JPH039751B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of protective gloves, and more particularly to preventing damage to certain ligaments of the thumb.

Problems to be Solved by the Prior Art and the Invention In various sports and recreational activities, as in industrial activities, the thumb may become momentarily separated from the other fingers of the hand and bent as a result of some failure. occurs sometimes. As a result, the ulnar collateral ligament that connects around the knuckles of the palm, which is the lower joint of the thumb, stretches. If this stretch is large, the ligament will be damaged. This damage is not self-evident and often requires surgical intervention to correct the damage. Even if the ligament does not tear, such stretching, if repeated, can cause chronic joint loosening of the ligament and cause arthritis.

Gloves up until now have only been designed to protect the hands from the cold or from chafing the skin, and no attention has been paid to preventing damage such as the above-mentioned streaks. Furthermore, a common method for protecting the thumb area after surgery is the use of cumbersome plasters, which require the hand to be kept in place for six to eight weeks or more. This period is shorter than the time actually required for the ligament to heal.

Previously, the inventor has U.S. Patent No. 4,445,507 and U.S. Application No.
We have applied for the No. These prevent damage to the ligament by restricting the outside of the thumb (on the radius side).

Gloves to Solve the Problem Stress on the ulnar collateral ligament is reduced by effectively connecting and maintaining the thumb to the second palm or index finger while freely lowering the thumb and hand generally vertically downward. , it was found that it could be significantly reduced.

In the presently preferred embodiment, the thumb pocket of the glove is connected to the rest of the glove by a lace. During use, this lace is pulled to hold the thumb pocket toward the rest of the glove. This prevents the thumb pocket and the thumb and other fingers from bending separately.

In another embodiment, the thumb pocket is knitted along its length to the rest of the glove, and a third
In this embodiment, the glove is constructed without a separate thumb pocket. In a further embodiment, the thumb pocket is reinforced not only with the thumb but also with the index finger.

In all cases, the glove of the present invention prevents significant radial movement of the thumb and thus prevents breakage or damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. At the same time, the user's hand can also grasp, for example, a ski pole.

Effect: The glove has a thumb pocket connected to the finger,
The free movement of the thumb from the rest of the glove is restricted so that the user's thumb does not cause damage to certain ligaments when the thumb bends abnormally.

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows a glove 10 according to the invention. This glove 10 has a finger section 20 and a thumb pocket 22. (The illustrated glove 10 is in the form of a bifurcated glove; however, the glove of the present invention can also have separate pockets for each finger.) The thumb pocket 22 has a first hole 24 and a second hole. hole 2
6. Other holes may also be provided. The hole 24 is located below the thumb pocket 22 on the ulnar side (on the other finger side). A second hole 26 is also on the ulnar side of the thumb pocket 22, but this hole 26 is near the top of the pocket 22. Third hole 28
is arranged on the radius side (toward the thumb) of the finger portion 20.

A lace 30 is attached at one end to the thumb pocket 22 at or near the first hole 24. This string 30
passes from the first hole to the second hole 26 to the third hole 28
It leads to. Finally, this string 30 is threaded through the first hole 24. In use, glove 10 is placed on the user's hand in a conventional manner. The thumb (not shown) is inserted into the thumb pocket 22, and the other fingers are inserted into the finger section 20. After this, string 3
Pull out 0 in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the ulnar side of the thumb pocket 22 and the thumb are pulled toward the radius side of the finger portion 20. Thereafter, the laces are tightened thereto, thus securing the thumb pocket 22 to the finger portion 20.
By fixing it in this way, the thumb will not separate from the other fingers and bend toward the radius, and the collateral ligament of the ulna will not be injured.

FIG. 5 shows the glove 10 in use. A thumb pocket 22 is attached to the finger 20 to allow the ski pole 80 to be firmly gripped by the user. The thumb thus bends along the pole 80 on the side with the non-thumb fingers instead of the thumb gripping the pole 80 from the side opposite the fingers as is customary.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention. Glove 40 according to the present invention also includes a finger section 42 and a thumb pocket 44.
It consists of A series of holes 46 (four in the figure) extend along the lower radial half of the finger 42. A similar series of holes 48 (four shown) extend into the ulnar side of the thumb pocket 44. A lace 50 is effectively woven through these holes to secure the thumb pocket 44 to the remainder of the glove.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. The glove 60 in this case consists of a single pocket 62 in which the thumb and all fingers are placed. An insulating material 64 surrounds the thumb and fingers. Similar to the previous embodiment, the thumb cannot separate from the other fingers and bend toward the radius without injuring the ulnar accessory ligament.

A fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. This glove 7
0 consists of a first pocket 72 and a second pocket 74, both of which are separated by an opening 78.
When in use, put three fingers into the first pocket 72,
The thumb and index finger are placed in the second pocket 74.
An insulating material 76 is provided within the second pocket 74 as shown. For this reason, the thumb cannot bend in the direction of the radius independently of the index finger, so deformation of the thumb into the ulnar collateral ligament can be prevented.

Other variations may occur to those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 shows the glove of the first embodiment of the invention with the laces still open; FIG. 2 shows the second embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 3 shows the glove of the third embodiment partially cut away. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway view showing the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred glove showing the hand inside the glove during use. Explanation of symbols, 10, 40, 60, 70: gloves,
20, 42: finger part, 22, 44: thumb pocket,
30,50: String.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A glove that prevents damage to the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb, comprising a hand cover portion having a thumb pocket and a finger portion, and a radius of the thumb that would damage the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb. A glove comprising attachment means for attaching the ulnar side of the thumb pocket to the radial side of the finger to prevent directional movement. 2. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the thumb pocket and the finger portion each have at least one hole. 3. Claim 2, wherein the attachment means is a string woven through holes in the finger and thumb pocket.
Gloves as described in section. 4. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the attachment means is a stitch. 5. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the thumb pocket is adapted to receive an index finger and a thumb. 6. Gloves that prevent damage to the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb, which include a hand cover that surrounds the thumb and other fingers, thereby damaging the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb. Gloves that prevent radial movement.