A light and thin silica gel support and a knee pad comprising the same

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of protector assembly, propose a kind of light and thin silica gel supporting piece and contain its knee guard, wherein light and thin silica gel supporting piece, it includes annular pad base body, accommodating portion is located at the central position of pad base body, pad base body has the first deformation area and the second deformation area of pair arrangement, wherein, the first deformation area and the second deformation area divide pad base body into upper pad base body area and lower pad base body area;First deformation area and second deformation area respectively include the deformation groove formed in the rear side surface of pad base body;For the structure for better providing deformation space when pad base body is bent, upper pad base body area is positioned at the top of patellar pad, lower pad base body area is positioned at bottom, first deformation area and second deformation area are used in combination with upper pad base body area and lower pad base body area, pain is alleviated by relaxing the contracted muscle of osteoarthritis patient, especially by the pressure massage provided by knee guard, generate to reach the expected pain relief.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of protective gear component technology, and in particular relates to a thin and light silicone support component and a knee brace containing the same. Background Technology

[0002] In the prior art, there is a type of knee orthosis equipped with a ring-shaped or semi-ring-shaped pad. When the orthosis is worn, the pad can surround and wrap around the patella of the knee joint. Such knee orthotics are typically made of stocking-shaped or tubular elastic knitted fabric, with padding provided in the knitted fabric corresponding to the patella area. The function of this padding is to support the patella and, in conjunction with the pressure applied by the elastic knitted fabric, to stably fix the patella in the correct physiological position within the joint. Currently, such pads are usually made of elastic materials such as silicone rubber, polyurethane, or similar materials.

[0003] Thin silicone pads are increasingly being used in knee braces because they better conform to the curve of the knee, reducing the feeling of foreign objects and making the wearer feel more natural and comfortable during activities. Furthermore, the thinner silicone pads allow for better air circulation, enabling the skin to breathe and reducing the likelihood of stuffiness and discomfort during wear, making them less uncomfortable even after prolonged use. The thin silicone pads do not excessively restrict the bending and extension of the knee, maximizing the freedom of movement of the knee joint and allowing users to perform everyday activities such as walking, running, and squatting without restriction.

[0004] However, the current thin silicone pads still do not provide sufficient bending ability during use, and their ability to fit and protect the knee joint needs to be further enhanced. New technical solutions are urgently needed to better address these issues. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present invention aims to solve the defects of existing knee braces. To achieve the above objective, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] The first objective of this application is to disclose a thin and light silicone support member, which includes an annular pad base having a front side that contacts the human body and a rear side opposite to the front side, a receiving portion located at the center of the pad base, and the pad base having a first deformable region and a second deformable region arranged in pairs, wherein the first deformable region and the second deformable region divide the pad base into an upper pad base region and a lower liner pad base region; the first deformable region and the second deformable region respectively include a deformation groove formed on the rear surface of the pad base;

[0007] The annular pad substrate has an outer side away from the receiving part and an inner side pointing towards the receiving part. A deformation groove is formed on the rear surface of the pad substrate and penetrates the surface, connecting the outer and inner sides. Between two adjacent deformation grooves, the size of the inner side spacing is smaller than the size of the relative outer side spacing.

[0008] Preferably, the annular body of the pad substrate has a circular arc-shaped raised surface on the front side and a flat plane on the rear side.

[0009] Preferably, the first deformation region and the second deformation region are symmetrically arranged on the rear surface of the pad substrate with respect to the receiving portion.

[0010] Preferably, the first bulge and the second bulge are formed on the front side of the pad matrix, and the pad matrix and the first bulge and the second bulge are integrally formed.

[0011] Preferably, the first protrusion is located below the first deformation region and formed on the front side of the pad substrate; the second protrusion is located below the second deformation region and formed on the front side of the pad substrate.

[0012] A knee brace comprising a cylindrical fabric, characterized in that the aforementioned thin silicone support is disposed on the cylindrical fabric.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the thin and light silicone support component and the knee brace containing it described in this utility model have the following advantages:

[0014] The pad base of this invention has paired deformable regions on both sides. Each deformable region is formed by a deformable groove cut into the pad base. They serve as structures to better provide deformation space when the pad base is bent. The first and second deformable regions are symmetrically arranged with respect to the pad base and are both formed on the rear side of the pad base, dividing the pad base into an upper pad base region and a lower pad base region. The upper pad base region is located at the top of the patellar pad, and the lower pad base region is located at the bottom. The first and second deformable regions are used in combination with the upper and lower pad base regions to relieve pain by relaxing the contracted muscles of osteoarthritis patients, especially through the positive pressure massage provided by the knee brace, to achieve the expected pain relief. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a front view of the thin silicone support structure described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA direction;

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The left view;

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Rear view;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the thin silicone support structure described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the application of the thin silicone support component described in this utility model embodiment in a knee brace.

[0021] The markings in the diagram are as follows:

[0022] 1-Material pad; 2-Deformation groove; 3-Ventilation hole; 4-First bulge; 5-Second bulge; 6-Accommodation part; 7-Inner spacer; 8-Outer spacer; a-First deformation area; b-Second deformation area. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. For ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and are not limited in number; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0026] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0027] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0028] like Figures 1-3 As shown, Figure 1 A support for braces, bandages, or orthotics is shown, which is essentially a pad-shaped structure, corresponding to the patella in this embodiment. The support has a pad base 1, which is substantially flat and made of an elastic material, particularly silicone-based elastic material. The pad base 1 has a three-dimensional outer contour, with an arc-shaped convex surface on the front side of the annular body and a flat plane on the rear side. This three-dimensional outer contour better conforms to the shape of the leg and has a front side that contacts the human body and a rear side that is back-to-front. According to this exemplary embodiment, the outer contour of the pad base 1 has two forward-extending protrusions, particularly protruding outward from the front surface of the pad base 1. A circular opening is formed at the center of the pad base 1, which serves as a receiving portion 6 to receive the patella, such that the pad base surrounds the patella.

[0029] In this embodiment, the elasticity of the pad substrate 1 is achieved by the silicone substrate it uses. The pad substrate 1, in conjunction with the elastic fabric, ensures the protection of the kneecap and other areas of the leg covered by the elastic fabric.

[0030] The pad base 1 has paired deformation regions a and b on both sides. Each deformation region is formed by three deformation grooves 2 that cut into the pad base 1. These grooves serve as structures to provide deformation space when the pad base 1 is bent. The first deformation region a and the second deformation region b are symmetrically arranged with respect to the pad base 1 and are both formed on the rear side of the pad base 1, dividing the pad base 1 into an upper pad base region and a lower pad base region. The upper pad base region is located at the top of the patellar pad, and the lower pad base region is located at the bottom.

[0031] Because the paired first deformation area a and second deformation area b are located on the right and left sides of the knee joint, the upper pad base area must be able to maintain its position relative to the upper end of the knee brace when the knee is bent. Only in this way can the upper area of ​​the pad base 1 maintain its position relative to the upper end of the kneecap. With prior art pads, due to the lack of flexibility when bending, the upper pad base area above the pad receiving area often fails to shift properly, i.e., it cannot conform to the upper end of the kneecap in the bent position, causing the upper pad base area to lift up instead of applying the intended massage pressure perpendicular to the body surface. The knee brace will also fail to provide the required level of stimulation to the quadriceps muscles. The upper and lower pad base areas can be significantly further apart when the knee is bent than in the case of a pad base without the first deformation area a and second deformation area b. The material removal process in the deformation areas allows the thin silicone support to be more flexible during deformation. According to the first deformation region a and the second deformation region b of this embodiment, together with the upper pad base region and the lower pad base region, this combination achieves the desired pain relief by relaxing the contracting muscles of osteoarthritis patients, particularly through active pressure massage. This is similar to the pain relief effect produced by a physical therapist through manual friction massage.

[0032] The paired first deformation region a and second deformation region b preferably have the same number of deformation grooves 2 and / or deformation grooves 2 of the same shape and size. The extensibility of the pad substrate 1 is affected by the number, width, and depth of the deformation grooves 2. The deformation grooves 2 preferably have a width of at least 0.3 mm.

[0033] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the at least one deformation groove 2 is located on the rear side of the pad substrate. In another particularly preferred embodiment, the pad substrate is annular and has an outer side and an inner side pointing towards the receiving portion 6, wherein the at least one groove begins on the outer side and extends to the inner side, forming a through groove in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the inner spacing 7 between two adjacent deformation grooves 2 is smaller than the size of the opposing outer spacing 8, ensuring that the pad substrate 1 can deflect and deform relative to the first deformation region a and the second deformation region b according to the contour of the kneecap.

[0034] The deformation groove 2 preferably has a depth t, which corresponds to at least 10% of the height h of the pad base 1 at the inner edge of the receiving portion 6.

[0035] According to a preferred improvement, the deformation groove 2 has a constant depth or at least two different depths in the front-back direction on the pad substrate 1.

[0036] The first bulge 4 and the second bulge 5 are formed on the anterior side of the pad base 1. The pad base and the first bulge 4 and the second bulge 5 are integrally formed, providing accurate positioning and protection and forming pressure on the patellar tendon. When the pad base 1 is directly worn on the corresponding position of the kneecap, the first bulge 4 and the second bulge 5 are accurately positioned by the pad base 1 and can provide position for the patellar tendon. This can accurately apply pressure to the tendon under the kneecap, thereby making the tendon taut and reducing pain in the patellar area.

[0037] Multiple air pores 3 are formed on the pad substrate, running through the front and back directions, to further improve air permeability.

[0038] This invention also relates to orthopedic or sports support assistive devices, such as knee braces, bandages, or orthoses, made based on silicone support elements. Bandages or orthoses using silicone support elements can be knee bandages or orthoses. Orthopedic or sports support assistive devices are preferably elastic knitted orthoses, or bandages are elastic knitted bandages, particularly knee orthoses or knee bandages.

[0039] Orthopedic or sports support devices made with silicone support components will have clear front and back markings. Typically, the silicone pad is positioned in front of the knee to better conform to the knee's curve.

[0040] Slip the knee brace onto your knee starting from your foot and slowly pull it upwards until it covers your entire knee. While pulling, be careful to keep the knee brace flat and avoid twisting or wrinkling, especially the silicone padding. Ensure it is accurately positioned in front of your knee and fits evenly.

[0041] After putting on the knee brace, make minor adjustments to ensure the silicone pad is positioned precisely in the center of the knee and fully covers the area that needs protection, including the area around the patella. Also, adjust the up-and-down position of the knee brace to ensure it's not too tight or too loose around the leg. Generally, the edge of the knee brace should fit comfortably against the leg, without slipping down or causing excessive pressure.

[0042] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A thin silicone support member comprising an annular pad base (1) having a front side in contact with the human body and a rear side opposite to the front side, wherein a receiving portion (11) is located at the center of the pad base (1), characterized in that, The pad substrate (1) has a first deformation region a and a second deformation region b arranged in pairs, wherein the first deformation region (a) and the second deformation region (b) divide the pad substrate (1) into an upper pad substrate region and a lower liner substrate region; the first deformation region and the second deformation region respectively include deformation grooves (2) formed on the rear side surface of the pad substrate (1); The annular pad substrate (1) has an outer side away from the receiving part and an inner side pointing towards the receiving part. A deformation groove is formed on the rear surface of the pad substrate (1) and extends through the rear surface, connecting the outer and inner sides. Between two adjacent deformation grooves, the size of the inner side interval is smaller than the size of the relative outer side interval.

2. The thin silicone support member according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular body of the pad has a raised arc surface on the front and a flat plane on the rear.

3. The silicone support member according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first deformation region and the second deformation region are symmetrically arranged on the rear surface of the pad substrate with respect to the receiving portion.

4. The thin silicone support member according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first ridge (4) and the second ridge (5) are formed on the front side of the pad matrix (1), and the pad matrix and the first and second ridges are integrally formed.

5. The thin silicone support member according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first bulge is located below the first deformation region and is formed on the front side of the pad substrate; the second bulge is located below the second deformation region b and is formed on the front side of the pad substrate.

6. A knee brace comprising a cylindrical fabric, characterized in that, A thin silicone support as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is provided on a cylindrical fabric.

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