JP2011087816A - Knee orthosis - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a knee orthosis for extending the walking distance of a person suffering from the intermittent claudication caused by the arteriosclerosis obliterans. <P>SOLUTION: The knee orthosis 1 includes: a body portion which covers regions including a knee joint and popliteal fossa from the thigh to the lower leg; and a knee extension angle limiting mechanism disposed in the body portion for limiting the maximum extension angle of the knee (inclination from the skeleton line of the lower leg to the skeleton line of the thigh with the knee cap as a fulcrum). In this embodiment, a front body portion 10 and a back body portion 40 are integrally molded to make the body portion. The knee extension angle limiting mechanism is composed of a knee angle limiting belt 20 and a jointed stay 100 inserted into a stay support part 50. The knee orthosis 1 also includes a lower-leg front reinforcing belt 30, a lower-leg back reinforcing belt 32 and a side reinforcing part 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a knee orthosis.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a knee stability in which a reinforcing support stay is detachably disposed on both sides of a knee portion by a bag-like support, and a front folding restriction stopper is provided at a hinge portion in the middle of the reinforcing support stay. A mold supporter is disclosed.

JP 2000-197654 A

  The present invention provides, for example, a knee brace that extends the walking distance of a person suffering from intermittent claudication due to obstructive arteriosclerosis. In addition, intermittent claudication due to obstructive arteriosclerosis is that some of the arteries from the abdomen to the leg are clogged or thinned, so walking for a while does not supply enough oxygen to the leg muscles, It is a disease that causes numbness or pain in the leg and makes it impossible to walk. The present invention, for example, improves the blood flow of at least the popliteal artery in the knee among the arteries from the abdomen to the leg, and extends the walking distance of a person suffering from intermittent claudication.

  The knee orthosis according to the present invention includes a main body portion covering at least a portion including a knee joint portion of a leg, and a knee that is provided in the main body portion and limits a maximum extension angle of the knee to a range of 150 ° to 160 °. An extension angle limiting mechanism.

  Preferably, the knee extension angle limiting mechanism includes an articulated stay in which a maximum extension angle is limited to a range of 150 ° to 160 ° and a stay support portion that fixes the articulated stay to the main body. And a cushioning member that elastically resists the knee joint extension operation.

  Preferably, the back surface of the main body is made of a material that is more elastic than the front surface of the main body.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the walking distance of the patient who has trouble on walking can be extended.

It is the perspective view which looked at the knee orthosis from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the knee orthosis 1 from the back side. It is the perspective view which looked at the knee orthosis 1 from the side surface side (with the appearance of the leg at the time of mounting | wearing). It is a top view of the developed knee orthosis. It is a figure which illustrates the jointed stay 100 inserted in the stay support part. It is a graph for comparing the way of walking of a healthy person and an intermittent claudication patient. It is a graph for demonstrating how a hip joint patient walks.

FIGS. 1 to 3 are perspective views of the knee orthosis 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side, the back side, and the side. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the deployed knee orthosis 1.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the knee orthosis 1 covers a part including the knee joint part and the popliteal part (hereinafter also referred to as “attachment part”) from the thigh to the lower leg of the leg. And a knee extension angle limiting mechanism that limits the maximum extension angle of the knee provided in the main body. Here, the maximum knee extension angle is an angle formed by the skeleton line of the lower leg and the skeleton line of the thigh with the kneecap as a fulcrum, and represents the angle formed on the back side of the knee. In the present embodiment, the main body unit is obtained by integrating the front main body unit 10 and the rear main body unit 40 by sewing. The knee extension angle limiting mechanism includes a knee angle limiting belt 20 and an articulated stay 100 (described later with reference to FIG. 5) inserted into the stay support 50. Further, the knee brace 1 is provided with a crus front reinforcement belt 30, a crus back reinforcement belt 32, and side reinforcements 60 for reinforcement.

The front main body 10 covers the front of the thigh and the lower leg and the knee joint. In order to fit the shape of the portion to be covered, the front main body 10 is desirably formed of a material that is stretchable and durable enough to withstand friction and impact. In the present embodiment, the front main body 10 is formed of a pile knitted fabric having both elasticity and durability. As a result, the front main body 10 has a male side fastener (a material raised in a hook shape) sewn on the back surface of the entanglement engaging portion 12 entangled with and engaged with the surface of the other front main body portion 10. Then, the front surface of the thigh and the lower leg and the knee joint part are covered.
Further, the front main body 10 forms a patella hole 14 that exposes the kneecap when covering the knee joint. Thereby, the front main-body part 10 makes the feeling of fit with a knee joint part favorable.

  The back main body 40 covers the back of the thigh and the lower leg and the popliteal portion. It is desirable that the back main body portion 40 be formed of a material that is lower in resilience and more flexible than the front main body portion 10 so as not to compress the popliteal portion. In the present embodiment, the back main body 40 is formed of a low-repulsion and flexible mesh-like material, and ensures air permeability. Thereby, the back surface main body part 40 does not stuffy the popliteal part with sweat. Moreover, even if the entanglement engaging part 12 is pulled on the surface of the other front main body part 10 and fits the knee brace 1 to fit the mounting part, the back body part 40 extends with low resilience. Therefore, the popliteal portion is not compressed and the circulation of the popliteal artery and capillaries passing through the popliteal portion is not inhibited.

  The knee extension angle limiting belt 20 is an example of a buffer member that elastically resists the knee joint extension operation. At least, when the knee joint has advanced to the vicinity of the maximum extension angle, the knee extension angle restriction belt 20 can be used for the knee joint extension operation. resist. The knee extension angle limiting belt 20 of the present example is formed in a band shape having a substantially trapezoidal shape as illustrated in FIG. 4, for example, and the back portion of the thigh of the back body 40 and the bottom of the front body 10. It is sewn to the back of the left and right stay support portions 50 provided on the thigh side. At the time of wearing, the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 extends from the back part of the thigh to the front part of the lower leg through both side surfaces of the knee joint part, and is overlapped and fixed on the front part of the lower leg. In this embodiment, the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 has a male surface fastener 70 and a female surface fastener 72 (pile knitted material) sewn to the left and right folded portions. Thereby, the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 is overlapped and fixed by the tangled engagement between the male surface fastener 70 and the female surface fastener 72 at the front portion of the lower leg. The knee extension angle limiting belt 20 is preferably fixed in a state where the knee is bent at an angle (described later with reference to FIG. 5) that relaxes the popliteal artery. Thereby, when the knee joint extends, the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 becomes a resistance to pull the front part of the lower leg from the back part of the thigh, and limits the extension of the knee joint. In this embodiment, the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 is formed of a stretchable material having resistance to limit the extension of the knee joint. When the knee extension angle limit belt 20 is extended, it kills the momentum of the knee joint extension and Make sure that the inserted articulated stay is not overloaded.

  The stay support portions 50 are provided on the thigh side and the crus side of both side surfaces of the knee joint portion of the front main body portion 10. An articulated stay 100 with a limited extension angle is inserted into the stay support 50. The stay support unit 50 supports the inserted joint stay 100 so that the knee joint does not extend beyond the extension angle of the joint stay 100. In addition, in order to support the stay 100 with a joint, the stay support part 50 is desirably formed of a non-stretchable strong material.

  The crus front reinforcing belt 30 is sewn to the backs of the left and right stay support portions 50 provided on the crus side of the front main body 10. The crus front reinforcing belt 30 reinforces the fixation of the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 and prevents the shift of the fixing position of the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 due to the movement of the knee joint. The lower leg front reinforcing belt 30 is preferably formed of a stretchable material in order to fasten the fixed portion of the knee extension angle limiting belt 20. In this embodiment, the crus front reinforcing belt 30 is formed of a stretch knitted fabric, and a male side fastener is sewn on one back side. As a result, the crus front reinforcing belt 30 extending from the back of the stay support 50 on the crus side provided on both sides of the knee joint is overlapped and entangled and fixed on the front of the crus. Is done.

  The lower leg back reinforcing belt 32 is sewn to the back of the left and right stay support parts 50 provided on the lower leg part side of the front main body part 10. The lower leg back reinforcing belt 32 tightens the lower leg back according to the tightening of the lower leg front reinforcing belt 30. As a result, the crus back reinforcing belt 32 prevents the mounting position of the crus from shifting due to the movement of the knee joint. The lower leg back reinforcing belt 32 is sewn so as to avoid the popliteal portion. Further, it is desirable that the crus back reinforcing belt 32 be formed of a stretchable material that is tightened to such an extent that blood flow on the crus back is not hindered.

  The side reinforcing portions 60 are sewn to both side portions of the knee joint portion of the back body portion 40. The side reinforcing part 60 protects the back main body part 40 from friction caused by the knee angle limiting belt 20 and the hinge part 130. The side reinforcing part 60 is preferably formed of a strong material that is resistant to friction.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an articulated stay 100 inserted into the stay support 50.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the articulated stay 100 is obtained by connecting an upper stay portion 110 and a lower stay portion 120 at a hinge portion 130. The upper stay portion 110 rotates at the hinge portion 130 with respect to the lower stay portion 120. However, the upper stay unit 110 is configured so that the angle θ (extension angle) formed with the lower stay unit 120 is any angle within the range of 150 ° to 160 ° (depending on the individual difference of the wearer). Rotation is limited. That is, the maximum extension angle of the jointed stay 100 is set to a range of 150 ° or more and 160 ° or less. The maximum extension angle of the articulated stay 100 of this example is set to 155 °. This maximum extension angle in the range of 150 ° to 160 ° acts to relax the popliteal artery causing the obstructive arteriosclerosis causing intermittent claudication and to maximize the blood flow of the popliteal artery. . In addition, in the hinge part 130, the mechanism which restrict | limits the rotation of the upper stay part 110 can employ | adopt a well-known thing, for example, when the upper stay part 110 contacts the stopper member provided in the hinge part 130. The rotation may be limited.

  By wearing the knee brace 1 described above, the wearer can walk with the knee joint bent as illustrated in FIG. Thereby, the knee orthosis 1 improves the blood flow of the popliteal artery during walking, and makes it difficult for the muscles from the lower leg to the foot to fall into an oxygen deficient state, for example, obstruction which is one of walking disorders. The walking distance of people suffering from intermittent claudication due to atherosclerosis can be increased. In addition, intermittent claudication due to obstructive arteriosclerosis is that some parts of the artery from the abdomen to the leg is clogged or thinned, so walking for a while does not supply enough oxygen to the leg muscles, It is a disease that causes numbness or pain in the leg and makes it impossible to walk.

  FIG. 6 shows a graph (A) representing the transition of the popliteal angle during walking of a healthy person and a graph (B) representing the transition of the popliteal angle during walking of a person suffering from intermittent claudication. . FIG. 7 shows a graph (C) showing the transition of the popliteal angle during walking of a person suffering from hip arthropathy. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the angle formed on the popliteal side by the skeletal line of the thigh and the skeleton line of the lower leg is referred to as the popliteal angle. In this figure, the transition of the popliteal part angle at the time of walking in the right leg and the left leg is represented by the lines of Angle 3.s and Angle 3.e, respectively.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, this graph (A) shows that a healthy person, when walking, extends his knees to about 180 degrees at the time of stepping, and then slightly steps to the stepping on the other leg. It indicates that the leg is bent and then further bent when the foot leaves the ground and moves forward, and repeats this action when stepping on again.

On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 6, this graph (B) shows that a person suffering from intermittent claudication can extend his knee (left leg side) only to the vicinity of 155 degrees when stepping on during walking. Represents. In other words, from this graph (B), a person suffering from intermittent claudication may be walking with the knee flexed in order to avoid leg pain and numbness and to secure a walking distance. I understand.
A person suffering from intermittent claudication is supported to maintain such a state where the knee is bent by wearing the knee brace 1, so that the walking distance can be extended more easily. The treatment effect can be enhanced by avoiding the burden on the patient.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, this graph (C) shows that a person suffering from hip arthropathy is 150 degrees when depressing in order to avoid pain during walking, like a person suffering from intermittent claudication. It means that the knee can only be extended to the vicinity. That is, it can be expected that the same effect as that when a person suffering from intermittent claudication is worn by wearing the knee brace 1 for a person suffering from hip arthropathy. The knee orthosis 1 is useful not only for intermittent claudication and hip arthropathy, but also for general walking disorders that are forced to walk with the knee bent to avoid symptoms such as leg pain and numbness. Expected to be
[Modification 1]

  In the above-described embodiment, the main body portion is composed of the front main body portion 10 and the back main body portion 40, but the main body portion may be formed only by the front main body portion 10. In this case, the portion of the knee extension angle limiting belt 20 that has been sewn to the back main body 40 may be sewn so as to hang over the front main body 10 on both sides.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Knee orthosis 10 Front main body part 12 Entanglement engaging part 14 Knee head hole 20 Knee angle restriction belt 30 Lower leg front reinforcement belt 40 Back main body part 50 Stay support part 60 Side reinforcement part 70 Male surface fastener 72 Female surface fastener 100 Jointed stay 110 Upper stay part 120 Lower stay part 130 Hinge part

Claims (3)

A body portion covering at least a portion including the knee joint portion of the leg;
A knee orthosis comprising: a knee extension angle limiting mechanism provided in the main body portion and limiting a maximum knee extension angle to a range of 150 ° to 160 °. The knee extension angle limiting mechanism includes an articulated stay whose maximum extension angle is limited to a range of 150 ° to 160 °, and a stay support portion that fixes the articulated stay to the main body.
The knee brace according to claim 1, further comprising a cushioning member that elastically resists the knee joint extension operation. The knee orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a back surface of the main body portion is made of a material that is more elastic than a front surface of the main body portion.

Images