JP7154502B2 - Load-relieving orthosis acting on the pelvis and buttocks - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Exhibition date: October 10 to 12, 2018 Exhibition location: Tokyo International Exhibition Hall Publicized at the 45th International Rehabilitation Equipment Exhibition

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a load -reducing orthosis capable of reducing the load acting on the pelvis and buttocks when seated.

It is known that when one sits on a chair, the weight of the upper body acts on the pelvis and buttocks, causing back pain, hemorrhoids, economy class syndrome (thrombosis), varicose veins (blood circulation disorder), and the like. Conventionally, as a lumbago treatment instrument, there is a lumbago treatment chair in which a patient sits on a seat and lowers the seat to lift the body and pull the patient's own weight downward to straighten the curved spine by gravity. It has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, for example). Such a chair is a low back pain treatment chair with a special structure for the purpose of treating low back pain, and is not a treatment device designed to reduce the load acting on the pelvis and buttocks when sitting on a normal chair. . The inventor of the present application has invented a weight reduction device that is worn on the body so as to reduce the load acting on the pelvis and buttocks when sitting on a normal chair instead of a treatment chair with such a special structure. An application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-205613) was filed. This weight reduction equipment has a mounting part to be worn on the upper half of the body of the user, a vertical support part as a frame part for supporting the mounting part, and a standing part for raising the vertical support part in a seated state. When a person sits on a chair, the load of the upper body acting on the mounting part is supported by the upper and lower support parts so that the buttocks are in a floating state, and the load of the upper body is transmitted to the seat surface via the standing part, and the load of the upper body is transferred to the pelvis and buttocks. It is designed so that it does not affect When standing up from the chair, the weight-reducing orthosis remains attached to the body, so it moves with the body, and then when sitting on the chair, the load on the upper body acting on the pelvis and buttocks can be reduced in the same manner as described above. .

As the above-mentioned weight reduction equipment, when it is worn on the body, it adopts a height adjustment mechanism that adjusts the height of the mounting part according to the height of the user. Forming is described in the above application. However, if the side of the torso is surrounded by an arc-shaped rigid body, the tip of the rigid body is located in front of the body, and the tip becomes an obstacle when attaching to the torso, making it difficult to attach.

As the height adjustment mechanism, the above application describes a lock pin using a leaf spring or a mechanism using a bolt and a screw. Each time the lock pin must be pushed in against the leaf spring to move the vertical support portion up and down, the operation is troublesome. Also, to change the height using bolts, one of the bolts or nuts is fixed and the other is rotated to move straight, but standard bolts and nuts have different diameters and thread pitches. Since it is regulated, the amount of linear motion due to the rotation operation is small. To increase the amount of travel, the bolt must be lengthened and the number of rotations must be increased. Since the bolt is a solid body, its weight is also heavy. For example, a standard M8 metric thread has a pitch of 1.25 and allows height adjustment of 1.25 mm per rotation, but requires 80 rotations to move 100 mm. Also, if the bolt is 200 mm long, the bolt weighs 67 g. Furthermore, if the nut is fixed to the frame and the bolt is rotated, the mounting structure for fixing the nut becomes complicated. Therefore, when a bolt and a nut are used as a height adjustment mechanism for an orthosis worn on the body, the length of the bolt becomes long, the number of rotations during adjustment is large, and the weight becomes heavy, which is not preferable.

As a mechanism for supporting the mounting part with the upper and lower support parts, in the above application, the mounting part is suspended by a coil spring or a hook, or an upper and lower connection part is provided at the upper end of the upper and lower support parts as a frame, and a belt is attached to the upper and lower connection parts. A mechanism for suspending the attachment is described. However, since the upper and lower joints extend in the horizontal direction and are movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the belt, when the weight reduction equipment is attached to the body and moved, the upper and lower joints come out of the belt and the frame moves. There is a risk of falling off.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-221257 (claims, paragraph 0014, FIGS. 1 and 2)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a load -reducing orthosis capable of reducing the load on the pelvis and buttocks, which is lightweight, easy to adjust the height, and can be securely mounted so as not to fall off during movement. to provide the equipment.

According to the present invention, it comprises a base , a lower frame and an upper frame made of pipe material, and a holding pad attached to the upper frame for holding the lower pectoral muscles and lower ribs of the user, The base is curved in a semi-elliptical shape so as to surround the back of the user's waist, the lower frame is fixed near the center of the base in an upright state, and the upper frame has a linear lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion of the upper frame is fitted to the lower frame so as to be vertically movable and rotatable, and is seated by rotating the upper frame. A linear coil spring is provided inside the upper frame or the lower frame so that the height of the upper frame can be adjusted to a height at which the user's pelvis and buttocks float. An engaging portion that engages between the spring wires of the coil spring is provided, and the holding pad includes a plate-shaped pad main body, a frame passing portion shaped along the upper portion of the upper frame, and a holding pad that is large enough for a user. It has a tightening belt that tightens the lower part of the pectoral muscle and the lower part of the ribs, and the frame passing part has one end along the upper part of the upper frame connected to the pad main body, and the other end side is formed at a free end separated from the pad main body. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is provided a load-relieving brace that acts on the pelvis and buttocks that are in contact with the body to solve the above problems.

Further, according to the present invention, the linear coil spring has a fixing portion with a winding diameter inscribed in the upper frame or the lower frame, and a guide portion with a winding diameter smaller than the fixing portion. The load reducing device is fixed to the frame or the lower frame, and the engaging portion of the lower frame or the upper frame is an inward projection projecting between the spring wires of the guide portion.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the above-mentioned load reducing device, wherein the tip of the upper curved portion of the upper frame is curved downward .

The frame passing portion includes an insertion portion for inserting the upper curved portion of the upper frame, a support portion for supporting the upper curved portion inserted from the insertion portion, and a tip portion corresponding to the tip of the upper curved portion. and wherein the spigot and tip are positioned below the receiving portion.

The load reducing device of the present invention is configured as described above, and includes a base, a lower frame rising from the base, and an upper frame fitted to the lower frame so as to be vertically movable and rotatable. A holding pad is attached to the upper frame, a linear coil spring is provided inside the upper frame or the lower frame, and an engaging portion that engages between the spring wires of the linear coil spring is provided in the lower frame or the upper frame. As a result, the opening between the front portions of the upper frame can be widened by rotating the upper frame when wearing it on the body, so that it can be easily worn along the body of the user. Since the upper frame is rotatably provided, the upper frame is in close contact with the wearer's body, and there is no extra bulge. Since the upper frame and the lower frame are connected via the linear coil spring after being worn, the lower frame and the base will not come off when the user stands up after wearing the device.

In order to adjust the height of the upper frame according to the user so that the pelvis and buttocks are lifted from the seat of the chair when seated, the upper frame may be rotated. That is, since the linear coil spring is fixed in the upper frame or the lower frame, when the upper frame is rotated, the linear coil spring or the engaging portion also rotates, and the linear coil spring and the engaging portion are spirally engaged. As the upper frame is guided by the linear coil spring, the upper frame moves up and down and can be easily adjusted to the desired height. At this time, the pitch of the linear coil spring can be made larger than the thread pitch of the bolt simply by changing the winding conditions, so the height can be adjusted by turning the upper frame slightly, making the adjustment work easier. Become. For example, when the pitch of the linear coil spring is set to 6 mm, 15 revolutions are sufficient to adjust the height by 90 mm. After adjusting the height of the upper frame to a height at which the user's buttocks float in this way, when the user sits on the seat of the chair, the load of the upper body is transferred from the base to the chair via the holding pad, upper frame, and lower frame. It can be transmitted to the seat of the body and prevent a large load from acting on the pelvis and buttocks. In addition, since the linear coil spring is lighter than the bolt , the overall weight can be reduced, and even if it is attached to the body and moved, the user can move comfortably without feeling heavy. .

The upper part of the upper frame is preferably formed into a three-dimensionally curved upper curved portion that curves forward and inward along the torso of the body so as not to produce an excessive protrusion. Attach the retaining pad to the When adjusting the height, the holding pad is removed from the upper frame, and after the adjustment, the upper curved portion of the upper frame is inserted into the frame passing portion provided in the holding pad. At this time, since the upper curved portion has a three-dimensional curved shape that curves forward and inward, it is assumed that the entire circumference of the frame through portion is tightly fixed to the plate-shaped pad main body of the holding pad. , the pad main body and the frame through portion are integrated, and the frame through portion is restrained by the pad main body and cannot be freely bent, and the insertion work is very troublesome. However, in the present invention, only one side of the frame through portion is fixed to the holding pad, and the other side is formed at a free end away from the holding pad, so the frame through portion can be easily bent to conform to the upper frame. The upper frame can be easily inserted into the frame insertion part by inserting the tip of the upper curved part from the insertion opening, and the mounting time can be shortened. In addition, if one end of the frame through portion is a free end, the movement of the body is allowed to some extent, and the occurrence of injury can be reduced even if the wearer moves while wearing it.

The frame passing portion has an insertion portion for inserting the upper curved portion of the upper frame, a support portion for receiving the upper curved portion inserted from the insertion portion, and a tip portion corresponding to the tip of the upper curved portion. When the bag is formed in a bag body and the insertion portion and the tip portion are positioned below the support portion, the insertion portion and the tip portion of the upper curved portion are formed in a state in which the upper curved portion is inserted through the frame through portion. Since the movement is restrained and it can be prevented from moving in the front-rear direction, there is no fear that the frame part will fall off even if the person moves while the orthosis is attached to the body.

The perspective view seen from the back. The front view of the attached state. Rear view of the attached state. 4 is a perspective view of the frame portion with the retaining pad removed; FIG. The top view of a frame part. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a frame portion; FIG. 2 is a partially omitted front view of a linear coil spring; Explanatory drawing when adjusting the height of a frame. The development view of a holding pad. FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view of part of the holding pad;

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The frame portion consists of a base 1, a pair of lower frames 2 rising from the base 1, and a pair of lower frames 2 fitted to the lower frames 2 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable. An upper frame 3 is provided, and a holding pad 4 is mounted on the upper portion of the upper frame 3 to hold the user's chest below the pectoral muscles and below the ribs. Either one of the lower frame 2 and the upper frame 3 may be fitted to the outer circumference of the other. In the embodiment shown in FIG. is inscribed in the upper frame 3.

4 to 8, each of the frame portions is made of a pipe material. A base 1 is curved in a semi-elliptical shape so as to surround the back of the waist of the user, and the lower frame 2 is located near the center. is fixed in an upright state by welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end opening of the lower frame 2 has an inward projection formed by partially protruding inward by pressing or crimping. It is an engaging portion 6 with a shaped coil spring 5 . The position of the engaging portion may be provided below the upper end of the lower frame, and instead of the inward projection, a pin projecting inward of the lower frame may be used (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, in the embodiment, the upper frame 3 is formed to have an inner diameter fitted to the outer periphery of the lower frame 2 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable. The lower part is straight, but the upper part has a three-dimensional arc that curves forward toward the front side of the user's body and curves inward toward the abdomen of the user. A shaped upper curve 8 is formed, the tip 9 of which extends downwards while curving.

A linear coil spring 5 is provided inside the straight portion of the upper frame 3 . As shown in FIG. 7, the linear coil spring 5 has a fixing portion 10 with a winding diameter substantially inscribed in the upper frame 3, and a guide portion 11 with a winding diameter smaller than that of the fixing portion 10. , and the guide portion 11 is inserted into the lower frame 2 . The upper end of the linear coil spring 5 is inserted into the upper frame 3, and the wall surface of the upper frame protrudes inward by pressing or caulking from the periphery, and the protruding portion 12 is engaged with the peripheral surface of the fixing portion 10. It is fixed to the upper frame 3 by pressing the upper frame 3. At this time, it is preferable that the fixed portion 10 is wound at a narrow pitch so that the coil wires are in contact with each other so that the fixed portion 10 is not deformed even when pressed from the surroundings and the projecting portion 12 is reliably engaged. Instead of forming the projecting portion on the upper frame, the linear coil spring 5 may be fixed by inserting an appropriate set screw or pin from the outside of the upper frame (not shown).

The winding pitch of the guide portion 11 is larger than that of the fixed portion 10 so that the engaging portion 6 of the lower frame 2 spirally engages between the coil wires of the linear coil spring 5 . The pitch of the guide portion 11 changes the amount of movement of the upper frame 3 when the upper frame 3 is rotated. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the coil spring has a wire diameter Φ of 2 mm and a winding pitch of 6 mm. It only needs to be rotated, and the number of rotations can be greatly reduced compared to bolts and nuts. In addition, it is possible to adjust to a desired state by appropriately setting the winding pitch of the guide portion 11 as desired. To connect the upper frame 3 to the lower frame 2, the lower end of the upper frame 3 is fitted over the upper end of the lower frame 2, and the lower frame 2 is engaged between the spring wires of the linear coil springs 5 while the upper frame 3 is rotated. All that is necessary is to engage the joint portion 6 . In this way, the upper frame 3 and the lower frame 2 can be connected in the vertical direction, and the height from the base 1 can be adjusted simply by rotating the upper frame 3 (see FIG. 8). ).

The holding pad 4 comprises two plate-like pad bodies 13, a frame through portion 14 having one end fixed to the pad body 13 for attaching the holding pad to the upper frame 3, and a pad body 13 for fastening the pad body 13 to the body. tightening belt 15. The pad main body 13 is formed by covering the surface of a hard plate-like core material 16 made of wood, paper, plastic, or the like with a covering material 17 having a good feel, and formed in a shape that substantially follows the upper curved portion 8 of the upper frame 3 . It has a rounded outer edge. That is, the outer edge of the pad body 13 consists of a rear edge 18 that rises upward from the rear side located on the back side of the body, and an upper edge 19 that rises around the trunk of the body and extends to the front side of the body. , a front edge 20 extending downward on the front side of the body, and a lower edge 21 formed substantially horizontally.

The frame-passing portion 14 is a bag made of strong cloth material, leather or other flexible and durable material and shaped along the upper curved portion 8 of the upper frame 3. It has an insertion portion 22 to be inserted, a receiving portion 23 for receiving the upper bending portion 8 inserted from the insertion portion 22, and a tip portion 24 corresponding to the tip 9 of the upper bending portion 8. 22 and the tip portion 24 are positioned below the support portion 23 . In the embodiment, the insertion portion 22 and the tip portion 24 are open so that the upper frame can be passed through, but the tip portion 24 may be closed if desired. When fixing the frame through portion 14 to the pad main body 13, the other end side is sewn 26 to the pad main body 13 so that one upper and lower end sides of the frame through portion become free ends 25 separated from the pad main body 13. There is. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the upper edge side of the frame through portion 14 is formed as a free end 25, and the lower edge side is fixed by sewing 26 to the pad body. You may make it connect with a pad main body. When the entire periphery of the frame through portion 14 is sewn in close contact with the pad main body 13, the pad main body 13 and the frame through portion 14 are integrated and are not easily bent, making it very difficult to attach. By providing a free end 25 on one end side of the frame through portion 14 and connecting it to the pad main body 13 as shown in , when it is attached to the upper frame, it fits well into the three-dimensional shape of the upper curved portion and can be easily attached. It can be done, and the burden on the body is small, and the pain can be eliminated. In addition, when moving while wearing it, if the whole is fixed to the frame part, the frame part will hit the body strongly and the occurrence of injury will increase, but the free end is provided. By doing so, such a situation can be reduced. Furthermore, since the positions of the insertion portion 22 and the tip portion 24 of the frame through portion 14 are positioned below the support portion 23 with which the upper curved portion 8 is inscribed, movement of the upper frame is restrained. There is no possibility that the frame part will drop off from the holding pad 4 during movement.

The tightening belts 15 are provided in two stages, upper and lower, in the belt loops 27 provided in the pad body 13. The two belts 15 tighten the holding pad under the pectoralis major muscle and under the ribs of the body, The holding pad 4 is fastened so as not to fall off the body by connecting a buckle 28 provided on the part. At this time, with one belt, if the holding pad 4 is not tightened strongly when it is fixed, deviation will occur and it will not be possible to reliably support the load of the upper body. If two belts are used, the lower belt can be positioned at the waistline to support the load on the abdomen, and the load on the upper body can be supported more stably and reliably than with a single belt. .

Further, if the upper frame 3 is separated from the body, the frame part does not follow the movement of the body and is in a dangling state. By inserting the rotatable upper frame 3 through the frame through portion 14 and attaching the holding pad 4, the upper frame 3 is in close contact with the body when worn, and the user has a degree of freedom while matching the movement of the body. A structure that does not interfere with

With the above configuration, before sitting on the chair, the user adjusts the height of the upper frame 3 to such a height that the user's pelvis and buttocks are lifted from the seat surface of the chair. At this time, the upper frame 3 is rotated with the holding pad 4 removed, and then the upper curved portion 8 of the upper frame 3 is inserted into the frame passing portion 14 of the holding pad 4 to attach the holding pad 4 . Then, the holding pad 4 is wrapped around the body so as to surround the lower pectoral muscles and the lower ribs, and the two tightening belts 15 are tightened to the body. In this state, the user can move freely. When a user sits on an office chair or other ordinary chair, the buttocks are lifted from the seat surface of the chair, and the load of the upper body is transferred to the seat through the holding pad 4, the upper frame 3, the lower frame 2, and the base 1. It can be transmitted to the surface and prevent a large load from being applied to the pelvis and buttocks.

In the above embodiment, the linear coil spring is fixed to the upper frame 3 side, and the engaging portion is provided on the lower frame 2 side so that the lower frame 2 contacts the upper frame 3 internally. may be fixed to the lower frame side, an engaging portion may be provided on the upper frame side, and the upper frame 3 may be fitted to the lower frame 2 so as to be in contact therewith. In this case, although not shown, the arrangement of the linear coil spring 5 is reversed from the configuration shown in FIG. A guide portion 11 having a winding diameter smaller than that of the fixed portion 10 is formed at the end, and the upper frame 3 is inserted into the outer periphery of the guide portion 11 . At the lower end of the upper frame 3, there is provided an engaging portion (not shown) for spirally engaging between the spring wires of the guide portion of the linear coil spring.

The linear coil spring 5 is inserted into the lower frame 2 from the fixed portion 10 side, and the wall surface of the lower frame protrudes inward from the periphery by pressing or caulking. It is fixed to the lower frame 2 by engaging with the . At this time, it is preferable that the fixed portion 10 is wound at a narrow pitch so that the coil wires are in contact with each other so that the fixed portion 10 is not deformed even when pressed from the surroundings and is reliably engaged with the projecting portion. Instead of forming the projecting portion on the lower frame, the linear coil spring 5 may be fixed by inserting an appropriate set screw or pin from the outside of the lower frame (not shown).
With this configuration, by rotating the upper frame, the engaging portion provided on the upper frame rotates along the guide portion of the linear coil spring, thereby moving the upper frame up and down to adjust the height. can do.

1 Base 2 Lower Frame 3 Upper Frame 4 Holding Pad 5 Linear Coil Spring 6 Engaging Portion 8 Upper Curved Portion 10 Fixed Portion 11 Guide Portion 12 Projecting Portion 13 Pad Body 14 Frame Passing Portion 15 Tightening Belt 25 Free End

Claims (4)

A base made of pipe material, a lower frame, an upper frame, and a holding pad attached to the upper frame to hold the lower pectoral muscles and lower ribs of the user. The lower frame is fixed near the center of the base in an upright state, and the upper frame has a linear lower portion and an upper portion extending forward and An inwardly curved upper curved portion is formed, and the lower portion of the upper frame is fitted to the lower frame so as to be vertically movable and rotatable. By rotating the upper frame, the user's pelvis and A linear coil spring is provided inside the upper frame or the lower frame so that the height of the upper frame can be adjusted to a height at which the buttocks float, and a spring wire of the linear coil spring is provided in the lower frame or the upper frame. An engaging portion is provided to engage between the holding pad, and the holding pad includes a plate-like pad main body, a frame passing portion shaped along the upper portion of the upper frame, and the holding pad to the lower portion of the user's pectoralis major muscle and ribs. One end along the upper part of the upper frame is connected to the pad body, and the other end is formed at a free end away from the pad body. A working load -relief device. 2. The load reducing device acting on the pelvis and buttocks according to claim 1, wherein the upper curved portion of the upper portion of the upper frame has a tip curved downward . The linear coil spring has a fixed portion with a winding diameter inscribed in the upper frame or the lower frame and a guide portion with a smaller winding diameter than the fixed portion, and the fixed portion is fixed to the upper frame or the lower frame. 3. The load reducing orthosis acting on the pelvis and buttocks according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaging portion of the lower frame or the upper frame is an inward projection projecting between the springs of the guide portion. The frame passing portion has an insertion portion into which the upper curved portion of the upper frame is inserted, a support portion that receives the upper curved portion inserted through the insertion portion, and a tip portion that corresponds to the tip of the upper curved portion. 3. The load-relieving orthosis acting on the pelvis and buttocks according to claim 2 , wherein said insertion portion and said tip portion are positioned below said support portion.

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