Knee support

Abstract

To provide a knee supporter that is easy to wear, lightweight, and capable of reliably supporting the knee joint. [Solution] The knee support (1) is composed of an elastic support body (10) and a strap (20). The support body is worn in a cylindrical state wrapped around the user's knee while exposing the kneecap (31) to the outside. The strap is belt-shaped and wrapped spirally around the outer circumference of the support body. The support body has a flat, belt-shaped reinforcing member (16) built in that extends vertically in areas corresponding to the outside and inside of the knee when wrapped around the knee. The strap has hook-and-loop fasteners (21) attached to one main surface at least at the beginning and end of the lengthwise direction of the belt-like extension. The support body has an area (14) on the outer surface to which the hook-and-loop fastener is attached when wrapped around the knee.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a knee support. [Background technology]

[0002] Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease in which the knee joint wears down due to aging and excessive stress, causing pain and limited movement. OA patients experience knee pain due to the worn-out cartilage. Protecting the knee to prevent pain can lead to muscle weakness, resulting in instability of the knee joint, such as unsteadiness when walking. Therefore, knee supports are sometimes used to stabilize the knee joint and slow the progression of symptoms in OA patients.

[0003] Knee supports used in OA include those described in the following Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1. The OA knee supports described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 include a support body that is wrapped around the knee joint in a cylindrical shape while exposing the kneecap, and multiple band-like straps that are wrapped around the outer surface of the support body to more firmly fix the knee joint. The support body and straps are made of an elastic material. One end of the strap is fixed to the support body, and the strap is wrapped around the support body while stretching toward the other end. The other end of the strap is fixed to the surface of the support body with a hook-and-loop fastener, thereby supporting the knee joint. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Design Registration No. 1112239 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Kawamura Prosthetics Co., Ltd., "Knee Support OAGX," [online], [Retrieved May 13, 2025], Internet<URL:https: / / www.kawamura-gishi.co.jp / sougu_catalog / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventional knee supports for OA, including those described in the prior art documents above, have multiple straps to securely support the knee joint. This can make them difficult to put on, and the weight of the entire knee support can be heavy, placing unnecessary strain on the user. Reducing the number of straps to consider ease of wear and weight can weaken the support for the knee joint.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a knee support that is easy to wear, lightweight, and capable of reliably supporting the knee joint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a supporter that is configured by a stretchable supporter body and a strap, The supporter body is worn in a cylindrical state wrapped around the user's knee with the patella exposed to the outside, The strap is belt-shaped and spirally wound around the outer periphery of the supporter body, The up-down direction of the supporter body is defined as the vertical up-down direction when the supporter body is attached to the leg of a user standing with the knee extended, The support body has built-in flat strip-shaped reinforcing members extending in the vertical direction in areas corresponding to the lateral and medial sides of the knee when wrapped around the knee, The strap has a main surface on which hook-and-loop fasteners are attached at least at the start and end of the length of the strap extending in a strip shape, The support body has areas on its outer surface, when wrapped around the knee, to which the hook-and-loop fasteners at the start end and the end end are attached. It is a knee support.

[0009] The knee support can also be such that, on the outer surface of the support body when it is wrapped around the knee, at least the upper and lower ends of the area in which the reinforcing member is built in are distinguishable from other areas as suction areas for the hook-and-loop fastener at the start or end of the strap.

[0010] Furthermore, on the outer surface of the support body when it is wrapped around the knee, the entire area in which the reinforcing member is built in can be distinguished from other areas, The strap is configured such that the hook-and-loop fastener at the starting end is a first hook-and-loop fastener, the hook-and-loop fastener at the terminal end is a fourth hook-and-loop fastener, and first to fourth hook-and-loop fasteners are intermittently attached to the one main surface from the starting end to the terminal end, The knee support may be such that the first to fourth hook-and-loop fasteners are positioned in positions corresponding to the area in which the reinforcing member is built in when the strap is spirally wound around the outer surface of the support body.

[0011] The knee support may also be made of a coil spring formed in the shape of a flat band, as the reinforcing member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, a knee supporter is provided that is easy to wear, lightweight, and capable of reliably supporting the knee joint. Other effects will be made clear in the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1A] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a knee support according to an embodiment, illustrating the back side of the knee support. FIG. [Figure 1B]1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the knee support, illustrating the outer surface side of the knee support. FIG. [Figure 2A] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the appearance of a reinforcing member constituting the knee support. [Figure 2B] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the state in which the reinforcing member is built into the support body constituting the knee support. [Figure 3A] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing a procedure for attaching the supporter body to the right leg of a user. [Figure 3B] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the procedure for winding the straps that make up the knee support around the outer surface of the support body, and show the winding procedure corresponding to varus osteoarthritis of the knee. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which knee supporters are attached to both the left and right legs of a user. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a view showing the strap wrapped around the outer surface of the support body in a procedure to accommodate valgus osteoarthritis of the knee. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the performance of the knee support, illustrating the maximum knee varus moment in a subject wearing the knee support. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the performance of the knee supporter, illustrating the maximum knee external rotation moment in the subject. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a view showing the state in which the two straps are wound around the outer surface of the supporter body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the same or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted. If a part designated by a reference numeral in one drawing is unnecessary, the same reference numeral may not be designated in other drawings. ===Example=== <Knee support configuration> Figures 1A and 1B show the structure of a knee support 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 1A and 1B, hatching is applied in appropriate places to make it easier to distinguish between the front and back and to identify each part. As shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the knee support 1 is composed of a support body 10 that is wrapped around the knee in a cylindrical shape, and a band-like strap 20. Furthermore, the support body 10 and strap 20 are mainly made of an elastic material such as Lycra fiber ("Lycra" is a registered trademark).

[0015] Here, the surface of the supporter body 10 that faces outward when worn around the knee is referred to as the outer surface, and the surface that comes into contact with the user's leg is referred to as the back surface. FIG. 1A shows the back surfaces of the supporter body 10 and strap 20, and FIG. 1B shows the outer surfaces of the supporter body 10 and strap 20. The vertical direction is the direction of extension of the user's leg when the knee is extended, and the vertical directions correspond to the vertical directions when the user is standing. The vertical direction of the supporter body 10 is defined based on the state when worn around the user's knee. The left-right direction of the supporter body 10 is defined as the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction (depth direction in the drawing) and the vertical direction, based on the unfolded state when not wrapped around the knee, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Furthermore, for convenience, the left-right directions of the unfolded supporter body 10 are defined as the state when viewed from the back surface, with the vertical direction aligned with the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0016] The supporter body 10 has a recess 11 formed by cutting out the left and right edges of a rectangle into a roughly semicircular shape. Above and below the recess 11 are flaps 12 that protrude outward in the left and right wing-like fashion. The flaps (121L, 121R) formed below the recess 11 are roughly the same shape on the left and right, but the number of flaps 12 above the recess 11 differs on the left and right. Two flaps (122L, 123L) are formed on the left side, one above the other, and one flap 122R is formed on the right side. As shown in FIG. 1A , male hook-and-loop fasteners 124 are sewn to the tip ends of the backsides of the three flaps (121L-123L) on the left side. Male hook-and-loop fasteners 21 are sewn to the backside of the band-like strap 20 at four locations: two at both ends in the length direction and two in the middle region. Since the hook-and-loop fasteners 21 are not stretchable, the strap 20 stretches in the region between the adjacent hook-and-loop fasteners 21 in the extension direction.

[0017] The outer surface of the support body 10 shown in FIG. 1B is brushed over almost the entire surface, except for the central portion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "back portion 13"), which is made of a dry mesh knit indicated by the hatched stitches, and is therefore capable of adhering to male hook-and-loop fasteners (124, 21). Two sleeves 14 are formed on both the left and right sides of the back portion 13, extending from the top to the bottom of the support body 10, with an open top and a closed bottom. In the knee support 1 according to the embodiment, the region where the sleeves 14 are formed (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "sleeve region") indicated by the dark halftone dots in the figure is also capable of adhering to the hook-and-loop fastener, but the sleeve region can be distinguished at a glance by using a different material, weave direction, etc. from the region indicated by the light halftone dots on the outer surface of the support body 10. In addition, a semicircular male hook-and-loop fastener (hereinafter referred to as "stopper 15") with an adhesive surface on the back side is attached to the upper end of each sleeve 14, and stopper 15 opens and closes like a flap, using the semicircular string as its base.

[0018] A reinforcing member 16 formed in the shape of a flat band is removably housed in sleeve 14. Fig. 2A shows the appearance of reinforcing member 16 in knee support 1 according to the embodiment, and Fig. 2B shows the state when reinforcing member 16 is inserted into sleeve 14. As shown in Fig. 2A, reinforcing member 16 is composed of main body portion 16a, which is a coil spring formed in the shape of a flat band, and metal end portion 16b, which has a U-shaped planar shape and into which the tip of main body portion 16a is fitted while sandwiching main body portion 16a in the thickness direction. Reinforcing member 16 is disposed on the lateral and medial sides of the knee when support body 10 is worn around the knee, and has the function of supporting the knee joint while allowing for slight bending and conforming to the shape around the knee.

[0019] 2B, reinforcing member 16 is inserted into sleeve 14 from above. Reinforcing member 16 is designed to be inserted smoothly into sleeve 14 by end portion 16b. When the entire length of reinforcing member 16 is stored in sleeve 14, stopper 15 is attracted to the upper end of sleeve 14 and blocks the upper end of sleeve 14, which opens upward, to prevent reinforcing member 16 from accidentally escaping from sleeve 14. <How to wear a knee support> Next, the procedure for wearing the knee support 1 will be described. Figures 3A and 3B show the procedure for wearing the knee support 1. Figures 3A and 3B show an example of wearing the knee support 1 on a user's right leg 30R. First, as shown in Figure 3A, the support body 10 is wrapped around the back of the knee toward the front of the knee (s1). Then, while overlapping the left and right flaps (121R-121L, 122R-122L, and 123L) of the support body 10 in front of the knee, the flaps (121R-121L, 122R-122L, and 123L) are fastened together with hook-and-loop fasteners 124 (s2). This allows the support body 10 to be worn around the knee in a cylindrically wrapped state. The recess 11 also forms a circular opening 17, exposing the patella 31 through this opening 17.

[0020] Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the strap 20 is spirally wound around the outer surface of the support body 10 (s3, s3o, s3i). At this time, the spiral winding direction is changed depending on whether the patient is inversion OA or eversion OA. FIG. 3B shows the wound state of the strap 20 corresponding to inversion OA, and shows the wound state (s3) of the strap 20 when viewed from the front of the right leg 30R and the wound state (s3o, s3i) of the strap 20 when viewed from the side of the right leg 30R. The wound state (s3o) of the strap 20 when viewed from the outside of the knee (to the right of the user's right foot) is indicated by a white arrow in the figure, and the wound state (s3i) of the strap 20 when viewed from the inside of the knee (to the left of the user's right foot) is indicated by a solid arrow in FIG. 3A.

[0021] In the example shown in Fig. 3B, the strap 20 is spirally wound from the lower outer side of the knee to the upper inner side of the knee at a rotation angle of approximately 540°. The strap 20 in this embodiment has hook-and-loop fasteners 21 arranged at four locations along its length. For example, as shown in Figs. 1A and 1B, the hook-and-loop fastener 21 at one end of the length is referred to as the first hook-and-loop fastener 211, and the hook-and-loop fasteners 212 to 214 are arranged toward the other end. When wrapping the strap 20, the first hook-and-loop fastener 211 is first attached to the lower end of the sleeve 14 arranged on the outer side of the knee. Next, while wrapping the strap 20 diagonally upward and inward so as to pass below the patella 31, the second hook-and-loop fastener 212 is attached to the sleeve 14 arranged on the inner side of the knee. Furthermore, during the process of wrapping the strap so as to pass behind the knee and above the patella 31, the third hook-and-loop fastener 213 is attached to the sleeve 14 on the outer side of the knee. Then, the fourth hook-and-loop fastener 214 is attached to the upper end of the sleeve 14 on the inside of the knee. Of course, the procedure for wrapping the strap 20 for varus OA may be performed in reverse after first attaching the fourth hook-and-loop fastener 214 to the upper end of the sleeve 14 on the inside of the knee, as long as the wrapping state is the same as that shown in Figure 3B.

[0022] The knee support 1 according to the embodiment can be used on both the left and right legs, and when worn on the left leg 30L, the support body 10 is placed around the knee in the same way as for the right leg, and the strap 20 is then spirally wrapped from the lower outside of the knee to the upper inside of the knee at an angle of approximately 54°. Figure 4 shows the state in which the knee support 1 is worn on both the left and right legs (30L, 30R). Figure 4 is a front view of the user's legs (30L, 30R), and shows the support body 10, which has an asymmetrical shape, wrapped around the knee in the same direction on both sides, while the strap 20 is wrapped symmetrically around the outer surface of the support body 10.

[0023] The above describes the procedure for wearing the knee brace 1 for varus OA. The procedure for wearing the knee brace 1 for valgus OA is essentially the same as the procedure shown in Figures 3A and 3B, except that the wrapping path of the strap 20 is different from that for varus OA. Figure 5 shows the wrapping of the strap 20 for valgus OA. Figure 5 shows the user's right leg 30R as viewed from the front. As shown in this figure, for valgus OA, the strap 20 is wrapped spirally from the lower inner side of the knee to the upper outer side of the knee at a rotation angle of approximately 540°. To wrap the strap 20, first attach the first hook-and-loop fastener 211 to the lower end of the sleeve 14i located on the inside of the knee. Next, wrap the strap 20 diagonally upward and outward so that it passes below the patella 31, while attaching the second hook-and-loop fastener 212 to the sleeve 14o located on the outside of the knee. Furthermore, in the process of wrapping the fabric around the back of the knee and passing above the patella 31, the third surface fastener 213 is attached to the sleeve 14i on the inside of the knee. Then, the fourth surface fastener 214 is attached to the upper end of the sleeve 14o on the outside of the knee. <Knee support characteristics> Next, in order to confirm the effect of the knee support 1 according to the embodiment on OA, the specifications and performance of the conventional knee supports described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 above and the knee support 1 according to the embodiment were compared.

[0024] Table 1 below shows the specifications of the knee support 1 according to the embodiment (embodiment) and a conventional knee support (conventional example).

[0025] [Table 1] As shown in Table 1, the knee support 1 according to the embodiment is basically used by wrapping one strap 20 around one support body 10, whereas in the conventional example, one end of two straps is permanently attached to the main body portion that wraps around the knee, which corresponds to the support body 10 in the embodiment, and the two straps must be individually wrapped around the outer surface of the main body portion and the other ends attached to the appropriate positions on the main body portion. Furthermore, in terms of weight and size, the embodiment is lighter than the conventional example and has a shorter height (vertical width) in the popliteal fossa. Thus, the knee support 1 according to the embodiment is easier to wear and places less strain on the user than conventional knee supports.

[0026] The size of the knee support 1 is generally selectable from a variety of sizes depending on the circumference of the user's knee. The vertical width of the support body 10 in the embodiment and the vertical width of the main body portion in the conventional embodiment are both constant, as shown in Table 1. However, while the conventional embodiment is available in five sizes (S / M / L / LL / 3L) in terms of the width in the direction of wrapping around the knee (lateral width), the knee support 1 in the embodiment is "custom-made," and the lateral width of the support body 10 and the length of the strap 20 are appropriately adjusted according to the circumference of the user's knee before being provided to the user. Furthermore, in the knee support 1 in the embodiment, even if the strap 20 has the same length, the tension can be adjusted by changing the width. In other words, the wider the strap 20, the greater the tension when wrapped around the support body 20, i.e., the greater the restraining force for supporting the knee joint. In this way, in the knee support 1 in the embodiment, in which the support body 10 and the strap 20 are separate, the force supporting the user's knee joint can be freely changed simply by replacing the strap 20.

[0027] Next, to evaluate the performance of the knee support 1 according to the embodiment, a user (hereinafter referred to as "subject") was fitted with the knee support 1 using a 5 cm wide strap 20 in a procedure corresponding to varus OA, and the maximum knee varus moment and maximum knee external rotation moment were measured. Specifically, the subjects were first fitted with the knee support 1 according to the embodiment, and a motion recorder (Microstone Corporation, MVP-RF8-GC-500) was attached to the lateral epicondyle of the femur. Next, each subject was asked to walk a distance of 5 m back and forth, and their walking state was videotaped from the frontal plane to the front and back. Two-dimensional analysis software (kinovea.0.9.1) was then used to synchronously analyze the lateral knee swing state in the video footage and the three-dimensional acceleration measured by the motion recorder to measure the maximum knee varus moment and maximum knee external rotation moment. In addition, the same test was conducted with the subject wearing the conventional knee support and without wearing any knee support, and the maximum knee varus moment and maximum knee external rotation moment were measured, and the measurement results were compared with the measurement results in the example. The significance level for the measurement results was set at 5%.

[0028] Figures 6A and 6B show the measurement results of the maximum knee varus moment and maximum knee external rotation moment for the "Example" which is the knee support 1 of the Example, the "Conventional Example" which is a conventional knee support, and the "Non-Wear" case where neither knee supporter was worn. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, it was confirmed that both the maximum knee varus moment and the maximum knee external rotation moment were significantly reduced for the knee support 1 of the Example compared to the non-wear and the conventional example.

[0029] As described above, the knee support 1 according to the embodiment is easier to put on, can reduce the load on the user, and can more reliably support the knee joint than conventional knee supporters. Furthermore, the knee support 1 according to the embodiment has four hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) intermittently arranged on the strap 20, but the area of ​​the sleeve 14 that houses the reinforcing member 16 that supports the knee on both the inside and outside is easily identifiable on the support body 10, and this area of ​​the sleeve 14 is used as the attachment position for the hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214). Therefore, when winding the strap 20 spirally from the bottom end to the top end of the support body 10 (or from the top end to the bottom end), the user can recognize the sleeve 14, where the hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) are easily identifiable, as the attachment position, and can correctly wind the strap 20 without specialized knowledge.

[0030] It is sufficient that the hook-and-loop fasteners 21 on the strap 20 are located at at least two positions, one at each end in the longitudinal direction. However, in this embodiment, the strap 20 has non-stretchable hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) arranged intermittently, so that the strap 20 stretches only in the short distance between two adjacent hook-and-loop fasteners (211-212, 212-213, 213-214) in the longitudinal direction, and the winding path of the strap 20 is less likely to shift compared to when the hook-and-loop fasteners 21 are located at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] In other words, if the hook-and-loop fasteners 21 were only on both ends of the strap, when the strap 20 tried to expand and contract along its entire length as the knee bends and straightens during walking, etc., there was a possibility that the initial strap winding path would shift, making it impossible to maintain the most appropriate winding state of the strap 20. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the strap 20 is fixed at four points along its length, which shortens the distance between adjacent hook-and-loop fasteners (211-212, 212-213, 213-214), making it less likely that the winding state will shift. As a result, the periphery of the knee joint is always evenly constrained, allowing the knee joint to be stably supported. ===Other Examples=== Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and includes various modifications. Furthermore, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with another configuration.

[0032] For example, in the above embodiment, the reinforcing member 16 is made of a coil spring formed in the shape of a flat band, and is excellent in shape recovery, ability to follow the shape of the legs (30L, 30R), and durability, but the reinforcing member 16 can also be made of a metal plate, a resin material, etc. The material and structure of the reinforcing member 16 can be changed as appropriate depending on the required cost, performance, etc.

[0033] The wider the strap 20, the stronger the knee joint can be secured, so multiple straps of different widths may be provided for one supporter body 10. The user can then use straps 20 of an appropriate width depending on changes in symptoms, etc.

[0034] To provide stronger support for the knee joint, two straps 20 may be used for one support body 10, with one strap 20 wound in a manner that corresponds to varus OA and the other strap 20 wound in a manner that corresponds to valgus OA. Figure 7 shows the state in which a knee support 1 using two straps 20 is worn. In Figure 7, the knee support 1 is worn on the user's right leg 30R. As shown in Figure 7, two straps 20 are wound around one support body 10 with their spiral directions opposite each other.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the strap 20 has hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) arranged at four positions along its length, and the outer surface of the supporter main body 10 is designed to easily identify the areas of the sleeve 14 so that the hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) can be attached to the correct positions when wrapping the strap 20. Of course, if the user can wrap the strap 20 correctly under the guidance of a doctor or the like, there is no need to make the attachment positions of the hook-and-loop fasteners (211-214) easy to identify.

[0036] Naturally, the application of the knee supporter 1 according to the above embodiment is not limited to OA, as long as it is used for the purpose of stably supporting the knee joint. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 knee support, 10 support body, 11 recess, 12 flap portion, 14 sleeves, 16 reinforcing members, 21,124 hook-and-loop fasteners, 30L,30R leg, 31 patella

Claims

1. It is composed of a stretchable supporter body and a strap, The supporter body is worn in a cylindrical state wrapped around the user's knee with the patella exposed to the outside, The strap is belt-shaped and spirally wound around the outer periphery of the supporter body, The up-down direction of the supporter body is defined as the vertical up-down direction when the supporter body is attached to the leg of a user standing with the knee extended, The support body has built-in flat strip-shaped reinforcing members extending in the vertical direction in areas corresponding to the lateral and medial sides of the knee when wrapped around the knee, The strap has a main surface on which hook-and-loop fasteners are attached at least at the start and end of the length of the strap extending in a strip shape, The support body has areas on the outer surface thereof when wrapped around the knee to which the hook-and-loop fasteners at the start end and the end end are attached. Knee support.

2. 2. The knee support of claim 1, wherein on the outer surface of the support body when wrapped around the knee, at least the upper and lower ends of the area in which the reinforcing member is built are distinguishable from other areas as the suction areas of the hook-and-loop fastener at the beginning or end of the strap.

3. On the outer surface of the support body when it is wrapped around the knee, the entire area in which the reinforcing member is built-in can be distinguished from other areas, The strap is configured such that the hook-and-loop fastener at the starting end is a first hook-and-loop fastener, the hook-and-loop fastener at the terminal end is a fourth hook-and-loop fastener, and first to fourth hook-and-loop fasteners are intermittently attached to the one main surface from the starting end to the terminal end, the first to fourth hook-and-loop fasteners are arranged at positions corresponding to the region in which the reinforcing member is built when the strap is spirally wound around the outer surface of the supporter body; The knee support according to claim 2.

4. 4. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is a coil spring formed in the shape of a flat band.

Images