Cervical spine support foreheadrest

Abstract

To provide a structurally new forehead rest for supporting the cervical spine, which does not hinder an operator from assuming a forward-bent posture and which can reduce a load imposed on the cervical spine by the forward-bent posture.MEANS: A forehead rest for protecting cervical spine comprises an elastic member that extends to a user's forehead through his / her back, occipital region and parietal region from his / her waist or buttocks, and a fixing part for fixing the elastic member to his / her waist or buttocks.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a forehead rest for cervical spine assistance.

Background Art

[0002] An adult's head weighs about 5 kg, and when facing straight ahead, a load of about 5 kg is applied to the cervical spine. However, the lower the head is tilted, the greater the load increases, and it has been reported that when the head is tilted 60 degrees downward, a load of about 27 kg is applied to the cervical spine. In occupations such as surgeons that require a long-term forward-leaning posture, cervical spondylosis due to long-term cervical spine load has become an "occupational disease". In addition, the use of smartphones while maintaining a forward-leaning head posture and long hours of desk work also cause cervical spondylosis due to cervical spine load. Due to the nature of the work, there are many cases where a forward-leaning posture cannot be avoided, and there is a need for a means to reduce the cervical spine load that occurs during a forward-leaning posture without interfering with the work of the operator.

[0003] Although a large number of neck collars for cervical spondylosis are commercially available, their purpose is to keep the cervical spine quiet so that it does not move much, and they are not suitable for downward work while wearing them. In addition, as a means to reduce the cervical spine load, maintaining a normal posture (a non-forward-leaning posture) can be mentioned, and rigid supports for maintaining a normal posture can be found (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in situations where working in a forward-leaning posture is essential (such as surgery, where a leaning posture is required), the aforementioned rigid support devices are impediments to the work and cannot be used. Therefore, there is a need for support devices that can be used when working in a forward-leaning posture is essential. The object of this invention is to provide a new cervical spine support forehead rest with a novel structure that does not hinder the worker from adopting a forward-leaning posture and can reduce the load on the cervical spine caused by such a forward-leaning posture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The inventors of this invention have diligently studied and completed the following invention in order to solve the above problems.

[0007] [1] A forehead rest for cervical spine protection, comprising an elastic member extending from the waist or buttocks, through the back, back of the head, and top of the head, to the forehead, and a fixing part for fixing the elastic member to the waist or buttocks. [2] The cervical forehead rest according to [1], wherein when the worker wears the cervical forehead rest, the elastic member is in contact with the worker at the waist or buttocks, back and forehead.

[0008] [3] The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to [1] or [2], wherein the fixing portion is a waist fixing portion that fixes the elastic member to the waist, or a seating portion that fixes the elastic member to the buttocks. [4] A cervical spine protection forehead rest according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising a return portion at the lumbar end of the elastic member. [5] A forehead rest for cervical spine protection according to any of [1] to [4], further comprising a forehead contact portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention, an elastic member extending from the rear, originating from the waist or buttocks, supports the forehead. Therefore, it can reduce the burden on the cervical spine caused by tilting the head forward without interfering with the worker's work. Furthermore, by using elastic members instead of rigid bodies, the device does not correct posture, but rather follows the forward-leaning posture while supporting the head, thereby reducing the load on the cervical spine caused by the forward tilt of the head. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the elastic member, and Figure 1(b) is a side view. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a magnified view of the area around the head when a worker is wearing the cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is a side view of a worker wearing the standing cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention, and Figure 3(b) is a side view of a worker wearing the seated cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Forehead rest for cervical spine protection> The cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention comprises a predetermined elastic member and a fixing part for fixing the elastic member to the waist or buttocks.

[0012] (Elastic material) The elastic member has a shape that extends from the waist or buttocks, through the back, back of the head, and top of the head to the forehead. Specific shapes include a rod-like or plate-like body. The elastic member serves to transmit the weight of the worker's head to the worker's waist or buttocks via the elastic member.

[0013] When an operator wears the cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention, the elastic member is at least in contact with the operator at the waist or hip, back, and forehead of the operator. Thereby, when the operator leans forward, the restoring force against the deflection generated in the forehead rest (elastic member) supports the head, making it possible to reduce the load on the cervical spine generated when the head leans forward. Note that the elastic member being in contact with the waist or hip means that it is in contact with the waist via a waist fixing part described later, or in contact with the hip via a seating part described later.

[0014] An embodiment of the shape of the elastic member 10 is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view. In FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the left side shown in the figure is the waist side, and the right side is the head side. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the elastic member 10 includes a portion 12 corresponding to the waist of the wearer, a portion 14 corresponding to the back, and a portion 16 corresponding to the forehead, and these portions are configured to contact the operator.

[0015] A return part 18 may be formed at the waist side end of the elastic member. The return part 18 is for preventing the elastic member 10 from coming off the waist fixing part 20 by hooking it on the waist fixing part 20 described later. Note that, instead of the return part 18, other shapes that can be connected to the waist fixing part 20 may be formed at the waist side end of the elastic member 10. Examples of other shapes include, for example, a belt loop shape.

[0016] The form shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an elastic member used for a standing cervical spine protection forehead rest, and a return part 18 is formed at the waist side end. The elastic member used for a seating cervical spine protection forehead rest does not have the return part 18 formed, and the elastic member extending from the back remains linear.

[0017] The portion 16 corresponding to the forehead on the head side of the elastic member 10 is a portion that contacts the forehead of the operator. However, in order to increase the surface contact with the forehead of the operator, it is preferable that the width of the elastic member 10 spreads at this portion 16. In FIG. 1(b), the portion 16 is configured to be wide in the direction of the back and front in the figure. The width of the portion 16 is preferably 3 cm to 15 cm, and more preferably 5 cm to 10 cm.

[0018] As the material constituting the elastic member 10, there is no particular limitation as long as it is an elastic material. For example, metal materials such as stainless steel, iron, copper, and titanium, plastics, GFRP, CFRP, wood, bamboo, etc. can be mentioned. Among them, as the forehead rest of the present invention, it is preferable to use CFRP because it has a preferable elastic force and is lightweight.

[0019] The elastic force of the elastic member 10 can be appropriately adjusted according to the type of work performed by the operator or the preference of the operator. The method of adjusting the elastic force of the elastic member 10 may be a method of adjusting by the elasticity of the material by selecting the material, or a method of adjusting by the width and thickness of the elastic member 10. When the operator is a surgeon, as shown in FIG. 2, the time of taking a posture of tilting the head forward by 60° occupies most of the time during the operation. Therefore, it is preferable to have an elastic force that does not hinder taking this posture and that can support the forehead with sufficient elastic force while taking this posture to reduce the burden on the cervical vertebra due to the weight of the head. In addition, the arrow in FIG. 2 indicates the direction of the force that the portion 16 corresponding to the forehead of the elastic member 10 supports the forehead by the elastic force.

[0020] Such an elastic force is preferably 100 to 600 N, and more preferably 200 to 400 N, when the operator wearing the cervical protection forehead rest of the present invention is in a posture of bending forward to a position 60 degrees from the horizontal direction. Here, "a posture in which the person is bent forward to a position 60 degrees from the horizontal" means that the angle α in Figure 3(a) is 60 degrees. In Figure 3, line X1 represents a horizontal line passing through the center position of the lumbar support portion 20 of the cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention in a side view (the point where the center line in the width direction of the lumbar support portion in a side view intersects with the center line in the direction of the waist), and line Y1 represents a line connecting the center position of the lumbar support portion in a side view and the top of the worker's head.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3(b), in the case of a seated position, line X2 is a horizontal line including the seat surface, and line Y2 is a line connecting the point Z2 obtained by dropping line X2 vertically from the connection point Z1 between the elastic member and the seat to the top of the head.

[0022] Furthermore, if the elastic member 10 is formed from CFRP, and the elastic member 10 is a plate-shaped body (leaf spring) in order to exhibit the desired elastic force, its second moment of area I (=h 3 b / 12 (h: thickness, b: width) is 3-10mm 4 Preferably 5-8 mm 4 The thickness is preferably 0.5 to 10 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 5 mm, and the width is preferably 1 to 300 mm, more preferably 1 to 50 mm.

[0023] (Waist fixation part 20) Figure 3 shows how the cervical spine protection foreheadrest of the present invention looks when worn. Figure 3(a) is a side view of a worker wearing the standing cervical spine protection foreheadrest of the present invention, and Figure 3(b) is a side view of a worker wearing the seated cervical spine protection foreheadrest of the present invention.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3(a), the waist end of the elastic member 10 is fixed to the worker's waist via the waist fixing part 20. The shape of the waist fixing part 20 is not particularly limited as long as it can fix the waist end of the elastic member 10 to the worker's waist, but it may be, for example, a normal belt, or a corset-like member that is wider than a belt, as shown in Figure 3(a). A corset-like member is more preferable because it can stably fix the waist end of the elastic member 10 to the worker's waist.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(a), it is preferable that the lower part of the waist fixing portion 20 located on the worker's back has a recess for hooking the return portion 18 of the elastic member 10. The waist fixing portion 20 is preferably structured to be easily attached and detached, for example, by using Velcro (registered trademark).

[0026] (sitting position 30) In a seated cervical spine protection forehead rest, instead of a lumbar support portion 20, there is a seating portion 30 that fixes an elastic member to the buttocks of the user. The seating portion 30, for example as shown in Figure 3(b), is L-shaped in side view and consists of a seat portion 32 corresponding to the seat surface and an upright piece 31 that rises from the seat portion 32 and abuts against the upper part of the buttocks. The upright piece 31 and the buttock-side end of the elastic member 10 are fixed by a predetermined fixing structure 33. In the configuration shown in Figure 3(b), the fixing structure 33 is a belt loop that is fixed with screws through a belt-shaped (leaf spring-shaped) elastic member 10. Furthermore, the statement that the seating portion 30 fixes the elastic member 10 to the buttocks means that when a worker using the cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention sits on the seating portion 30, the worker's weight causes their buttocks to be fixed to the elastic member via the seating portion 30.

[0027] (Forehead contact area) The elastic member 10 may have a portion 16 corresponding to the forehead that directly contacts the worker's forehead (in this case, the portion 16 corresponding to the forehead becomes the forehead contact portion), or a cushioning material such as sponge may be attached to the forehead contact surface side of the portion 16 corresponding to the forehead to form a forehead contact portion.

[0028] (Additional effect) The cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention provides cervical spine protection for all individuals who perform downward-facing work for extended periods. Its just-right flexibility supports the head, making it comfortable even during long hours of work. Furthermore, it has the advantage of being easy to put on and take off, and it is even possible to sleep while wearing the forehead rest of the present invention. Furthermore, the elastic member 10 makes it possible to accommodate various head angles. Furthermore, by measuring the degree of bending of the elastic member 10 using a sensor, it is possible to add a function to measure how much weight was supported and for how long. In that case, for example, if the status can be checked on a mobile device, the burden on the worker can be visualized. [Industrial applicability]

[0029] The cervical spine protection forehead rest of the present invention is usable by anyone who performs downward-facing work for extended periods. It is particularly useful for those in professions that require prolonged forward-leaning postures, such as surgeons, computer workers, desk workers, and illustrators. A prime example of prolonged downward-facing work in the medical field is surgery. Surgery is performed not only in specialties with "surgery" in their name, such as gastrointestinal surgery, respiratory surgery, cardiovascular surgery, breast surgery, pediatric surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery, but also in a wide range of other fields including ophthalmology, dermatology, urology, otolaryngology, and obstetrics and gynecology. Furthermore, even outside of medicine, there are many professions that require hand-drawn work, such as drafting and illustration, and many that require close-up work, making this product highly desirable.

Claims

1. It comprises an elastic member extending from the waist or buttocks, through the back, back of the head, and top of the head, to the forehead, and a fixing part for fixing the elastic member to the waist or buttocks. The elastic member is a rod-shaped or plate-shaped body made from a single member. Forehead rest for cervical spine protection.

2. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 1, wherein when the worker wears the cervical spine protection forehead rest, the elastic member is in contact with the worker at the waist or buttocks, back and forehead.

3. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the worker wears the cervical spine protection forehead rest, the elastic member is configured to support the forehead, starting from the waist or buttocks, passing from the rear of the worker through the top of the head.

4. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixing portion is a waist fixing portion that fixes the elastic member to the waist, or a seating portion that fixes the elastic member to the buttocks.

5. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 4, wherein the seating portion comprises a seat surface, and the elastic member is fixed to the buttocks when the worker sits on the seat surface.

6. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic member is provided with a return portion at its lumbar end.

7. The cervical spine protection forehead rest according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a forehead contact portion.

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