A hand injury brace made of thermoplastic plastic and secured with hook-and-loop fasteners.

Abstract

To provide a lightweight, easily attachable and detachable brace for injuries to fingers, which is thermoformed from thermoplastic plastic and fixed with a hook-and-loop fastener. [Solution] Thermoplastic plastic was used for the dorsal finger plate 1, palmar finger plate 2, knuckle plate 3, and back of the hand plate. The finger plates were made of blocks that were sized to fit the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges, and holes for hook-and-loop fasteners were made on both sides. The knuckle plate was a honeycomb mesh patterned heptagonal plate that covered the PIP joint to the wrist joint, and had a hole for decompression in the MP joint. The PIP joint brace was made of three parts: the dorsal finger plate, MP joint part, and back of the hand plate. The MP joint was designed to be bent at an angle of 80 degrees, and the back of the hand plate was designed to cover a large area of ​​the back of the hand. Each plate was thermoformed by immersing it in hot water at 70 to 90 degrees, and the fitting was adjusted with hot air from a hair dryer, and the hook-and-loop fastener was passed through the hole in each plate to attach it.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a finger injury brace that is thermoformed from thermoplastic plastic and fixed with hook-and-loop fastener for conservative treatment or initial fixation of finger injuries, and an application of the brace that fixes the MP joint in a flexed position and keeps the PIP joint free for exercise therapy of proximal phalanx and middle phalanx fractures. [Background technology]

[0002] In injuries such as ligament damage to the finger joints and simple fractures with little displacement, aluminum finger splints and casts are used to fix the limb in a functional position. General-purpose aluminum finger splints and knuckle casts have problems such as tape rash and odor after long periods of fixation. In addition, ready-made prostheses for injuries such as proximal phalangeal base fractures and middle phalangeal fractures of the fingers are often inconvenient, such as being heavy and not usable when doing wet work. It is possible to cut a thermoplastic plastic plate and perform thermoforming to fix it, but it is necessary to cut it with scissors to adjust the size, and it is difficult to make holes for fixing the band, so it is necessary to fix it with taping. When fixed with taping, it is difficult to put on and take off, and there are problems such as tape rash and odor after long periods of fixation. In addition, commercially available thermoplastic plastic plates are not of a mesh structure, but only have small holes, so they have poor breathability and often become stuffy.

[0003] Finger fixation braces have been reported in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2975365, which is a tubular brace made of elastic material, and in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-357809, which allows size adjustment by attaching an elastic cloth band to the stay. In addition, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-197659, in which a part of a cloth brace is made into a bag shape and a thermoplastic stay is inserted, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-102492, in which a part of a thermoplastic material plate is made into a tube shape along the finger and fixed, have also been reported. In addition, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-178160, which is a structure that makes a cloth stretcher smaller, adjusts the size with a hook-and-loop fastener, and adjusts the angle by bending the frame, has also been reported. However, tubular braces often get steamy, elastic cloth braces make it difficult to do wet work, and those fixed with hook-and-loop fasteners are combined with materials such as felt and do not have enough fixing power. There are no large braces that fix the wrist joint from the PIP joint. Furthermore, there are no rehabilitation devices that allow MP joint flexion and PIP joint flexion in anticipation of the use of knuckle casts for fracture treatment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2975363 [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-357809 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-197659 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2018-102492 A [Patent Document 5] Patent Publication No. 2021-178160 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] This invention is to make it possible to easily and quickly create a fixation brace that fits the shape of the finger by heat molding using a thermoplastic plate with a shape according to the purpose as a fixation brace for the purpose of initial fixation and conservative treatment of minor injuries related to the fingers.In addition, as an application, it relates to a brace that realizes MP joint flexion fixation and PIP joint free for exercise therapy of proximal phalanx base fractures and middle phalanx fractures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A dorsal finger plate for the back of the hand, a palmar finger plate for the palm side of the finger, and a knuckle plate for the back of the finger to the proximal dorsal part of the wrist are designed and fabricated using thermoplastic plastic. (2) For the finger plates, blocks are created to fit the sizes of the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges, and holes for hook-and-loop fasteners are created on both sides of the blocks. (3) The dorsal finger plate is designed to be cut adjustable so that the length of the proximal end can be adjusted, and the palmar finger plate is designed with a horizontal plate attached to the palm side of the MP joint to prevent rotation. (4) The knuckle plate is designed as a honeycomb mesh pattern heptagonal plate that covers the PIP joint to the wrist joint, with a hole for decompression in the MP joint. (5) In addition, variations in length and size are also fabricated for each. (6) The PIP joint brace is composed of three parts: the dorsal finger plate, the MP joint part, and the back of the hand plate. The MP joint is designed to bend at an angle of 80 degrees, and the back of the hand plate is designed to cover a large area of ​​the back of the hand. (7) Each plate is immersed in hot water at 70 to 90 degrees and thermoformed, and the fitting is adjusted by applying hot air from a hair dryer. Then, hook-and-loop fasteners are passed through the holes in each plate to attach them. This invention solves the problem by designing it with the features of (1) to (7). Effect of the Invention

[0007] Compared to finger splints fixed with tape, this has the advantages of being removable, not using tape, and having a wide back-of-hand plate for high fixation. Compared to plaster fixation, this has the advantages of being lightweight and less prone to sweating. Compared to ready-made braces, it is possible to fix only one finger. Unlike conventional thermoplastics, it does not require cutting with scissors, is breathable, and is lightweight. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the dorsal finger plate, palmar finger plate, and knuckle plate of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a front view of the dorsal finger plate and length variations. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a front view of the palmar finger plate and size variations. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of a knuckle plate and size variations. [Diagram 5] This is a diagram showing the dorsal finger plate, palmar finger plate, and knuckle plate aligned to a 3D model of fingers. [Figure 6] This photo shows the dorsal finger plate, palmar finger plate, and knuckle plate after they have been thermoformed and attached using hook-and-loop fasteners. [Figure 7] 1 shows an oblique view of a PIP joint brace and its exploded view. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an oblique view of an inverted PIP joint brace. [Figure 9] Front view of hand back plate variations for the second finger (right), third finger (middle), and fourth and fifth fingers (left). (The second and fourth and fifth finger plates have the same design even when turned over.) [Figure 10] The photograph shows the actual state of the PIP joint brace attached to the thermoformed hand dorsum plate. The left image shows the MP joint in flexed position and the PIP joint in extended position, and the right image shows the MP joint in flexed position and the PIP joint in flexed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Explain how to use it. Place the dorsal finger plate 1, palmar finger plate 2, and knuckle plate 3 on the actual finger to determine the size. Whenever possible, wear rubber gloves on the fingers to be heat molded to prevent burns. To heat mold the selected plate, immerse it in hot water at 70 to 90 degrees and hold it for a few to several tens of seconds until it softens. When it is sufficiently soft, remove it from the hot water and heat mold it along the stationary finger at the angle at which you want to fix the finger joints. After the plate has hardened, remove it from the finger and correct any parts you want to fix by applying heat from a hair dryer. Attach it by passing the hook-and-loop fastener through the hook-and-loop fastener hole and adjust the length. The PIP joint brace is used by fitting the dorsal finger plate 1 and the back of the hand plate 5 into the MP joint part 4. Bend the tip of the dorsal finger plate with the heat of a hair dryer, and heat mold the back of the hand plate by immersing it in hot water. Pass the hook-and-loop fastener through the hook-and-loop fastener hole and adjust the length. When complete fixation is performed early after the injury, the distal and middle phalanges are also fixed with hook-and-loop fasteners, but when starting active movement, the hook-and-loop fasteners on the distal and middle phalanges are removed and the PIP joint is moved. EXAMPLES

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. (1) For the dorsal finger plate 1, blocks were created to fit the sizes of the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges, and holes for hook-and-loop fasteners were created on both sides of the blocks. The blocks were designed with a cross-check pattern and the connecting parts were designed with a vertical check pattern. A block covering the fingertip was added, and the proximal end was designed so that the length could be adjusted by cutting it with scissors. (2) For the palmar finger plate 2, the length of each block and the distance between blocks were made shorter than those of the dorsal finger plate, and the block covering the fingertip was made longer. In addition, a cross-check pattern plate was added to the proximal end to prevent rotation. (3) The knuckle plate 3 was designed as a heptagonal plate with a thickness of 3 mm that covers the entire area from the PIP joint to the wrist joint. It was designed with a honeycomb mesh pattern to reduce weight. A hole for decompression was created in the MP joint, and the area around the hole was designed without mesh to increase strength. In addition, six holes for hook-and-loop fasteners were created. (4) As size variations, the length of the block connection part of the dorsal finger plate 1 was created in 1mm increments from 1 to 4 mm. The palmar finger plate 2 and knuckle plate 3 were created by reducing and enlarging the overall size. (5) The basic design of the PIP joint brace is an assembly type, consisting of three parts: the dorsal finger plate 1, the MP joint part 4, and the back of the hand plate 5. The assembly was designed so that the dorsal finger plate 1 and the back of the hand plate 5 are inserted into the slit of the MP joint part 4. The MP joint part was designed to have a bending angle of 80 degrees. In addition, holes were made in the joint part to reduce contact pressure, and the part that comes into contact with the skin was designed to be round. The back of the hand plate 5 was designed to cover a large area of ​​the back of the hand. Slits were made at the wrist joint part to make it easier to bend, and holes were made horizontally and diagonally for hook-and-loop fasteners. In addition, the distal end was designed to be adjustable by cutting with scissors. (6) Each plate and the back of the hand plate were shaped by soaking in hot water at 70 to 90 degrees. The fitting was adjusted by applying hot air from a hair dryer. The hook-and-loop fasteners were passed through each plate and the hand-back plate and attached. [Explanation of symbols]

[0011] 1 Dorsal finger plate 2 Palmar finger plate 3 Knuckle Plate 4 MP joint parts 5 Hand Back Plate

Claims

1. Thermoplastic plastic plates (dorsal finger plate, palmar finger plate, knuckle plate) that are thermoformed by immersing in hot water over 70 degrees or by using hot air from a hair dryer, and then fixed to the fingers by passing Velcro through pre-designed holes.

2. (1) A cross-checkered block that matches the size of the proximal, middle and distal phalanges, (2) holes for hook-and-loop fasteners on both sides of the block, (3) a vertical checkered block connection section, (4) a block that covers the finger tip, and (5) a proximal end section that can be cut with scissors to adjust the length.

3. The palmar finger plate of claim 1, which combines the features of (1) to (4) of claim 2, has shorter lengths of each block and shorter intervals between blocks than the dorsal finger plate, has longer blocks that cover the finger tips, and has a cross-checkered plate added to the proximal end to prevent rotation.

4. (1) A heptagonal plate shape that covers the entire area from the PIP joint to the wrist joint, (2) the entire piece is designed with a honeycomb mesh pattern, (3) a hole for decompression is created in the MP joint area, and the area around the hole is designed without mesh to increase strength, (4) six holes for Velcro are created. A knuckle plate according to claim 1, comprising the features (1) to (4).

5. Since the size of fingers varies from person to person, the length of the connecting part of the dorsal finger plate described in claim 2 is adjusted, and the palm side finger plate described in claim 3 and the knuckle plate described in claim 4 are made to have different magnification ratios.

6. A PIP joint orthosis for use with MP joint flexion fixed and PIP joint free, which is used by inserting the dorsal finger plate and the hand back plate that largely covers the back of the hand described in claim 2 into the MP joint part designed to decompress the MP joint part at 80 degrees of flexion.

7. (1) A honeycomb mesh plate shape that is inserted into the MP joint described in claim 6 and covers a large area up to a point slightly proximal to the wrist joint, (2) a slit is created to make it easier to bend at the wrist joint, (3) six holes are created horizontally and diagonally for hook-and-loop fasteners, and (4) the distal end can be cut and adjusted with scissors. A back plate according to claim 6, comprising the features of (1) to (4).

8. The connection position of the MP joint part and the back of the hand plate needs to be changed depending on which finger is to be fixed, so variations with modified shapes have been created for the second finger and for the fourth and fifth fingers.

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