WO2007129950A1

WO2007129950A1 - Back orthosis

Info

Publication number: WO2007129950A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000420
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roger NILSSON HALLÉN
Original assignee: Otto Bock Scandinavia Ab
Priority date: 2006-05-09
Filing date: 2007-05-02
Publication date: 2007-11-15
Also published as: SE0601042L

Abstract

A back orthosis (1) for surrounding and supporting the body part, wherein it includes different portions of different elastic flexing resistance against tension in a flexing direction, and wherein it exhibits an inside intended to be turned against said body part and an outside. The orthosis includes a woven fabric, wherein the different portions (2, 3, 4) with different flexing resistance are comprised of into the woven fabric integrated weave-portions with different number of elastic threads per area unit woven-in in the flexing direction in order to provide the orthosis with compression zones having different properties. The woven fabric includes at least one fastening portion (5, 7, 8) with free loops of thread for co-operation with Velcro® bands positioned on the surface of the woven fabric, and integrated woven-in pockets (6) for receiving rigidifying support elements (6' ) for the orthosis.

Description

Back orthosis

Field of the invention

The invention concerns a back orthosis for surrounding and supporting the body of a user according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background of the invention

With back orthosis is here intended a flexible, in use, essentially tubular device for surrounding and supporting the body of a user for therapeutic purposes as well as for use during for example sport.

For example for supporting the spinal column of a user, orthoses are previously known which have been provided with portions with different degree of so called compression in order to provide the orthosis or the back support with different properties. In particular it is known to provide a central portion of the orthosis with rigidifying properties by sewing on suitably dimensioned pieces of textiles. It is also known, on an orthosis, to sew on Velcro^® bands as well as textile pieces having free loops for co-operation with Velcro® bands in order to provide the possibility of closing an openable orthosis. It is further known, with the aid of Velcro^® bands, to attach pressure pads or the like to the orthosis.

Such known arrangements are time and cost consuming to arrange and they give unwanted effects on the properties of the known orthoses.

EP 0235484 Al and WO 2005/092238 A2 could be mentioned as examples of background art. im and most important features of the invention

It is an aim with the present invention to provide an orthosis as mentioned above wherein the problems of the prior art is avoided or at least reduced. In particular it is an aim to provide an orthosis which is economically produceable and gives greater possibilities to be provided with properties that are suitable for the application and even for the individual .

These aims are obtained in an orthosis as mentioned above through the features of claim 1.

Hereby is achieved that the woven fabric, which is a main ingredience of the orthosis, is an integral unit, manufactured such that different portions thereof by choice can be given different properties when it comes to compression. These properties can be provided to the orthosis in a preferred economic and also effective way in that it is allowed that the different compression zones with great precision can be provided with different flexing resistance.

For example it is possible to along the vertical direction of a spinal support give the compression zones of the spinal support well balanced elastic properties as well as allow that flexing resistance in a desired manner varies along the vertical direction of the orthosis. Such possibilities are not at all possible according to the background art, where instead the characteristics are included into to the orthosis fairly coarsely and where real variation as a function over the vertical direction of the orthosis is hardly achievable.

In particular, a central portion of the orthosis is provided with higher flexing resistance than sideward positioned portions, i.e. in use of a spinal support according to the invention, top and bottom portions have less compression than a central portion. As the woven fabric further includes at least one portion with free loops of threads for co-operation with Velcro^® bands and when this fastening portion also is an integral portion of the woven fabric itself, an advantageous further integration of different functions of the orthosis is achieved. Such fastening portions can be positioned on the inside of the orthosis for holding pads, pillows or the like that are intended to exert a pressure against a specific body part. They can also be arranged on the outside of the orthosis, for example in order to contribute when fastening and tensioning of the orthosis against the body part as well as retaining various accessories such as for example a support plate, which in itself is a common accessory for a spinal support. This support plate will in that case have Velcro^® bands on areas corresponding to said fastening portion. Typically, in the case of a rounded support plate, Velcro^® bands will be positioned in a section, as a band, closest to the peripheral part of the support plate.

If the orthosis is openable, a fastening portion arranged for that purpose with free loops or the like can be arranged for the co-operation with Velcro^® bands for closing and tensioning of the orthosis.

Further preferred integration of different functions is achieved by the woven fabric, according to the invention, including integral pockets for receiving rigidifying support elements, for example in the form of differently resilient strip-like support elements of a synthetic material or a resilient metallic material.

Brief description of drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of embodiments and with reference to the drawings, whereon: Fig. 1 shows an outside of an orthosis in the form of a spinal support according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows the spinal support in Fig. 1 in reduced scale from an inside, and Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a sequence over a method according to the invention.

Description of embodiment:

The spinal support 1 in Fig. 1 includes a woven fabric, which in the present case is cut in accordance with the outer contours of the orthosis being shown on the figure. Inside these outside contours, the woven fabric comprising the support 1 is provided with the following features and functions . The support exhibits an enlarged mid portion intended to lie against the back of a user and two narrowing, elongated portions which are intended to be fastened around the belly of the user for adequate tensioning of the support around the body. The shape shown in Fig. 1 with these narrowing portions is adapted to allow movements, in particular forward bends of the user, without unnecessary obstructions occurring from the support.

The enlarged portion thus lies against a great part of the back of the user and over a portion where considerable curve-forms exist, such as at the lumbar region, the upper parts of the buttocks and the middle back. In order to provide an adequately adapted pressure to these portions, the spinal support 1 exhibits three compression zones with different "compression", that is elastic flexing resistance against tension in a flexing direction, which is defined by the double arrow A in Fig. 1.

In particular, the spinal support 1 has a first compression zone 2 between the two horizontal interrupted lines on the drawing, which compression zone exhibits the most so called compression, i.e. has the greatest flexing resistance against tension, since in this area there are woven-in the greatest number of elastic threads in the flexing direction. These elastic threads are of a per se previously known kind and are comprised of a natural or synthetic rubber material or a corresponding material.

A second compression zone is indicated with 3, which has a somewhat lower compression than the compression zone 2 and is positioned above the upper horizontal interrupted line on Fig. 1.

A third compression zone is indicated with 4, below the lower horizontal interrupted line in Fig. 1, and this compression zone has a compression which is lower than the one in the compression zone indicated by 3. Through the invention it is made possible that the bridging between the compression zones is floating, which means that there is no abrupt compression difference between two compression zones, but the invention allows an even increase/reduction at the bridging between the zones when it comes to compression. The woven fabric comprising the spinal support 1 further comprises a fastening portion 5 being a surrounding area with free loops that are lifted up from the woven fabric for the co-operation with Velcro^® bands. The fastening portion 5 is the portion which is shown between the two oval interrupted lines on Fig. 1. Furthermore there is a further fastening portion 7, indicated with dotted interrupted lines having the same properties as the fastening portions 5 for co-operation with Velcro^® bands at 9 (see Fig. 2) on the second narrowing end of the support in order to close the orthosis.

6 indicates channels woven into the woven fabric and being indicated with vertical interrupted lines and whereof two are indicated with β. These channels comprise pockets for receiving rigidifying support elements 6' as is indicated above .

In Fig. 2 is shown the second side of the spinal support 1, whereby with 8 is indicated a central area having free loops for receiving and co-operation with Velcro^® bands on a pressure pillow, a pad or the like intended to provide a certain body part with a certain pressure.

The invention can be varied further within the scope of the following claims. Thus, the invention in its most general form can be made without woven-in pockets/channels as well as uplifted loops for the co-operation with Velcro^® bands. It should however be stressed that an integral woven fabric orthosis including all these portions with corresponding properties is most preferred with respect of the present invention.

A method according to the invention can be described with reference to Fig. 3, wherein:

Position 23 indicates the start of the sequence. Position 24 indicates setting a loom with a warp having a varying number of elastic threads along the widths of the warp.

Position 25 indicates weaving with uplifting of free loops over determined portions of the woven fabric. Position 26 indicates partial channel weaving over limited portions of the longitudinal extension of the woven fabric.

Position 27 indicates cutting and edge-stabilizing of the resulting orthosis. Position 28 indicates the end of the sequence.

A weaving procedure according to the invention is made possible through a loom having free possibilities of variation of weaving method over the extension of the resulting woven fabric. Such looms are known per se to the person skilled in the art.

By the invention considerable advantages are achieved. By means of integrated weaving such that different compression zones are obtained integrally into a woven fabric, the problems of prior solutions are avoided, where several layers of textiles had to be positioned on top of each other and be fastened by sewing. Further, particular tensile bands do not have to be added to a textile. Through the invention is thus achieved that a thinner resulting material can be used, where the transition between the compression zones can be made soft. Seen economically, the production will be less expensive and less resource demanding. By the fact that the pockets are woven directly into the woven fabric, there is no requirement for particular pieces of material being sewn onto a base textile, which also would result in interference with the function of the compression zones. As a result thinner and more flexible pockets are obtained without extra material that would deteriorate the elastic properties. No extra seams are necessary and there are greater possibilities of making narrow pockets for thin rib springs and support elements.

By integrating by weaving of portions with free loops on the surface for co-operation with Velcro^® bands, pieces of such material do not have to be sewn onto the woven fabric and thus is also avoided an unwanted effect on the elastic properties of the orthosis. A great advantage is that all zones for cooperating with Velcro^® bands are elastic and that these zones can be made in desired forms without having to consider shapes being suitable for sewing. Hard, uncomfortable edges of Velcro^® bands can be avoided and since these zones do not affect the elastic properties, the zones can be made much larger than has been possible before.

Altogether the invention makes it possible to have thinner material and a more pliable product for use more closely to the body, thus without the user having to carry any intermediate garment. The material can also be made ventilating such that it breathes since a plurality of layers of materials is no longer necessary.

With the term "integrated woven fabric" shall be understood that the main part or parts for that matter, of the orthosis shall be comprised of a woven fabric with a plurality of functions woven-in. It is not excluded that an orthosis according to the invention can be extendable such that it for example can have longer or shorter narrowing portions (see Fig. 1) joinable on a mid portion. The extension possibility can suitably be achieved by means of Velcro^® fasteners at arrows D.

Claims

1. Back orthosis (1) for surrounding and supporting the body of a user, wherein it is provided with an enlarged mid portion intended to lie against the back of the user, wherein it includes different portions of different elastic flexing resistance against tension in a flexing direction, and wherein it exhibits an inside intended to be turned against said body part and an outside, characterized in - that the orthosis includes a woven fabric, wherein the different portions (2, 3, 4) with different flexing resistance are comprised by into the woven fabric integrated weave- portions with different number of elastic threads per area unit woven-in in the flexing direction in order to provide the orthosis with compression zones having different properties, that the woven fabric includes at least one fastening portion (5, 7, 8) with free loops of thread for co-operation with Velcro^® bands positioned on the surface of the woven fabric, and - that the woven fabric includes integrated woven-in pockets (6) for receiving rigidifying support elements (6') for the orthosis.

2. Orthosis according to claim 1, characterized in that, as seen crosswise to the flexing direction, a central portion (2) has higher flexing resistance than sideward positioned portions (3, 4) .

3. Orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a fastening portion is arranged on the inside, for receiving a pressure pad.

4. Orthosis according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that a fastening portion is arranged on the outside for receiving a support plate.

5. Orthosis according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it is openable and that a further fastening portion is arranged on the outside for co-operation with Velcro^® bands with tensioning action.