Fully-formed pressure partition sports ankle guard and knitting method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a pressure zoning knitting sports ankle guard designed based on the LoNEs principle and a knitting method thereof, the pressure zoning knitting sports ankle guard comprises an upper rib top, a lower rib top, an anterior ankle zone, an ankle heel covering zone, a shank outer side supporting zone, a shank inner side supporting zone, a shank front side zone, a shank rear side zone and an anterior foot zone, and different zones adopt different specifications of yarns and organization structures. Pressure distribution of different areas is coordinated, targeted stable supporting of the ankle joint is achieved, and the ankle joint supporting device has the remarkable effects on the aspects of enhancing the stability of the ankle joint, delaying muscle fatigue, reducing exercise impact force and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sports protection device, and particularly to a fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle brace and its knitting method. Background Art

[0002] Most sports involve the ankle joint. The ankle joint has strong mobility, bears a heavy load, and is subject to a large impact force, making it prone to injury during sports. The incidence of ankle joint sports injuries ranks second only to that of the knee joint, among which ankle sprains are the most common, accounting for about 75%-85% of all ankle joint sports injury cases. Such injuries often lead to long-term limitation of the patient's motor function, with an average recovery time of up to 6-8 weeks and a recurrence rate as high as 40%-70%. People wear ankle braces during daily activities or sports to reduce the harm caused by sports to the joints and relieve fatigue to a certain extent.

[0003] Most of the current sports ankle braces on the market adopt a uniform pressure or strap structure. Although they can provide a certain degree of support for the ankle joint, they often have the following problems: 1. Excessively restricting the movement of the ankle joint, affecting sports flexibility; 2. The applied pressure is unreasonable, which may cause local discomfort or insufficient protection effect; 3. The material design is single and not optimized for the biomechanical needs of different regions.

[0004] Non-extension lines (LoNEs) are areas where the human skin and the tissues beneath it neither stretch nor contract and do not deform during movement. This concept has been applied to improve the mobility of spacesuits, the pattern design of functional tight clothing, and the conceptual design of prosthetics and orthotics. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the deficiencies in the technology of existing products, the present invention provides a pressure-zoned knitted sports ankle brace designed based on the LoNEs principle and its knitting method. By adopting a multi-region pressure regulation design, it ensures the effective support for the ankle joint while guaranteeing sports comfort.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle brace, including an upper cuff, a lower cuff, an anterior ankle area, a heel-ankle wrapping area, a lateral calf support area, a medial calf support area, an anterior calf area, a posterior calf area, and a forefoot area. The upper cuff and the lower cuff are made of double-layer non-slip knitting; the anterior ankle area is located in the transitional area from the dorsal foot to the ankle joint and is completed by using single-strand double-ply elastic silk to perform return knitting; the heel-ankle wrapping area wraps around the heel from the anterior talofibular ligament of the lateral malleolus and then connects to the medial malleolus, and is completed by using double-strand elastic wrapped yarn to perform return knitting; the lateral calf support area and the medial calf support area are respectively located on the outside of the fibula and the inside of the tibia, along the tendon directions of the peroneus longus and the tibialis anterior muscles, and are completed by using thick high-elastic wrapped yarn to perform return knitting; the anterior calf area is located above the anterior ankle area along the tibia direction, and the posterior calf area is located above the heel along the Achilles tendon direction, both of which are completed by using 2 kinds of high-elastic wrapped yarn to perform return knitting; the forefoot area is an annular band that wraps the dorsal foot and the anterior transverse arch and metatarsal bones of the sole, and is completed by the same-direction knitting of 2 knitting systems.

[0008] Further, the lateral calf support area provides reinforcement support obliquely upward along the LoNES direction at the lateral malleolus, that is, the tendon direction of the peroneus longus muscle, and does not interfere with the natural movement of the foot while applying pressure.

[0009] Further, the medial calf support area provides reinforcement support obliquely upward along the LoNES direction at the medial malleolus, that is, the tendon direction of the tibialis anterior muscle, and does not interfere with the natural movement of the foot while applying pressure.

[0010] The knitting method of the fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle brace of the present invention is as follows:

[0011] (1) The upper cuff and the lower cuff are automatically hemmed in the machine to form a double-layer structure. A plain stitch of elastic wrapped yarn is knitted in the same direction by 1 knitting system, and an elastic non-slip yarn of 1×1 plain stitch (alternately knitting 1 floating stitch and 1 stitch) is knitted in the same direction by another knitting system between them to enhance the non-slip effect and prevent the ankle brace from slipping during exercise.

[0012] (2) For the anterior ankle area, single-strand double-ply elastic silk is used, and a 1×1 plain stitch is knitted by 1 knitting system through return knitting. The structure is relatively thin and light, avoiding discomfort caused by fabric accumulation during ankle dorsiflexion.

[0013] (3) For the heel-ankle wrapping area, double-strand elastic wrapped yarn is used, and a plain stitch is knitted by 1 knitting system through return knitting. The double-strand elastic wrapped yarn provides effective support for this pressure area while still having a high degree of body-fitting and good contact comfort, avoiding excessive inversion and eversion of the ankle joint and reducing the risk of ankle sprain.

[0014] (4) The outer and inner calf support areas are woven with thick, highly elastic wrapped yarn, providing a support effect similar to an externally applied strap. Each is completed by one knitting system through back-and-forth knitting of 2×2 plain stitch (alternating 2 stitches of float and 2 stitches of continuous knitting). While providing lateral support for the ankle joint and calf, it changes the muscle fiber recruitment pattern of the peroneus longus during long-term fatiguing activities and instantaneous explosive activities, enhances proprioception, and strengthens the control of the peroneus longus over the anterior movement of the ankle joint.

[0015] (5) Two kinds of highly elastic wrapped yarn are used in the anterior and posterior calf pressure areas. Each is completed by one knitting system through back-and-forth knitting of 2×2 plain stitch. The anterior calf area provides a certain pressure stimulus to the tibialis anterior muscle, helping it control the dorsiflexion and inversion of the ankle joint, especially contributing to maintaining the stability of the ankle joint during running and jumping. The posterior calf area provides a pressure stimulus to the soleus muscle, helping to delay the fatigue of the plantar flexor muscles, providing greater driving force during running and jumping, and assisting in buffering the ground impact when landing.

[0016] (6) The forefoot area is completed by two knitting systems through co-directional knitting technology. One knitting system uses nylon yarn to knit plain stitch, and the other knitting system uses highly elastic rubber yarn to knit 1×1 plain stitch. The combination of the two yarns and stitches ensures the wear resistance of this part and effectively stabilizes the metatarsal area.

[0017] Advantages of the present invention:

[0018] (1) The present invention uses an integral molding technology, which can provide effective targeted pressure for the ankle joint and surrounding areas without an externally applied strap. The main pressure support area starts from the ligaments at the medial and lateral malleoli and extends obliquely upward to the middle and lower parts of the calf along the tendons of the peroneus longus and tibialis anterior muscles.

[0019] (2) The present invention is designed and knitted according to the anatomical principles of the ankle and foot, ensuring that the pressurized parts conform to the ankle and foot structure, and more effectively playing the role of sports protection and stimulating sports potential.

[0020] (3) The present invention can effectively delay the fatigue of the gastrocnemius muscle, soleus muscle, peroneus longus muscle and tibialis anterior muscle during long-term fatiguing tasks, improve proprioception, assist the above-mentioned muscle groups in controlling the stability of the ankle joint, reduce the risk of spraining when walking on unstable ground, and activate the muscles faster during single-leg landing activities that require greater explosive power and skills, helping to absorb the ground impact force. At the same time, it does not overly restrict the movement of the ankle joint, ensuring comfort to a large extent while providing protection.

[0021] (4) When the present invention is woven, multiple knitting systems are used simultaneously and integrally molded in a circular knitting machine, without additional cutting and sewing processes, and has a high production efficiency.

[0022] The present invention uses yarns of different specifications and organizational structures to coordinate the pressure distribution in different regions, achieving targeted stable support for the ankle joint, and playing a significant role in enhancing ankle joint stability, delaying muscle fatigue, reducing sports impact, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is the front view after the present invention is worn;

[0024] Figure 2 is the rear view after the present invention is worn;

[0025] Figure 3 is the left view after the present invention is worn;

[0026] Figure 4 is the right view after the present invention is worn;

[0027] In the figure: upper rib 1, medial calf support area 2, lateral calf support area 3, anterior calf area 4, posterior calf area 5, anterior ankle area 6, ankle and heel wrapping area 7, front foot area 8, lower rib 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] To make it clearer for those of ordinary skill in the art to understand, the following further elaborates on the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and implementation examples.

[0029] As Figures 1-4 , a fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle brace of the present invention is integrally formed from highly elastic yarns, including an upper rib 1, a medial calf support area 2, a lateral calf support area 3, an anterior calf area 4, a posterior calf area 5, an anterior ankle area 6, an ankle and heel wrapping area 7, a front foot area 8, and a lower rib 9. The upper rib and the lower rib are made of double-layer non-slip knitting; the anterior ankle area is located in the transition area from the instep to the ankle joint and is completed by using single-strand double-ply elastic yarn for return knitting; the ankle and heel wrapping area wraps around the heel from the anterior talofibular ligament of the lateral malleolus and then connects to the medial malleolus, and is completed by using double-strand elastic wrapped yarn for return knitting; the lateral calf support area and the medial calf support area are respectively located on the outside of the fibula and the inside of the tibia, along the tendon directions of the peroneus longus and the tibialis anterior muscles, and are completed by using thick high-elastic wrapped yarn for return knitting; the anterior calf area is located above the anterior ankle area along the tibia direction, and the posterior calf area is located above the heel along the Achilles tendon direction, both of which are completed by using 2 kinds of high-elastic wrapped yarn for return knitting; the front foot area is a ring-shaped band that wraps around the instep and the anterior transverse arch and metatarsals of the sole, and is completed by using 2 knitting systems for co-directional knitting.

[0030] The specific knitting method of a fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle brace of the present invention is as follows:

[0031] (1) The upper collar 1 and the lower collar 9 are made of double-layer anti-slip knitting. A 2-way knitting system is used, and the yarns used are 40140140 double-ply stretch yarn and 150# elastic anti-slip yarn. In the outer layer of the collar part, one knitting system draws the double-ply stretch yarn to knit a plain stitch fabric, and the elastic yarn is knitted in by the other knitting system in a 1×1 laid-in pattern.

[0032] (2) The medial calf support area 2 and the lateral calf support area 3 use 210140140 double-ply stretch yarn, and each is knitted into a 2×2 plain stitch fabric by one knitting system through the technique of wrap and turn knitting.

[0033] (3) The anterior calf area 4 and the posterior calf area 5 use 1407070 double-ply stretch yarn as the face yarn and 303030 double-ply stretch yarn as the ground yarn, and are knitted into a 2×2 plain stitch fabric by one knitting system through the technique of wrap and turn knitting.

[0034] (4) The anterior ankle area 6 uses 1407070 double-ply stretch yarn and is knitted into a 1×1 plain stitch fabric by one knitting system through the technique of wrap and turn knitting.

[0035] (5) The ankle and heel covering area 7 uses double-stranded 1407070 yarn. A plain stitch fabric is knitted in the middle heel area, and a 2×2 plain stitch fabric is knitted in the inner and outer ankle areas on both sides. It is knitted by one knitting system through the technique of wrap and turn knitting.

[0036] (6) The forefoot area 8 is knitted by the co-directional knitting technique of two knitting systems. One knitting system uses nylon yarn to knit a plain stitch fabric, and the other knitting system uses high-elastic elastic yarn to knit in a 1×1 laid-in pattern.

[0037] To verify the efficacy of the present invention, 10 healthy adult women without a history of lower limb injury and with an ankle circumference of 19 - 21 cm were recruited as subjects, and the following experimental tests were carried out:

[0038] 1. Pressure test: The pressure exerted by the present invention on the human body was measured at 6 test points, namely, the medial malleolus, the lateral malleolus ligaments, and the anterior, lateral, posterior, and medial positions 20 cm above the malleolar prominence. The experimental results show that the pressure at the medial malleolus is 3.30 kPa, the pressure at the lateral malleolus is 2.59 kPa, the pressure at the anterior position at the 20-cm circumference part is 3.73 kPa, the lateral is 2.72 kPa, the posterior is 3.56 kPa, and the medial is 2.69 kPa.

[0039] 2. Surface electromyography test: Measure the effects of wearing the present invention on the electromyography signals of the tibialis anterior muscle, peroneus longus muscle, soleus muscle, and gastrocnemius muscle during continuous calf raises, walking on a 2.5-cm thick foam pad, and single-leg landing after jumping, and evaluate its regulatory effect on the muscle activation pattern. The experimental results show that the present invention effectively regulates the recruitment mode of muscle fibers, helps the muscles achieve progressive activation, delays the fatigue process by reducing the consumption rate of muscle metabolic resources, and significantly delays the fatigue speed of each muscle during continuous calf raises. And the external support provided replaces the function of the muscles to a certain extent, reduces the muscle activity, and reduces the muscle burden. The support provided assists the tibialis anterior muscle and peroneus longus muscle to reduce the range of inversion and eversion of the foot, and can ensure the stability of the ankle joint to a greater extent even when walking on a soft surface, while reducing the pressure on tissues such as the arch of the foot. The pressure applied by the present invention can also change the sensory feedback, enhance the sensory input of the central nervous system, change the spinal excitability during walking, and improve the dynamic balance ability of the ankle. The present invention increases the average power frequency of the medial gastrocnemius muscle and soleus muscle during the jump landing process, which helps recruit the fast-twitch muscle fibers of the gastrocnemius muscle during takeoff to provide greater driving force; while reducing the integrated electromyography of the peroneus longus muscle, it increases its average power frequency, recruits the fast-twitch muscle fibers in the peroneus longus muscle faster, and strengthens the control of the peroneus longus muscle over the anterior movement of the ankle joint, and absorbs the ground impact force at the moment of landing.

[0040] 3. Plantar pressure test: Measure the effects of the present invention on the peak pressure, pressure-time integral, and average contact area of multiple regions of the sole during walking. The experimental results show that the present invention increases the contact area of the heel region, reduces the peak pressure, helps disperse the load on the heel part, and thus reduces the risk of overuse injury or stress injury of the heel. The present invention reduces the peak pressure in the medial midfoot region during walking, which can avoid the injury of the plantar fascia and ligaments caused by excessive peak pressure in the medial arch of the foot, especially has more protective significance for people with flat feet or excessive ankle pronation. The traditional ankle brace structure reinforced with straps is often connected to the ankle brace main body in the midfoot, which will increase the material thickness and rigidity of the sole area of the ankle brace, resulting in a further increase in the contact area and peak pressure in the medial arch of the foot, while the present invention uses zoned pressurization to effectively avoid this problem.

[0041] 4. Three-dimensional force platform test: Evaluate the buffering effect of the present invention on the ground impact force by measuring the vertical ground reaction force during single-leg landing after jumping. The experimental results show that the present invention significantly reduces the peak value of the ground reaction force during landing, prolongs the buffering stage during landing, and shortens the dynamic stability stage. The zoned pressurization of the present invention improves neuromuscular control, enhances proprioceptive feedback, provides effective support, and does not overly limit the dorsiflexion range of the ankle joint, and can effectively reduce the impact of jump landing and help the limb recover stability faster.

[0042] The above tests show that the fully formed pressure-zoned sports ankle guard of the present invention has significant effects in enhancing ankle joint stability, optimizing plantar pressure distribution, delaying muscle fatigue, regulating muscle activation, and reducing sports impact force, etc.

[0043] The specific embodiments described in this specification are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and do not limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent replacement or improvement made by those skilled in the art to the structure, materials, processes, or application methods of the present invention without departing from the core technical idea of the present invention shall be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various modifications, equivalent replacements, or deformations can be made to it without departing from the core technical idea of the present invention, and these shall all be regarded as belonging to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace, characterized by: It includes an upper cuff, a lower cuff, an ankle front area, an ankle heel covering area, a calf lateral support area, a calf medial support area, a calf front area, a calf back area, and a foot front area, wherein the upper cuff and the lower cuff are made of double-layer anti-slip weaving; the ankle front area is located in the transition area from the dorsum of the foot to the ankle joint, and is woven using a single-strand double-wrapped elastic yarn; the ankle heel covering area covers the heel from the anterior talofibular ligament of the lateral malleolus to the back and is connected to the medial malleolus, and is woven using a double-strand elastic yarn; The lateral leg support area and the medial calf support area are located on the lateral side of the fibula and the medial side of the tibia respectively, and are woven along the tendon direction of the peroneus longus and tibialis anterior using coarse high-elastic covered yarn; the anterior calf area is located above the anterior ankle area along the tibia direction, and the posterior calf area is located above the heel along the Achilles tendon direction, both of which are woven using two types of high-elastic covered yarns; the forefoot area is a ring-shaped band that wraps the anterior transverse arch and metatarsal bones of the instep and sole, and is woven in the same direction by two weaving systems.

2. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lateral calf support area provides reinforced support obliquely upward along the LoNES direction of the lateral malleolus, that is, the tendon direction of the peroneus longus muscle.

3. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The medial calf support area provides reinforced support obliquely upward along the LoNES direction of the medial malleolus, that is, the tendon direction of the tibialis anterior muscle.

4. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower cuffs are knitted by automatically folding the edges in the machine to form a double-layer structure, using one knitting system to knit a plain stitch of elastic covered yarn in the same direction, and using another knitting system to knit a 1×1 plain stitch of elastic non-slip yarn pad in the same direction.

5. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle front area knitting method is: using a single strand of double-wrapped elastic yarn, and knitting a 1×1 plain stitch tissue by a knitting system.

6. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle and heel covering area knitting method is: using double-strand elastic covered yarn, knitting a plain stitch in the middle heel area, knitting a 2×2 plain stitch in the inner and outer ankle areas on both sides, and knitting is completed by a knitting system to return the knitted plain stitch.

7. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knitting method of the lateral calf support area and the medial calf support area is: using thick high-elastic covered yarn to provide a support effect similar to that of an external strap, and each is completed by a knitting system through a 2×2 plain stitch weave through return knitting.

8. The fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knitting method of the front area of ​​the calf and the back area of ​​the calf is: using two kinds of high-elastic covered yarns, each of which is knitted by a knitting system through a 2×2 plain stitch organization through return knitting.

9. A fully molded pressure zoned sports ankle brace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forefoot area knitting method is: knitted by two knitting systems through the same direction knitting technology, wherein one knitting system uses nylon yarn to knit a plain stitch, and the other knitting system uses high-elastic rubber yarn to knit a 1×1 plain stitch pad.

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