JPH0337415B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an orthosis for preventing and treating ankle sprains and contusions, particularly injuries to the tibiofibular symphysis, deltoid ligament, lateral collateral ligament, etc. It is something.

[Prior Art] When a joint is violently moved beyond its physiological range of motion, the ligaments and joint capsule that reinforce the joint are damaged.
A sprain is when the relationship between the joint surfaces is still normal after this damage, and a dislocation is when the joint surfaces become misaligned due to this damage. Therefore, joints whose physiological range of motion is inherently limited to only one direction are more likely to suffer such damage. On the other hand, since such joints are not ball-and-socket joints, they often rely on reinforcements such as ligaments and tendons, making them more susceptible to injury.

Sprains are particularly likely to occur when sports equipment is attached to the body, as the direction of movement is unilaterally restricted, and is very common when skiing.

Treatment (although surgical therapy is also available in severe cases) is to apply a cold compress to stop the bleeding, a warm compress to promote the absorption of the bleeding in that order, and then immobilize it with only a bandage ( Taping), special braces, or other methods such as splinting or cast fixation.

Of these, taping and wearing special braces are:
It is used not only as a treatment, but also to preserve joints after splints or casts are removed, or as a preventative measure when such injuries are expected, such as when skiing.

Taping has a good fit because it can be performed according to the case, and is often used in sports clubs that have personal trainers.

Although the usage of dedicated braces is not as great as that of taping, they have the advantage of not requiring any special techniques to wear them.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, such taping and conventional specialized braces have various drawbacks, and it is difficult to say that they are the best preventive devices or therapeutic aids.

First of all, taping has disadvantages such as being prone to rashes, metal fittings are used to fasten the ends of the bandage, and it damages quickly and is almost disposable, increasing the cost for complete recovery. One drawback is that the procedure requires very advanced techniques. In other words, there are various types and severity of injuries, and taping must be applied depending on each individual. For example, excessive tightening may cause circulation disorders, or hematoma in soft tissue may occur, worsening the injury. There are cases where this procedure has been performed, and there is always the problem that it can only be performed by experienced doctors or specialized trainers.

Next, conventional dedicated orthoses use hard members such as metal members, so they have the drawbacks of being very uncomfortable to wear, bulky enough to make daily activities difficult, and difficult to adjust. Among these, the drawback regarding adjustment is particularly serious because if it cannot be adjusted according to the degree of lightness or gravity at the cure stage, the cure will be delayed. In addition, conventional specialized orthoses have the disadvantage of being extremely lacking in versatility, which leads to the disadvantage that they are difficult to manufacture as ready-made products and are expensive.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In view of the above points, the inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research over many years, and as a result have developed an extremely versatile orthosis for ankle joint disorders. In other words, there is a flexible heel-wrapping part that has a curved inner surface that wraps around the heel, and a part of the heel-wrapping part is closed like a bag. This is an ankle orthosis comprising a belt part, and all four belt parts extend to the heel encasing part, and is lightweight and easy to wear. The feel is very good. This orthosis has the advantages of not requiring special techniques to wear and being able to accommodate various symptoms and individual differences.

"Soft braces" refer to braces that do not use metal or are fixed in a cast, and are mainly made of cloth or other materials.

"Inner curved surface" is a phrase used to mean the inner surface that wraps around the heel, and since the material is flexible, it naturally curves only when worn, and does not curve at other times. could be.

"Heel encasing part" refers to the part that wraps around the heel of the foot, and has a bag-like shape, which serves as support when winding and fixing the belt while applying tension. .

"Wrapping fixation" literally means wrapping the ankle joint to fix the appropriate part of the ankle joint, but it does not limit the fixation method, and it can be used as appropriate depending on the injury location, degree of injury, injury content, etc. All you have to do is wrap it around the device, and this is one of the features of the orthosis of the present invention.

The "belt section" extends to the heel encasing section, and there are four belt sections. Having four belts protruding from the heel of the foot not only has the advantage of being able to securely fix the ankle joint, but also has the great effect of making it possible to tighten the appropriate parts of the ankle joint with an appropriate amount of force. can be expected.

The orthosis of the present invention is worn by placing the heel wrapping part against the heel, wrapping the belt part around the ankle joint while pulling the belt part appropriately, and then fixing the end part. As a fixing means in this case, if a hook and loop fastener is provided at the end of the belt portion, it will be easy to attach and will become a suitable equipment.

[Examples] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an ankle orthosis 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the orthosis 1) according to the present invention.

As is clear from the figure, the orthosis 1 is composed of four belt parts 2, and the convergence part of these four belt parts 2 forms a heel encasing part 3 having a curved inner surface. . A hook-and-loop fastener 4 is provided at the free end of each belt portion 2. As for the materials, Vyrene (manufactured by USRubber), which can lock the hook-and-loop fastener 4, was used for the outer material, and Opelon (manufactured by Toyo Products Co., Ltd.), which is used for women's underwear, was used for the lining. These materials are
Both are classified as polyurethane elastic fibers, and are well suited to the properties of Orthosis 1, which applies appropriate pressure to the affected area by applying tension and winding and fixing, but other materials You may also use

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the appliance 1 shown in FIG. 1. The brace 1 is roughly 4
It is obtained by sewing together a book belt. The stitching is performed by sewing two belts at a time so that the included angle is about 150 degrees [sewn points A and A], and then sewing the sewn belt so that the overall shape becomes an X-shape [sewn points B]. In this case, the heel encasing part 3 is naturally obtained, but as far as the present inventor has made the prototype, it is better to partially overlap stitch (sewn part B) as shown in the figure to form the heel encasing part 3. The shape of the belt conformed well to the heel of the foot, making it easy to wind the belt, and providing a good feeling of wearing.

Next, FIGS. 3a, b, and c show an example of how to use the brace 1 shown in FIG. 1. (As already mentioned, the orthosis according to the present invention is versatile and can be applied to various conditions such as damage to the medial and lateral ligaments and damage to the soil footing, and there is no fixed method for using it. ) First, the inner surface of the heel encasing part 3 is brought into contact with the heel h,
The four belt parts 2... can be pulled in front of the foot (see figure a). Next, the upper two belt parts 2,
Fold 2 to the sound of footsteps (b in the same figure). Finally, wrap the two lower belt parts 2, 2 around the instep (c in the same figure). In this way, various symptoms can be dealt with by adjusting the tension of the belt portion 2 to be rolled up, taking into consideration the direction of rolling, etc. In reality, it seems that the three sizes of L, M, and S can cover most individual differences, so it can be said that it is a device that is easy to keep on hand at sports facilities, for example.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained in detail above, the ankle orthosis according to the present invention is a soft orthosis for assisting in the prevention and treatment of ankle sprains, contusions, etc. It is composed of a flexible heel enclosing part whose part is closed like a bag, and four belt parts which wrap and fix the ankle and instep while fixing the part to the heel part, The orthosis is characterized in that all four belt parts extend to the heel encasing part, and since it is lightweight and does not use hard members such as metal members, there is no discomfort when wearing it. It has a very good feeling of wearing as there is little twisting, and since there are four belts extending to the heel joint, it is easy to adjust the winding direction and tension of the belt in a variety of ways depending on the winding method. It has the following advantages: it can be used to treat various symptoms, does not require special techniques like taping, so it can be used easily, and because it is versatile, it can reduce the number of ready-made products and can therefore be provided at a low price. This is a very advanced invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the ankle orthosis according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded plan view of the orthosis shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 a, b, and c are shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing how to use the orthosis over time. 1...Ankle joint orthosis, 2...Belt part, 3...Heel encasing part, 4...Fleece fastener, A, B...Sewing location, h...Heel.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A soft orthosis for the prevention and treatment of ankle sprains, contusions, etc., which is a flexible heel encasement with a curved inner surface that includes the heel, and a portion of which is closed like a bag. and four belt parts that wrap around and fix the ankle and instep while fixing the part to the heel part, and all four belt parts are attached to the heel wrapping part. An ankle orthosis characterized by being extended. 2. The ankle joint orthosis according to claim 1, wherein a hook-and-loop fastener is provided at the free end of the belt portion as a means for fixing the belt portion.