NZ606420B - A Hand Orthotic and a Method of its Use - Google Patents

Abstract

606420 An orthosis for use on the hand of a person for training a person in the appropriate ergonomic use of the hand has a hand portion and a finger portion 4 in the form of an open sleeve just for the index finger (and no other fingers) of the person’s hand. The finger portion is partially resistant to movement relative to the hand portion. The hand portion covers a portion of the back of the hand excluding the thumb and the fingers other than the index finger and includes an opening 3 to expose the portion of the palm 7f proximate the second, third and fourth fingers. ant to movement relative to the hand portion. The hand portion covers a portion of the back of the hand excluding the thumb and the fingers other than the index finger and includes an opening 3 to expose the portion of the palm 7f proximate the second, third and fourth fingers.

Description

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 A HAND ORTHOTIC AND A METHOD OF ITS USE TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hand orthotic for the hand and a method of its use.

The invention has particular application to encouragement of wearers on the appropriate use of the hand.

BACKGROUND ART One of the injuries that a physiotherapist may encounter on a regular basis are those caused through inappropriate articulation of the hand. Such injuries are often referred to as repetitive strain injuries (RSI) or occupation overuse syndrome (OOS).

These injuries are often a result of poor posture and inappropriate hand use for daily and routine tasks. These tasks can include the use of certain types of implements, maintaining an inappropriate position for an extended period of time, gripping, grasping, holding and carrying of items.

Repetitive strain injury can result in considerable pain from conditions including, but not limited to, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow and de Quervain’s syndrome among other conditions.

The treatment of such conditions usually involves either the use of drug or physical therapies, splinting or a combination of all of these.

In some instances, RSI conditions can be treated with anti-inflammatory medication, but this can be undesirable. The use of drugs may not be suitable for a variety of reasons, such as detrimental side effects. Furthermore, such therapies usually only treat the symptoms of the injury rather than the cause.

Therefore many people with RSI conditions are reluctant to use drugs for treatment of physical injuries and prefer less intrusive methods of treatments, such as splints.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 Fundamentally, many RSI injuries are caused through inappropriate function of the hand and shoulder and certain movements of the upper limb which place stress on joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and associated nerves.

A conventional method of treating hand injuries is the use of forearm and wrist splints to immobilise the affected area. This allows the limb to rest and heal, but with the loss of functionality of the hand which is a drawback.

An alternative for the temporary immobilisation or restraint of certain types of movement of the hand is through the use of strapping. The use of strapping, such as that manufactured by Beiersdorf Australia Limited under the Elastoplast® brand is common for the treatment sports injuries.

However, it can be difficult for an individual to apply adhesive strapping to the hand requiring treatment without assistance. Furthermore, the strapping has to be worn for the entire day if reapplying the strapping is to be avoided. In some cases, the residue left on the skin of the user from the strapping also requires heavy cleaning to remove. The adhesive used may also result in an adverse skin reaction.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, James & Wells ref: 134346/47 integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an orthosis for use on the hand of a person, the orthosis including: a hand portion, and a finger portion, wherein the finger portion is partially resistant to movement relative to the hand portion, characterised in that the finger portion is a sleeve for the index finger of the hand and a cutout for the remaining fingers of the hand and at least a portion of the palm of the hand.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blank for a hand orthosis, wherein the blank includes a hand portion and a finger portion, the blank characterised in that the finger portion is configured with two mating surfaces, whereby when the mating surfaces meet, the finger portion forms a sleeve and wherein the blank includes a cutout for the remaining fingers of the hand and at least a portion of the palm of the hand.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a blank substantially as described above to form a hand orthosis, wherein the method includes the step of: a) bringing the mating surfaces of the finger portion of the blank together to form a cylinder; James & Wells ref: 134346/47 b) joining the mating surfaces.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of treatment, rehabilitation or prevention of reoccurrence of repetitive strain injuries, wherein the method includes the step of: a) placing an orthosis on the hand on a person, wherein the orthosis includes a hand portion and a finger portion, and wherein the finger portion includes a sleeve for the index finger of the hand; b) inserting the person’s index finger into the sleeve of the glove.

The present invention provides an orthosis which may be worn by a user as a constant reminder for the appropriate use of the hand, thereby reducing or eliminating potential misuse of the hand. While it provides some resistance to the movement of the index finger, the orthosis has a positive influence on the function of the hand when worn.

Orthotics is a specialised field of physical therapy that utilises orthoses. An orthosis is an apparatus that is applied to the human body in order to modify and encourage appropriate biomechanics of the body as it moves. The invention is an orthosis for use with the human hand.

The hand will be understood to have an upper side and a lower side (the palm) with four fingers and a thumb. The first finger of the hand is what is often known as the index finger, with the adjacent finger, being the second finger and so on.

An orthosis should be understood to mean a device, which when worn, modifies the way in which certain parts of a person’s muscular and skeletal system moves.

In the present invention, the orthosis is intended to train the wearer in the appropriate use of the certain portions of the hand, and in particular, the fingers of the hand.

It has been recognised that the thumb and first finger (the index finger) of the hand are important for super fine control activities. Examples of such activities include the James & Wells ref: 134346/47 threading of a needle or the removal of a prickle from a foot. The thumb and first two fingers (the index and middle fingers) of the hand are important for activities requiring dexterity such as writing and manipulating instruments such as dials or the like. The second (middle), third and fourth fingers of the hand are important for strong gripping, grasping, holding and lifting of objects.

Many RSI injuries are as a result of the inappropriate use of the thumb, first and sometimes second fingers of the hand for gripping, grasping, holding and lifting of loads and objects. This results in poor transference of the load being carried through the arms and body, which may potentially place inappropriate stress on the wrist, elbow and shoulder.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the orthosis is a glove, and shall be referred to as such throughout the remainder of the specification.

The glove should be understood to include a hand portion and a finger portion.

The hand portion should be understood to cover portions of both the lower and the upper side of the hand. It does not need to cover the entire portion either side of the hand. For example, the portion of the glove covering the upper side of the hand may simply be a strip of material extending towards the index finger from a wrist band. It should be appreciated that an important aspect of the hand portion is to simply provide a surface for the finger portion of the glove.

Therefore, the shape of the hand portion is not particularly important and may vary accordingly to the requirements of the user.

In a preferred embodiment, the glove may be configured to leave the portion of the palm of the hand that is proximate to the base of the majority of the fingers exposed. This arrangement provides tactile and sensory feedback and stimulation to the use of the second to fourth fingers of the hand while offering little interference to the wearer of the glove when using those fingers of the hand.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 This is best achieved by having a section of the hand portion of the glove cut out to expose at least the portion of the palm of the hand that is proximate to the base of the majority of the fingers.

The finger portion of the glove is for the index finger of the hand. The finger portion includes a sleeve extending from the hand portion of the glove.

The sleeve may be closed at its far end, but preferably is open to ensure sensory and tactile feedback, important for fine control tasks, is not lost. An open sleeve also allows the wearer to see the top portion of the index finger. Again, this can be important when performing tasks requiring fine control. Furthermore, this arrangement also simplifies the manufacture of the glove.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the position of the sleeve relative to the hand portion of the glove is such that the sleeve corresponds with the index finger of the wearer’s hand.

This is an important aspect of the present invention. The sleeve provides some degree of resistance to movement of the index finger relative to the hand portion of the glove and acts as a constant reminder to the wearer to only use the index finger for appropriate tasks, i.e. those requiring fine control. However, it does not inhibit the overall use of the hand, as is the case with inflexible splints and orthoses.

Thus not only may the invention be used to treat RSI but it can be used to educate wearers as to the appropriate usage of the hand in a way to prevent or reduce the risk of further RSI injuries.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the cut out of the hand portion of the glove also leaves the second, third and fourth fingers of the hand exposed.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the cut out of the hand portion of the glove is dimensioned to allow the thumb of the hand to be exposed. It will be appreciated the glove may cover the webbing between the thumb and index finger, in order to achieve James & Wells ref: 134346/47 a connection between the sleeve and the hand portion of the glove. In some embodiments of the present invention, the glove may be provided with a separate cut out specifically for the thumb.

However, in some embodiments of the invention, the glove may be provided with a sleeve for the thumb and/or second finger of the hand, in addition to the sleeve for the index finger. This may depend on the extent of the RSI injury requiring treatment or rehabilitation. Like the sleeve for the index finger, these supplementary sleeves provide slight resistance of their respective finger and thumb relative to the hand portion.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the hand portion of the glove also includes a wrist portion extending downwards away from the body portion of the glove. It will be understood that in use, the wearer will put the glove over the hand and secure it about the wrist.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the wrist portion includes a flap or similar means by which the glove can be fastened about the wrist. This effectively widens the opening into which the hand can be inserted into the glove, making it easy to put on and remove as required. The opening can be tightened through the use of the flap which temporarily bonds with another part of the wrist portion.

In these embodiments of the present invention, the flap and corresponding wrist portion includes fasteners such as stud buttons or Velcro™. However, these examples are not meant to be limiting and other fasteners may be readily envisaged by the user.

The size of the glove is important. It should not be too large such that large air spaces are present around the covered portion of the hands and finger. This may affect the amount of resistance provided by the glove. In preferred embodiments, the glove is relatively snug fitting and this may be achieved with an appropriate choice of material for fabricating the glove.

The glove may be manufactured from any suitable material that provides some resistance to flexure but is also resilient.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the material is a synthetic material such as neoprene. As well as being snug but able to easily stretch, which is useful when putting the glove on, the inventor has found that neoprene provides some resistance to the movement of the index finger as it is articulated. This means that the wearer is constantly aware of the presence of the glove on their index finger. Furthermore, neoprene is easily to clean.

However, neoprene is also sufficiently flexible that the glove does not drastically inhibit normal usage of the hand. The glove essentially acts as a flexible orthosis to discourage use of the thumb and index finger for gripping, grasping, holding and lifting functions while still allowing the use of these extremities for fine control tasks.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the glove is formed from a single piece of material. This is to simplify the manufacture of the glove. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that with more pieces of material being used, the amount of joining required in the manufacturing process also increases, potentially with a subsequent impact on the cost of manufacture.

However, it is not beyond the scope of the present invention that the sleeve for the index finger may be a separate piece of material that is sewed or otherwise joined to a piece of material that forms the main portion of the glove.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the glove is formed from a blank of material, in which the mating surfaces of the blank are stitched, heat treated or otherwise joined together.

The inventor has found that the sleeve of the finger portion of the glove provides an ideal mating surface between the opposing ends of the blank. It will be appreciated that the sleeve is effectively a cylinder; when the ends of the blank are brought together to form the cylinder, this effectively forms the glove. This minimises the amount of stitching that is required to form the glove. This also helps keep cost of production of the glove to a minimum.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 Depending on the material from which the glove is made, a single blank is suitable for both the left and right hand. The glove may simply be turned inside out depending on which hand the glove is to be worn on. This may not be suitable for all materials which may have one side of a different texture to the other.

In some embodiments of the invention, the glove may be manufactured from cotton, leather or the like, with the resilience of the finger portion of the glove provided by additional materials.

For example, the upper side of the hand portion of the glove may include strips of nylon or similar material that extends up to the sleeve of the finger portion. The nylon strips provide some resistance to the articulation of the index finger of the hand.

The present invention acts as a constant reminder to the wearer of the glove for the first and second fingers to be deactivated and to encourage use of the second to fourth fingers of the hand for the tasks which can often result in RSI injuries. The use of neoprene or similar materials for forming the glove means that there is little or no loss of function of the hand when performing fine control tasks.

The present invention offers a number of advantages over existing orthoses for the hand, including:  inexpensive to manufacture;  easy to put on and remove;  a flexible orthosis that encourages the normal usage of the user’s hand;  may help with the treatment and rehabilitation of RSI injuries; and  may help prevent RSI injuries.

At the very least, the present invention offers the public a useful choice.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the present invention in use; Figure 3 shows a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a plan view of a blank for use in the manufacture of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As depicted in Figure 1, the present invention consists of a orthosis (generally indicated by arrow 1) in the form of a glove to be worn by a user (not shown).

The glove (1) is provided with a hand portion (2) in which a cut out (3) is provided for the thumb and for the three remaining fingers of the hand (not shown). The glove also includes a finger portion in the form of a single sleeve (4) for the forefinger (not shown).

The glove (1) includes a wrist portion in the form of a flap (5) to which hook and fastener material (6a) such as Velcro™ is affixed. This corresponds with complementary hook and fastening material (6b) on the hand portion (2) of the glove.

The flap (5) in combination with the hook and fastener material (6a, 6b) secures the glove (1) about the wrist of the wearer (not shown) when in use.

Turning now to Figure 2, the glove (1) of Figure 1 can be seen on the hand (7) of a wearer. It will be seen that in contrast to Figure 1, the underside of the glove is depicted.

James & Wells ref: 134346/47 It will be noted that the sleeve (4) corresponds with the first finger (7a) of the hand (7), while the large cut out (3) leaves the thumb (7b) and remaining three fingers (7c, 7d, 7e) of the hand relatively free and unrestrained. A substantial portion (7f) of the palm is also exposed. This ensures that sensory and tactile feedback from the area of the hand proximate to the unrestrained fingers is not lost.

This is an important aspect of the present invention. The first (7a) and second fingers (7c) are predominantly associated with fine motor tasks such as using pens, holding small instruments and the like, while the third (7d) and fourth (7e) fingers are more associated with the heavy tasks, such as gripping, grasping and lifting of objects. Many repetitive strain injuries of the hand (7) are due to the use of the first and second fingers of the hand for these heavy tasks.

The sleeve (4) of the glove (1) acts as a constant reminder to the wearer (not shown) for the appropriate use of the first finger (7a) at least. The glove does not interfere with the use of the hand (7).

Turning now to Figure 3, it would be appreciated that a top view of an alternative embodiment (1b) is illustrated, which includes a first sleeve (4b) and also a second sleeve (8) corresponding to the first (7a – in dashed lines) and second fingers (7c – in dashed lines) of the hand (7 – in dashed lines).

This embodiment of the invention may provide greater resistance to bending and flexure and therefore a stronger reminder to the wearer of the glove (1b). In the illustrated embodiment, additional resistance is provided through the use of lengths of resilient material (9) such as nylon or the like running across the sleeves (4b, 8) and onto the hand portion (2b) of the glove.

This means that the glove (1b) may be made from lightweight material such as cotton, in contrast to the embodiment described in Figures 1 and 2 in which the glove (1) is manufactured from a synthetic material such as neoprene. Neoprene provides sufficient James & Wells ref: 134346/47 resistance to the movement of the hand (7) without additional materials, whereas the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 uses nylon to provide this.

The manufacture of the glove is relatively straightforward, and an example of a blank (1c) for the embodiment of the glove illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is depicted in Figure 4.

It will be seen that the glove is fabricated from a single piece of material (10), which is preferred for ease of manufacture.

The glove is stitched or heat bonded along the joining edges (11a, 11b) of the blank. This forms the main body (2) and sleeve (4) for the index finger of the hand (not shown). The central cutout (14) defines the opening for the remaining fingers and thumb of the hand.

A section of Velcro™ (6a) or the like is fixed to the flap (5) and the corresponding portion (6b – in dashed outline) is fixed to the reverse side of the glove.

The blank (1c) is configured for the right hand of a person; by simply reversing the blank, a glove for the left hand can be made.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

WHAT I

Claims (9)

1. CLAIM 1. IS: 1. A flexible orthosis for use in training a person in the appropriate ergonomic use of the hand, wherein the hand has a thumb, an index finger, second, third and fourth fingers, and wherein the hand also has a main portion having an upper and lower side, wherein the lower side is the palm, and wherein the orthosis includes: a finger portion for the index finger of the hand, and a hand portion covering at least a portion of the upper side of the main portion of the hand exclusive of the thumb, second, third and fourth fingers, wherein the finger portion is in the form of a open ended sleeve, and wherein the hand portion includes an opening to expose at least the portion of the palm proximate to the second, third and fourth fingers, and the material of the othosis in combination with the configuration of the hand and finger portions allows movement of the hand and index finger relative to each other.
2. 2. An orthosis as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material for forming the orthosis is neoprene.
3. 3. An orthosis as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the orthosis includes a wrist portion, wherein the wrist portion includes a flap.
4. 4. An orthosis as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flap includes a fastener.
5. 5. An orthosis as claimed in claim 4 wherein the hand portion of the orthosis includes a second fastener complementary to the first fastener.
6. 6. A blank for a flexible orthosis for use in training a person in the appropriate ergonomic use of the hand, wherein the blank includes: a finger portion for the index finger of the hand; a hand portion, wherein the hand portion includes cutouts for the remaining fingers, the thumb and at least a portion of the palm of the hand, and the material of the othosis in combination with the configuration of the hand and finger portions allows movement of the hand and index finger relative to each other, the blank characterised in that the finger portion is configured with two mating surfaces, whereby when the mating surfaces meet, the finger portion forms a sleeve.
7. 7. A blank as claimed in claim 6 wherein the blank is made from synthetic material.
8. 8. A blank as claimed in claim 7 wherein the material is neoprene.
9. 9. A method of assembling a blank as claimed in claim 6 wherein the method includes the step of: a) bringing the mating surfaces of the finger portion of the blank together to form a cylinder; b) bonding the mating surfaces. 11. A flexible orthosis for use in training a person in the appropriate ergonomic use of the hand substantially as herein described in the best modes section of the specification and with reference to