TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace

Abstract

This invention provides a brace that limits the range of motion of the wrist joint's ulnar flexion, which is made of two parts using a harder TPU material, causes less pain when worn, and can be used for water work. Solution: We used a hard, non-absorbent TPU material that provides a certain degree of fixation even at a thickness of 1.2 to 1.5 mm. TPU is a bendable material that does not stretch, so we designed it to fit the hand using a draping method. We designed it with a hole in the ulnar head area so that the position of the brace can be identified. The hook-and-loop fastener is designed to be passed through a slit and bent to be fixed in place, so that it can be easily replaced when it gets wet from water work, etc. Two types of designs were designed: a short type that is fixed with only two hook-and-loop fasteners at the wrist, and a long type that is fixed with three hook-and-loop fasteners and also restricts palmar and dorsiflexion of the wrist. The above materials and designs solved the problem.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The purpose of this invention is to create a brace that limits the range of motion of the wrist joint's ulnar flexion, which is made of two parts using a harder TPU material, causes less pain when worn, and can be used for water work. [Background technology]

[0002] Ready-made braces for TFCC injuries are available in the form of simple supporters or braces with a large pad on the ulnar side, but most textile braces cannot be used for wet work or have weak fixation strength, making them difficult to use as they fixate too widely. Furthermore, wrist joint fixation braces made of thermoplastic resin or aluminum stays often have too strong a fixation strength, making them difficult to use in daily life, or can only be worn for short periods of time due to pain when worn.

[0003] Although textile braces for TFCC injuries have been reported in JP 2019-88526 and JP 2020-171465, they often have drawbacks, such as being unable to be used for wet work and only fixing a portion of the ulnar side, resulting in weak fixation. Furthermore, while a loop that can be hooked onto the thumb is used to position the brace, no braces have been found that utilize the ulnar head for positioning. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-88526 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-171465 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although rigid braces made of plaster or plastic are rigid and provide strong immobilization, their use in daily activities excessively restricts necessary movements, forcing the patient to remove the brace whenever necessary. Forcing the patient to wear the brace while working can lead to numerous inconveniences, such as the brace digging into the skin, causing rubbing and wounds, and straining the surrounding joints, causing pain in other areas. Rigid braces also tend to become sweaty and require cleaning when soiled with sweat. However, since bands are often attached to the brace, the bands often get wet and cause discomfort when reattaching. On the other hand, soft braces made of fiber materials are soft, providing weaker immobilization and a wider range of coverage. Soft braces for TFCC injuries can be broadly divided into three types: those that simply wrap around the wrist and apply pressure; those that insert a rigid stay on the ulnar side to limit ulnar flexion; and those that insert a large rigid stay on the palmar side to immobilize the entire wrist. Types that simply wrap around the wrist and apply pressure feel comfortable but lack sufficient fixation, making them suitable for preventative or mild cases. Types that fixate the entire wrist by inserting a large rigid stay on the palmar side of the wrist provide a large fixation area, which is often inconvenient when using the toilet or performing daily activities, resulting in many patients ultimately having to remove the brace. Types that restrict ulnar flexion by inserting a rigid stay on the ulnar side also cannot be used when doing wet work. There are also issues with the fibers being damaged and quickly deteriorating. The ideal brace would provide adequate fixation, cause little pain when worn, cause minimal inconvenience during daily activities, be usable when doing wet work, and exhibit minimal deterioration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) It is made of a hard TPU material that is non-absorbent and provides a certain degree of fixation even at a thickness of 1.2 to 1.5 mm. (2) TPU is a material that can be bent but does not stretch, so it is designed using the draping method to fit the hand. (3) The hook-and-loop fastener is designed to be foldable and fastened through a slit, so that it can be easily replaced when it gets wet from doing water work. (4) Two types of designs were designed: a short type that limits the range of motion of the wrist joint only to ulnar flexion, and a long type that also limits the range of motion of the wrist joint to less than half of that of palmar and dorsiflexion. This invention solves the problem by using the material (1) and designing it with the features (2) to (4). [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The TPU wrist flexion restriction brace of this invention can be used primarily for rest and conservative treatment of TFCC injuries. The long type can also be expected to improve symptoms such as pain and numbness in conditions where keeping the wrist at rest tends to improve symptoms, such as De Quervain's disease (stenosing tenosynovitis) and carpal tunnel syndrome. Furthermore, the characteristics of the material and design promise the following benefits (1) to (5). (1) The use of TPU, a non-absorbent material, makes it possible to use it for wet work, and by using TPU with a relatively hard hardness of 72D, it is possible to maintain a good balance between flexibility and fixation even when made thin, at 1.2 to 1.5 mm. (2) By introducing the draping method during the design stage, it is possible to fit the device to the complex shape of the hand, and by using flat parts, manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced. (3) When fixing the brace to the wrist, the brace may rotate and change position each time it is worn, but by opening an ulnar head hole in the wrist part, the wearing position can be fixed. (4) In general braces, one side of the hook-and-loop fastener is often fixed, so it cannot be replaced even if it gets wet while doing water work, and it is necessary to simply wipe it off and put it back on while it is still wet, or to take the trouble of drying it with a hair dryer.By simply passing the hook-and-loop fastener (male-female mixed type) through the slit and folding it back, it becomes possible to easily replace the hook-and-loop fastener even if it gets wet. (5) Two types of braces were designed: a short type that only slightly limits the range of motion of the wrist joint's palmar and dorsiflexion, and a long type that limits the range of motion of the wrist joint's palmar and dorsiflexion to less than half. By creating two types, it is possible to select the brace according to the symptoms. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall view of a short-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace and a long-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded view of a short-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace. [Figure 3] This is the assembled state of a short-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace. [Figure 4] This is a short-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace being worn. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram of the actual joint range of motion restriction when a short-type TPU wrist joint ulnar flexion restriction brace is worn. [Figure 6] This is an exploded view of a long-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace. [Figure 7] This is the assembled state of a long TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace. [Figure 8] This is a picture of a long TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace being worn. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram of the actual range of motion restriction when wearing a long TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the installation position of the hook-and-loop fastener holes to allow for easy replacement of the hook-and-loop fastener. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram of the position of the ulnar head hole and the installation state. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the installation of a door molding. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the difference in the range of motion restriction between the short type and the long type. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Instructions for use are explained below. Expand the brace by moving the edge of the hook-and-loop fastener as far as it will go through the slit, then align the ulnar head with the hole in the wrist part and adjust the hook-and-loop tension to fit. For long-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction braces, adjust the tension of the hook-and-loop fastener on the back of the hand as well. The large size is made for men, with the medium size for women reduced by 90% and the small size for children reduced by 80%. If it does not fit, cut it with scissors or customize it by modifying the design. For short-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction braces, cut and attach car door molding to the distal edge of the palm part and the proximal edge of the wrist part. For long-type TPU wrist ulnar flexion restriction braces, cut and attach car door molding to both edges of the palm band and the proximal edge of the wrist part to relieve pain. [Example]

[0010] An example will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Each part was designed using 3D-CAD and printed using a 3D printer as a prototype. A short-type TPU TFCC brace (3D-printed short type): (1) A flat part (palm part) designed by cutting a ring-shaped part (75 mm outer diameter, 35 mm inner diameter) in half. (2) A flat part (wrist part) designed by cutting a rectangular part (100 x 55 mm) approximately halfway around the wrist with a hole (20 mm diameter) for the head of the ulna. (1) and (2) were designed with a thickness of 1.2 mm. Both parts were printed using a 3D printer with TPU hardness of 72D. The palm and wrist parts were molded in a three-dimensional form with a wrist ulnar flexion limit of 25 degrees and secured with four rivets. Two hook-and-loop fasteners were passed through the slits and secured to the dorsum of the hand. The 3D printer output took 70 minutes, cost 40 yen, and weighed 10 g. The total weight with the hook-and-loop fasteners and door molding attached was 16 g. Range of motion and ADL: (a) There was no restriction in the range of motion for radial abduction, ulnar adduction, and opposition of the thumb. (b) There was no restriction in the range of motion for volar abduction, volar adduction, and pinch of the thumb. (c) There was a slight restriction in the range of motion for palmar flexion and dorsiflexion of the wrist. (d) There was no restriction in the range of motion for wrist flexion, but ulnar flexion was limited to less than half. (e) It was possible to use a mouse, pen, and chopsticks. A long-type TPU TFCC brace (3D-printed long type): (1) A giraffe-shaped flat part (palm part) consisting of a ring-shaped part (75 mm outer diameter, 35 mm inner diameter) cut approximately in half and a band for the palm. (2) A rectangular part (100 x 55 mm) approximately halfway around the wrist with a hole (20 mm diameter) for the head of the ulna (wrist part). Parts (1) and (2) were designed with a thickness of 1.2 mm. Both parts were printed using a 3D printer with TPU hardness of 72D. The palm and wrist parts were molded in a three-dimensional form with a wrist flexion limit of 30 degrees and secured with four rivets. Two hook-and-loop fasteners were passed through the slits and secured to the back of the hand. The 3D printer output took 110 minutes, cost 60 yen, and weighed 14 g. The total weight with the hook-and-loop fastener and door molding attached was 23g. Range of motion and ADL: (a) There was no restriction in the range of motion for radial abduction, ulnar adduction, and opposition of the thumb. (b) There was no restriction in the range of motion for volar abduction, volar adduction, and pinch of the thumb. (c) The range of motion for palmar flexion and dorsiflexion of the wrist was limited to less than half. (d) The range of motion for wrist flexion was not limited, but ulnar flexion was limited to less than half. (e) It was possible to use a mouse, pen, and chopsticks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0011] 1 Palm part (short type) 2 wrist parts (short type) 3. Velcro (short type) 4 Crimp (short type) 5 Palm parts (long type) 6 Wrist parts (long type) 7. Crimp (long type) 8 hook-and-loop fasteners (long type) 9. Palm part rivet hole (short type) 10. Wrist part rivet hole (short type) 11 Ulnar head hole (short type) 12 hook-and-loop fastener holes (short type) 13. Palm part rivet hole (long type) 14. Velcro hole on palm part (long type) 15. Wrist part rivet hole (long type) 16 Ulnar head hole (long type) 17. Hook and loop fastener hole on wrist part (long type)

Claims

1. This wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace is made by joining two flat TPU parts molded using the draping method with rivets to form a three-dimensional shape, and then fixing it to the back of the hand or wrist with hook-and-loop fasteners.

2. The wrist ulnar flexion restriction brace described in claim 1 uses a type of hook-and-loop fastener (male-female mixed type) that can be passed through a slit and folded back to secure the device, rather than directly fastening the hook-and-loop fastener to the flat part, and is designed so that the hook-and-loop fastener can be easily replaced if it gets wet due to water work, etc.

3. 2. The wrist ulnar flexion limiting brace according to claim 1, wherein a hole is drilled in the ulnar head portion so that the position of the brace can be identified in addition to decompressing the ulnar head portion.

4. (1) Palm part designed with half of a donut shape. (2) A wrist part designed as a rectangle with a hole for the head of the ulna. The wrist ulnar flexion restriction orthosis according to claim 1 is a short type that is composed of the two parts (1) and (2) above, is fixed to the wrist using two hook-and-loop fasteners at the distal part of the forearm proximal to the wrist, and restricts ulnar flexion of the wrist.

5. (1) The palm part is designed in a giraffe-like shape, combining half of a donut shape with a palm band. (2) A wrist part designed as a rectangle with a hole for the head of the ulna. The long-type wrist joint ulnar flexion restricting orthosis according to claim 1 is made up of the two parts (1) and (2) above, and is fixed to the wrist joint using one hook-and-loop fastener on the back of the hand and two hook-and-loop fasteners on the distal part of the forearm proximal to the wrist joint, thereby restricting ulnar flexion of the wrist joint.

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