knee joints When you do, the pad deforms freely and does not resist the movement of the knee joint. Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a front view, b is a front view with the front face opened, c is a side view, d is an inner view of a portion to which a pad is attached, and e is a cross-sectional view of a portion to which a pad is attached. 2a is a side view showing a state in which the knee joint is attached, and FIG. 2b is a side view showing a state in which the knee joint is bent while being attached to the knee joint. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical main body, which has a patella opening 2 in the front thereof, and a main body portion above the opening 2 can be opened right and left in the front. The side piece 3 is provided with a notch 4 in the lateral direction substantially at the center thereof and is divided into two parts, and the planar fasteners 5 and 6 are attached to the inner surface, respectively, and the planar fasteners 5 and 6 are attached to the body surface on the other side 7 side. By being placed one on top of the other, the upper body is closed and cylindrical. The body portion below the opening 2 is sewn into a tubular shape from the beginning and closed, and cannot be opened like the upper portion. [0010] 8 is projected inside the body 1 so as to protrude inward from the inner surface of the body 1. The mounting position is such that when the supporter is mounted, the pad fits into a recess that exists vertically above and below the knee joint on the side of the knee joint. The pad 8 is substantially B-shaped, and as shown in the figure, a slightly large cut 9 is formed behind, that is, on the bending side of the joint, so that the pad 8 is easily deformed when the knee joint is bent. I have. The body 1 of the pad 8
The peripheral end 10, which is a fixed portion to the main body 1, is thin and transitions to the inner surface of the main body 1 by a flowing line. Reference numeral 11 denotes stays provided along the outer surfaces on both sides of the main body 1, partially crossing the pad 8, and covered by a stay cover 12. Next, a method of mounting the knee joint supporter will be described. 1b, the upper part of the main body 1 is opened, the lower leg 13 is inserted into the lower part, and the patella 14 is inserted into the opening 2.
Attach so that fits. At this time, the upper part of the main body 1 is located on the thigh 15. Next, the upper portion is closed, the side 3 is overlapped on the surface on the side 7, and the sheet fasteners 5 and 6 are engaged with the surface of the main body 1 by being appropriately tightened. In this way, the supporter is mounted on the knee joint as shown in FIG. 2a. When the knee joint is bent in the mounted state, the main body 1 is also deformed according to the bending of the thigh 15 and the lower leg 13 as shown in FIG. 2B. It is easily deformed in the direction in which it becomes smaller, does not hinder the movement of the knee joint, and furthermore, the density of the pad 8 does not change and a constant adhesion force is constantly obtained at the knee joint. The properties required of the main body include: having a tensile stress capable of compressing the affected part, having an extension rate capable of fitting to the mounting site and following the movement of the body, and having an extension recovery rate capable of withstanding repeated use. It is breathable, hygroscopic and not stuffy, has good skin contact and does not adversely affect the skin. Typical characteristic values include a modulus value of 10% 0.2 kg / cm ² , 50
% 5kg / cm ² or more, maximum elongation rate is 150% or more,
Preferably, the elongation recovery rate is at least 200%, preferably at least 95%, and the air permeability is 10 cc / cm ² / sec.
c or more. Specific examples of the material include a single material and a composite material. The single material includes a knitted fabric, particularly a knitted fabric containing an elastic yarn, and may be any of a flat knit, a circular knit, and a warp knit. The elastic yarn is necessary for obtaining the tensile stress and the recovery rate, the elastic yarn thickness is 100 to 2240d, and the number of the driven yarns is 10 / in.
ch or more is preferable. The constituent yarns can be all natural fibers, regenerated fibers and synthetic fibers, and are generally cotton, wool,
Rayon, acrylic, nylon, polyester, and vinylidene chloride are used. The composite material includes a foam system and a fiber material system. As the foam of the foam system, a rubber foam (chloroprene, natural rubber, butyl rubber, SBR, IR) is used.
Etc.), urethane foam (compressed urethane) is used, and the fabric to be laminated has an elongation ratio enough to follow the foam of the core material. And most fibers can be used, for example nylon, polyester, cotton, rayon. By adhering the fabric to the foam, the tear strength can be increased, sewing can be performed, and the skin contact can be improved. Further, those in which the surface fabric is made of a pile of a material such as nylon, polyester, or vinylidene chloride can be advantageously used as a planar fastener. There is a fiber material system in which a nonwoven fabric and a fabric are laminated, and by using a nonwoven fabric, the breathability can be reduced and the thickness can be reduced.By using the fabric, a function such as water absorption is added, and the thickness is increased. Gives firmness and improves skin contact. As the non-woven fabric, polyurethane, SIS, and cloth similar to the foam type can be used. Further, as a fiber material, there is a stretchable fabric laminate, which uses a fabric having a high elastic modulus as a core material and is laminated with another fabric to enhance the functionality (water absorption, modulus, etc.). Power nets, knitted cloth with elastic yarn, etc. can be used as the elastic cloth,
The same fabric as the foam system can be used. In the above embodiment, the main body is formed so that the upper part can be opened right and left and the lower part is closed. However, according to this structure, the upper part is grasped and the lower leg is inserted therein. When the part is inserted and pulled up, the main body is temporarily fixed on the lower leg at the lower part thereof, so that if the main body is adjusted to the correct position, and the upper part is closed and tightened, it is very easy to mount and advantageously. Not limited to this structure, the entire body may be opened, or the entire body may be closed. [0016] The characteristics required for the material of the pad include flexibility and thickness capable of fitting and conforming to the unevenness of the joint.
It can compress the affected part even if it is deformed, does not cause sagging even after repeated use, and has an extensibility that can follow the movement of the body. Typical characteristic values thereof include a compression hardness (25%) of 0.1 kg / cm ² or less, preferably 0.05 to 0.01 kg / cm ² , and a thickness of 10 mm.
Above, preferably 15 to 25 mm, rebound resilience 20% or more, repetitive residual strain 10% or less, preferably 5% or less, and elongation 50% or more. Moreover, it is desirable that the skin has good contact with the skin and does not adversely affect the skin. Therefore, it is preferable that the pad has a cloth on the skin side. It is preferable that the pad has a strength that can be joined to the main body, particularly, a strength that can be sewn to the main body. Furthermore, it is desirable that the pad be shaped so that there is no gap between the main body and the body when the supporter is attached, so that the peripheral edge becomes gradually thinner and has an elliptical or circular cross-sectional shape. It is advantageous. Specific examples of the material include those having a high expansion ratio of rubber and plastic foams which simultaneously satisfy the compression hardness, the rebound resilience and the elongation.
Among them, polyurethane foams having low compression hardness and generally used in the market include polyurethane foams, and ether-based foams are more cushioning than ester-based foams and are suitable as pads. Other materials that can be used by adjusting the expansion ratio include polyethylene foam for plastics,
PVC foam, EVA foam, and rubbers include foam rubber of natural rubber, chloroprene foam, butyl rubber foam, and acrylic rubber foam. The optimal material is the above-mentioned ether-based polyurethane foam having a density of 15 to 25 kg / m ² and a compression hardness of 0.03 to 0.05.
kg / cm ² , residual strain 3-5%, rebound resilience 30-4
A material obtained by laminating a knitted cloth with an adhesive on both sides of a material having 0% and an elongation ratio of 100 to 150% can be used in order to increase the good skin contact and the bonding strength to the main body. The support provided on the main body in the above embodiment is not always necessary. There are a so-called stay type without a joint portion and a so-called hinge type with a joint portion. The stay type has a movable range of joints and is made of a spiral or leaf spring.It is mainly used for bending and deformation of the main body and limiting the movement of extremely light. Some are used for limiting movement and fixing. Hinge type is iron, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium alloy, F
It can be formed of RP or the like. According to the present invention, when a supporter is mounted on a knee joint having a complicated surface shape, the pad inevitably fills the space created between the main body and the knee joint. The entire periphery can be evenly fixed with the main body, effectively suppressing the sway of the knee joint, and since there is no local force applied to the mounting part, you feel something uncomfortable even if you use it for a long time Nothing. In addition, the pad deforms without resistance corresponding to the knee joint, and it does not cause distortion to the pad,
The pad does not fatigue over a long period of time and does not change even the fixing force.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, b is a front view with a front face opened, c is a side view, d is an inner view of a portion where a pad is attached, e FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where a pad is attached. 2A is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention in a mounted state, and FIG. 2B is a side view of a state in which a knee joint is bent in the mounted state. [Description of Signs] 1 Cylindrical main body 8 pat 9 pat notch

Claims (1)

(57) [Claim 1] A cylindrical main body that covers a knee joint and an adjacent part thereof, and a concave formed on the inner surface of the main body and extending vertically above and below the knee joint lateral to the knee joint. And a pad fixed at a position corresponding to (i), wherein the pad has a shape capable of deforming in the bending direction of the knee joint with movement of the knee joint.