Knee supporter

Abstract

A knee supporter 1 according to an aspect comprises: a tubular supporter body 10 to be worn to cover a knee joint; a pad 12 that is arranged in a position corresponding to a kneecap CK on an inner surface of the supporter body 10; and a cover 20 that is fixed on the inner surface so as to form an accommodation space S between the cover 20 and the inner surface of the supporter body 10, the accommodation space S accommodating the pad 12. The pad 12 is a single continuous body and receives the kneecap CK on the inside thereof. A part of the pad 12 is joined to at least one of the cover 20 and the supporter body 10.

Description

Knee support

[0001] The present invention relates to a supporter for protecting a knee joint.

[0002] Knee supports commonly use a structure in which a pad is placed inside a cylindrical support body. Generally, the support body is made of a highly stretchable material, enhancing the comfort of the support when worn on the knee. By placing the pad around the patella, the stability of the knee joint can be enhanced. However, the presence of the pad increases the restraining force around the knee. In other words, such knee supports have difficulty following the stretching of the skin and the protrusion of the joint when bending and straightening, potentially limiting the range of motion of the knee joint.

[0003] Therefore, techniques have been proposed to reduce the restraining force by dividing the pad and arranging it on the supporter body, or by providing notches in the pad (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] JP 2005-237579 A JP 2010-229594 A

[0005] However, if the pad is divided into multiple pad pieces and placed on the support body, the gaps between the pad pieces will widen as the support body stretches, reducing the knee joint stabilization effect and making the entire pad more likely to shift from its original proper position. Furthermore, if a slit is made in the pad, a portion of the pad will protrude during bending and straightening, causing the fabric of the support body to be stretched in a push-out manner, which is likely to generate resistance due to the reaction force. In other words, there was a problem in that trying to ensure ease of movement of the knee joint would result in a loss of stability, and conversely, trying to ensure stability would result in a loss of ease of movement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and one of its objects is to provide a knee support that can achieve both stability and ease of movement of the knee joint.

[0007] A knee supporter according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a tubular supporter body that is worn to cover the knee joint, a pad that is placed on the inner surface of the supporter body at a position corresponding to the patella, and a cover that is fixed to the inner surface of the supporter body so as to form an accommodation space for the pad between the pad and the inner surface of the supporter body. The pad is a single piece that receives the patella inside. A portion of the pad is joined to at least one of the cover and the supporter body.

[0008] Another aspect of the knee support of the present invention comprises a tubular support body fitted to cover the knee joint, a pad placed on the inner surface of the support body at a position corresponding to the patella, and a cover fixed to the inner surface of the support body so as to form an accommodation space for accommodating the pad between the pad and the inner surface of the support body. The pad is joined to a portion of at least one of the cover and the support body. The pad has a recess or hole capable of receiving the patella. The surfaces of the pad that come into contact with the cover and the support body are covered with a material that has lower frictional resistance than the pad body.

[0009] A knee supporter according to yet another aspect of the present invention comprises a tubular supporter body that is worn to cover the knee joint, a pad that is placed on the inner surface of the supporter body at a position corresponding to the patella, and a cover that is fixed to the inner surface of the supporter body to form an accommodation space for the pad between the pad and the inner surface of the supporter body. The pad is a single piece that receives the patella inside. The supporter body has a low-elasticity portion that overlaps with the pad.

[0010] According to the present invention, a knee supporter can be provided that can achieve both stability and ease of movement of the knee joint.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a supporter according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the supporter turned inside out. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pad. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the supporter is attached to a knee joint. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the distribution of stretching of the skin around the knee when the knee is bent 90 degrees. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of the positional relationship between the area around the knee joint and the pad. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of the positional relationship between the area around the knee joint and the pad. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing changes in compression force by a knee supporter according to the knee flexion angle. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing variations in the method of joining the pad and the cover. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing variations in the method of joining the pad and the cover. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the attachment structure of the cover to the supporter main body. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a supporter according to a modified example.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The knee support of this embodiment is provided with a cover that covers a pad placed on the inner surface of the support body. The pad is placed in a storage space formed between the support body and the cover. A portion of the pad is joined to the cover, thereby holding the pad in a stable position. Meanwhile, since most of the pad is not fixed, the restraining force of the pad is unlikely to extend to the support body. This allows for both stability and ease of movement of the knee joint. The specific configuration will be described in detail below.

[0013] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the appearance of a supporter according to an embodiment. Fig. 1A is a front view, and Fig. 1B is a rear view. For convenience, in the following description, up / down, left / right, and front / rear directions are expressed based on the directions seen from the user wearing the supporter.

[0014] The supporter 1 is a knee supporter worn to cover the user's knee joint. The supporter 1 has a supporter body 10 into which one of the user's legs can be inserted. The supporter body 10 is made of extensible (stretchable) fabric and is obtained as a tubular knitted fabric (circular knitting). The upper end 10a and lower end 10b of the supporter body 10 are made of, for example, microfiber, which makes it less likely to slip off after being worn.

[0015] A pad 12 is disposed in the center of the front side of the supporter body 10 (Fig. 1(A)). Details of the pad 12 will be described later. A mesh fabric 14 is used in the center of the rear side of the supporter body 10, improving the stretchability and breathability of that area (Fig. 1(B)). Storage sections 18 that store a pair of stays 16 are provided on the left and right sides of the supporter body 10, respectively.

[0016] The stays 16 are elongated members with appropriate rigidity and elasticity, and are placed on both sides of the knee joint to reduce the strain on the knee joint during walking, etc. The stays 16 may be made of a resin material or a metal material. For example, the stays described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-127515 can be used, but are not limited to this. Detailed explanation of the structure of the stays 16 will be omitted.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows the supporter 1 turned inside out. FIG. 2(A) is a front view, and FIG. 2(B) is a rear view. A pad 12 is placed in the center of the rear surface 10d of the front side of the supporter body 10, and a cover 20 is provided to cover the pad 12. In this embodiment, a highly extensible fabric, such as a two-way tricot fabric containing polyester and polyurethane, is used as the material for the cover 20. This material has a low coefficient of friction, resulting in little friction with the skin and low frictional resistance with the pad 12.

[0018] The cover 20 is made of a thin fabric having a shape roughly similar to the outer shape of the pad 12, and is slightly larger than the pad 12. The outer edge of the cover 20 is welded to the back surface 10d of the supporter body 10, thereby forming a closed storage space S between the cover 20 and the supporter body 10. The pad 12 is stored in this storage space S. In this embodiment, the materials and structures of the supporter body 10 and the pad 12 are selected so that the combined stretchability is 140% or more.

[0019] The accommodation section 18 is formed in a bag shape by sewing a stretchy strip of fabric to the back surface 10d of the supporter body 10, and extends along the side of the supporter body 10 from near the top end to near the bottom end. The stay 16 is accommodated inside the accommodation section 18. In this embodiment, the accommodation section 18 is provided on the inner surface (back surface) of the supporter body 10, but it may also be provided on the outer surface.

[0020] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the pad 12. Figure 3(A) is a perspective view, and Figure 3(B) is a plan view. As shown in Figure 3(A), the pad 12 has an annular first pad 22 and a pair of left and right second pads 24 provided on one side of the first pad 22 so as to form a step. The first pad 22 has a hole 26 in its center that can receive the patella. The first pad 22 and the second pad 24 each have a constant thickness, but the first pad 22 is thicker than the second pad 24.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3(B), the pad 12 has a shape that is symmetrical with respect to the center line L. The upper half of the first pad 22 is semicircular, and the lower half is inverted triangular. The hole 26 also has a similar shape, which corresponds to the shape of the patella. The pair of second pads 24 are disposed on the left and right of the hole 26 and extend in a strip-like (rail-like) shape along the shape of the first pad 22.

[0022] The second pad 24 extends from a position slightly below the upper end of the hole 26 to a position below the lower end of the hole 26. The second pad 24 has a shape that approaches the center line L as it extends downward from the first pad 22. Therefore, the distance between the pair of second pads 24 (i.e., the distance between the left and right steps) is larger at their upper ends than at their lower ends. Furthermore, it becomes smaller as it extends downward from the first pad 22 to match the shape of the patella. The upper part of the second pad 24 extends approximately parallel to the center line L, but its upper end is slightly inclined toward the center line L. The space between the pair of second pads 24 forms an area that accommodates the area around the patella (described in detail below).

[0023] In this embodiment, the first pad 22 and the second pad 24 are made of rubber such as chloroprene foam, which has high elasticity and resilience, but other materials with similar properties may be used. Although the second pad 24 is bonded to the first pad 22 to form the pad 12, the two may be molded integrally. The pad 12 is extensible, but its extensibility is lower than that of either the supporter body 10 or the cover 20.

[0024] The surfaces of the first pad 22 and the second pad 24 are laminated with a slippery fabric to reduce frictional resistance. This fabric is made of, for example, polyester, and improves slippage between the supporter body 10 and the cover 20. That is, the contact surfaces of the pad 12 with the cover 20 and the contact surfaces with the supporter body 10 are covered with a material with lower frictional resistance than the pad 12 itself. This prevents the pad 12 from interfering with the stretch of the supporter body 10 and the cover 20 that accompanies the user's movements. A joint 28 for connecting to the cover 20 is provided on the top surface of the second pad 24, which will be described later.

[0025] Figure 4 is a diagram showing how the supporter is attached to the knee joint. This figure shows a state in which the user is wearing the supporter 1 and has slightly bent their knee joint. The user attaches the supporter 1 to their foot so that the patella is received in the hole 26 of the pad 12. The upper end 10a of the supporter body 10 is attached to the thigh, and the lower end 10b is attached to the lower leg.

[0026] At this time, the top of the patella is received in the hole 26, the sides of the patella are sandwiched between the left and right second pads 24, and the patella and its surroundings are partially fitted with the pad 12. As a result, the pad 12 is caught on the knee, and even if the supporter body 10 stretches as the knee joint is bent, the position of the pad 12 relative to the knee joint is stably maintained. Furthermore, as the knee joint is bent, the stays 16 also deform accordingly, but the knee joint is stably supported by being sandwiched between the pair of stays 16, and its lateral movement can be suppressed.

[0027] Next, we will explain the functions exerted by the supporter 1. In this embodiment, in order to achieve both stable support of the knee joint and ease of movement, we have devised a system that encourages the deformation of the supporter body 10 to follow the movement of the knee joint while maintaining a stable position of the pad 12 relative to the patella. Prior to this, we verified the movement around the knee joint during bending and straightening.

[0028] Figure 5 shows the distribution of stretching of the skin around the knee when the knee is bent 90 degrees. In this embodiment, a mesh (5 cm square) as shown in the figure was drawn on the skin when the patient was standing upright (with the knee joint extended), and the lengths of the line segments constituting the mesh were measured with the knee joint extended and flexed 90 degrees, and the rate of change (skin stretching distribution) of each part was calculated. The experimental results are displayed visually on the left side of the figure, and the calculated values ​​(range of calculated values) are shown on the right side. "Vertical" indicates the line segments in the vertical direction, and "Horizontal" indicates the line segments in the horizontal direction. Positive rates of change indicate skin stretching, and negative rates indicate shrinkage.

[0029] This experiment shows that even though the position of the patella hardly changes when the knee is bent, the skin around the patella is significantly stretched. The stretching is particularly pronounced directly above the patella (near the patella). Therefore, if the supporter 1 does not follow this stretching, it will have difficulty moving. On the other hand, the stretching below the patella is relatively small. Based on this knowledge, the fixing position of the pad 12 on the supporter 1 was devised.

[0030] 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams showing the positional relationship between the area around the knee joint and the pad 12. FIG. 6 is a front view, and FIG. 7 is a side view. As shown in FIG. 6, the pad 12 receives the patella CK inside the step formed by the left and right second pads 24. The hole 26 receives the center of the patella CK. The pair of second pads 24 form steps in the right and left regions of the center Po of the patella CK, and the patella CK is received inside these steps. With this configuration, the first pad 22 is positioned relative to the knee joint.

[0031] The upper ends of the pair of second pads 24 are curved slightly inward (toward the patella CK), allowing the pads 12 to catch around the patella CK and stably maintain their position relative to the knee joint. As a result, the supporter 1 as a whole can apply an appropriate restraining force to the knee joint, maintaining its stability.

[0032] On the other hand, there is no step in the upper region UA ​​and lower region LA of the pad 12 relative to the second pad 24. The upper region UA ​​corresponds to the quadriceps region, and the lower region LA corresponds to the patellar ligament region. These regions are intended to ensure that the supporter 1 can deform in response to muscle tendon bulges, muscle belly movements, and hardness changes that occur during exercise. This makes it difficult for the compressive force of the pad 12 to act.

[0033] 7, the pad 12 is placed at a position corresponding to the patella CK on the inner surface of the supporter body 10. Note that the "position corresponding to the patella CK" here may refer to a position corresponding to the patella CK and its surroundings. The cover 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the supporter body 10 so as to form an accommodation space S for accommodating the pad 12 between the cover 20 and the supporter body 10. The second pad 24 protrudes toward the cover 20 from the surface of the first pad 22 opposite the supporter body 10.

[0034] Returning to Figure 6, a bonding portion 28 is provided on the lower part of the second pad 24. In this embodiment, the bonding portion 28 is made of an adhesive sheet (such as double-sided tape) and is located below the patella CK. The pad 12 is bonded to the cover 20 at a first position Pr to the right of the center Po of the patella CK and at a second position Pl to the left of the center Po of the patella CK (see Figure 7). In other words, the pad 12 is bonded to the cover 20 only below the patella CK. The pad 12 is bonded to a portion of the cover 20 on the side opposite the supporter body 10, but is not bonded to the supporter body 10.

[0035] As mentioned above, when the knee is bent, the stretch directly above the patella CK is significantly greater, while the stretch below the patella CK is smaller. In this embodiment, focusing on this point, the position of the joint 28 of the second pad 24, i.e., the joint between the pad 12 and the cover 20, is set below the patella CK. This makes it difficult for the restraining force of the pad 12 to act on the position of the supporter 1 that stretches relatively more when the knee is bent. As a result, ease of movement during bending and straightening can be improved.

[0036] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the change in compression force exerted by the knee supporter according to the knee flexion angle. The solid line in the figure shows the characteristics of this embodiment, and the dashed line shows the characteristics of a commercially available product. The commercially available product is almost the same as this embodiment except that it uses a circular pad with no steps. The horizontal axis shows the knee flexion angle (°). 0 degrees indicates the knee is extended, and 90 degrees indicates the knee is flexed 90 degrees. The vertical axis shows the measurement results of the compression force (kPa) acting on the upper outer side of the patella CK.

[0037] According to these measurement results, in this embodiment, the compressive force on the patella CK increases as the knee flexion angle increases. In contrast, with the commercially available product, the compressive force hardly changes even when the knee flexion angle changes, reaching its minimum value at slight flexion positions of 30 degrees and 60 degrees. It can also be seen that this embodiment achieves a compressive force that is approximately 2 to 5 times that of the commercially available product. During flexion and extension, the patella becomes unstable laterally, especially in slight flexion positions, placing a heavy burden on the knee joint; however, this embodiment achieves a sufficiently large compressive force. In other words, this embodiment makes it easier to maintain stability of the knee joint during flexion and extension.

[0038] As described above, the supporter 1 of this embodiment forms a storage space S between the supporter body 10 and the cover 20 to store the pad 12. Therefore, when the user wears the supporter body 10, the pad 12 is automatically positioned to correspond to the patella CK, thereby supporting the knee joint in the appropriate position. Meanwhile, because only a portion of the pad 12 is bonded to a limited location on the cover 20, the supporter body 10 and the cover 20 can stretch in accordance with the skin's elasticity without being affected by the pad 12's restraint during bending and stretching. Conversely, the pad 12 is less likely to shift due to the stretching of the supporter body 10 and the cover 20. Furthermore, covering the surface of the pad 12 with a material with low frictional resistance further promotes the stretching of the supporter body 10 and the cover 20. This ensures ease of movement of the knee joint. In other words, the supporter 1 achieves both stability and ease of movement of the knee joint.

[0039] More specifically, by locating the joint between the pad 12 and the cover 20 below the patella CK, where skin displacement is relatively small, bending and straightening the knee makes it difficult for the knee joint to move and the pad 12 to slip. When the knee is bent, the pad 12 stretches slightly from the joint, but when the knee is straightened and returned to its original position, the pad 12 returns to its original shape. At this time, the joint of the pad 12 is positioned relative to the cover 20, so it does not slip from the appropriate position.

[0040] By providing the joints 28 on both the left and right sides of the patella CK, the pad 12 is prevented from rotating or bending during bending and stretching movements. In other words, it is possible to hold the pad 12 in the correct position and apply an appropriate pressing force (compression force) to stabilize the knee joint, while encouraging the movement of the supporter body 10 to follow the stretching of the skin.

[0041] Furthermore, because the pad 12 is made as a single piece with no cuts or slits on the outer or inner periphery, the shape of the pad 12 itself can be kept stable when the supporter 1 is in use. The pad 12 does not deform locally and place unnecessary load on the supporter body 10. Therefore, forces that could impair the mutual functions of the pad 12 and the supporter body 10 are unlikely to act between them. This also contributes to achieving both stability and ease of movement of the knee joint.

[0042] [Modifications] The above embodiment illustrates one form of the supporter 1, but it goes without saying that the specific structure can be modified as appropriate. For example, the shape and thickness of the pad, the arrangement and number of steps, and the material may be different from those of the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, a structure in which a hole 26 is provided in the center of the pad 12 is exemplified. In a modification, the hole may be replaced with a recess, and a structure in which the center of the pad is not penetrated may be adopted. In this case, the thickness of the recess in the pad is smaller than the other portions. The recess receives the patella. There is no need to provide a step (second pad) as in the above embodiment. In other words, the pad is a single, continuous unit that only needs to be able to receive the patella inside, and a portion of the pad may be joined to a portion of the cover.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the second pads 24 are provided on the left and right sides of the first pad 22 to form steps, and the lower part of each second pad 24 is joined to the cover 20. That is, an example is shown in which the pad 12 is joined to the cover 20 at two points. In a modified example, three or more steps may be provided on the pad, or the pad may be joined to the cover at three or more points. However, making the number of steps on the left and right sides and the area facing the knee equal makes it easier to balance the frictional forces acting on the pad and keep the pad in the appropriate position. Furthermore, reducing the joining area between the pad and the cover reduces the binding force on the cover and, ultimately, on the supporter body, making it easier to ensure ease of movement.

[0044] Alternatively, the step of the pad (second pad) may be configured in a U- or V-shape, and one point or area of ​​its lower end may be joined to the cover. This also reduces the restraining force of the pad on the cover. However, as mentioned above, it is preferable to ensure deformation of the supporter in the area corresponding to the patellar ligament, and it is therefore preferable to adopt a structure in which the lower part of the second pad is open, as in the above embodiment.

[0045] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the positions of the pair of joints 28 (i.e., the positions of the left and right joints 28) on the pad 12 are set to the same height. In a modified example, the heights of the two may be different. The heights of the two may be adjusted according to the arrangement and orientation of muscles and ligaments.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the pad 12 is made of a material with lower extensibility than both the supporter body 10 and the cover 20. In a modified example, the pad material may be made of a material with at least the same degree of extensibility as the supporter body and the cover. Even with this configuration, by ensuring a sufficient thickness of the step as in the above embodiment, the rigidity of the pad can be ensured, and the pad can exert stability. However, to obtain high stability, it is preferable to make the extensibility of the pad relatively low, as in the above embodiment.

[0047] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing variations in the method of joining the pad and the cover. In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(A), a pair of second pads 24 are provided on the left and right of the first pad 22, and a joining portion 28 for joining the cover 20 is provided on a part of the upper surface of the second pad 24. The joining portion 28 is located below the lower end of the patella CK (see Fig. 6 for details).

[0048] In a modified example, as shown in Figure 9(B), a joint 28 with the cover 20 may be provided at the lower end of a pad 112 that has no step. The pad 112 has a configuration similar to the first pad 22 of the above embodiment, and does not have a second pad 24. The joint 28 is located below the lower end position h1 of the patella CK.

[0049] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 10(A), a joint 28 with the cover 20 may be provided on the second pad 24 below the height position h2 of the center Po of the patella CK. The joint 28 may be the entire second pad 24 below the height position h2, or may be a part of it. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 10(B), a third pad 25 may be provided at the lower end of the first pad 22 and below the left and right second pads 24, and the upper surface of the third pad 25 may serve as the joint 28.

[0050] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 10(C), the joint 28 with the cover 20 may be provided below the upper end position h3 of the patella CK. In the example shown, the entire upper surface of the second pad 24 serves as the joint 28. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 10(D), a third pad 25 may be provided, and its upper surface may serve as the joint 28.

[0051] In light of the experimental results shown in Figure 5, it is preferable to position the joint 28 between the pad and the cover away from the area where skin stretches most when the knee is flexed, i.e., above the patella CK. The joint 28 is preferably positioned away from the area directly above the patella CK (the area projected above the patella CK). More specifically, the joint 28 is preferably positioned around the patella CK below the upper end h3 of the patella CK, and preferably below the center h2 of the patella CK. As shown in Figure 5, skin tends to stretch more on the inside of the knee than on the outside. Therefore, when joints are positioned on the left and right sides of the pad centerline, the inner joint may be positioned lower than the outer joint. It is even more preferable to position the joint 28 where skin stretches less, i.e., below the lower end h1 of the patella CK, as in the above embodiment.

[0052] 11 is a diagram showing the attachment structure of the cover 20 to the supporter body 10. Although not described in detail in the above embodiment, welded portions 20a, 20b are provided along the upper and lower edges of the outer periphery of the cover 20, but not along the left and right side edges. Welded portion 20a is continuous and extends in an elongated shape in the lateral direction (width direction) of the supporter body 10 along the upper edge of the pad 12. Welded portion 20b is continuous and extends in an elongated shape in the lateral direction (width direction) of the supporter body 10 along the lower edge of the pad 12.

[0053] The welded portions 20a, 20b extend from one to the other of the pair of left and right storage portions 18, but the vertical distance between the welded portions 20a and 20b is sufficiently large. The welded portions would fix the fibers of the cover 20 together and restrict their elongation, but by not making the welded portions continuous in the vertical direction in this way, the vertical elongation of the cover 20 necessary for bending the knee can be ensured.

[0054] 12 is a front view showing the configuration of a supporter according to a modified example. In this modified example, the cover 20 has a shape that generally follows the outer shape of the pad 12, and a welded portion 20c to the supporter body 10 is provided along its periphery. The storage space S formed between the supporter body 10 and the cover 20 is smaller than in the above embodiment. Therefore, in this modified example, although the pad 12 is not joined to the cover 20, it is stably held inside the annular welded portion 20c.

[0055] In other words, the positional relationship between the pad 12 and the cover 20 is restricted compared to the configuration shown in Fig. 11. However, because the extensibility of the supporter body 10 is higher than in the above embodiment, ease of movement of the knee joint during bending and straightening is ensured.

[0056] Meanwhile, the supporter body 10 has partial low-elasticity sections 30 at positions overlapping with the pad 12. In the illustrated example, a first low-elasticity section 30a is provided as the low-elasticity section 30 at a position overlapping with the lower center of the pad 12 on the surface 10c of the supporter body 10. A second low-elasticity section 30b and a third low-elasticity section 30c are also provided at positions overlapping with the lower left and right sides of the pad 12, respectively. The first low-elasticity section 30a is located below the center Po of the patella CK. The multiple low-elasticity sections 30 are adjacent to each other on the left and right sides.

[0057] The low-elasticity section 30 is formed by attaching a resin film such as polyurethane to the surface 10c of the supporter body 10. The attachment may be by transfer printing. The low-elasticity section may also be formed using heat-sealed yarn, cut bosses, a knitted structure, or the like. The low-elasticity section 30 may be a "non-elasticity section" that is substantially non-elastic and has sufficiently lower elasticity than other parts of the supporter body 10.

[0058] With this configuration, when a user wears the supporter, the low-elasticity portion 30 of the supporter body 10 applies a relatively large compressive force to the area around the knee. When the knee is bent, the supporter body 10 is stably held at the low-elasticity portion 30 while stretching to conform to the skin at other positions. The low-elasticity portion 30 overlaps a portion of the pad 12, allowing the compressive force of the supporter body 10 to stably hold the pad 12 in the appropriate position at the knee joint. In particular, by positioning the low-elasticity portion 30 below the patella CK, where skin stretches less, the pad 12 ensures stability of the knee joint while the stretch of the supporter body 10 ensures ease of movement at the knee joint. This modified supporter achieves both stability and ease of movement at the knee joint without fixing the pad 12 to the cover 20.

[0059] The low-elasticity portion 30 may be positioned at a position other than that shown in Fig. 12. The low-elasticity portion 30 is preferably provided so as to avoid being located directly above the patella CK (the area projected upward from the patella CK). More specifically, the low-elasticity portion 30 should be positioned around the patella CK below the top end of the patella CK, and preferably below the center of the patella CK.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the cover 20 is welded to the rear surface 10d of the supporter body 10. In a modified example, other fixing means may be employed, such as sewing the cover to the supporter body.

[0061] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the supporter body 10 is knitted into a tubular shape. In a modified example, the tubular supporter body may be produced by sewing or welding cut fabric.

[0062] Although not mentioned in the above embodiment and modified example, a portion of the pad 12 may be joined to the supporter body 10 instead of the cover 20. Alternatively, a portion of the pad 12 may be joined to both the cover 20 and the supporter body 10. If the extensibility of the supporter body 10 and the cover 20 can be maintained at a sufficiently high level, ease of movement of the knee joint can be ensured. By interposing the highly extensible cover 20 between the pad 12 and the skin, it is possible to prevent the pad 12 from being dragged by the skin during bending and straightening, ensuring stability and ease of movement of the knee joint.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and the components can be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the above-described embodiments and modifications.

Claims

1. a cylindrical supporter body that is worn to cover the knee joint; a pad disposed on the inner surface of the support body at a position corresponding to the patella; a cover fixed to the inner surface of the supporter body so as to form an accommodation space for accommodating the pad between the cover and the inner surface of the supporter body; Equipped with The pad is a single piece that receives the patella inside. A knee supporter characterized in that a portion of the pad is joined to at least one of the cover and the supporter body.

2. 2. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein the pad is joined to at least one of the cover and the support body at a position around the patella excluding an area above the patella.

3. 2. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein the pad is joined to at least one of the cover and the support body only at a position below the upper end of the patella.

4. The knee supporter according to claim 2, characterized in that the pad is joined to at least one of the cover and the supporter body at a first position to the right of the center of the patella and a second position to the left of the center of the patella.

5. 2. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein the support body has a low-elasticity portion at a position overlapping the pad.

6. the pad has a pair of steps that protrude toward the cover in a right region and a left region of the center of the patella, The patella can be received inside the pair of steps, 2. The knee support according to claim 1, wherein a joint portion is provided at the step portion to connect at least one of the cover and the support body.

7. a cylindrical supporter body that is worn to cover the knee joint; a pad disposed on the inner surface of the support body at a position corresponding to the patella; a cover fixed to the inner surface of the supporter body so as to form an accommodation space for accommodating the pad between the cover and the inner surface of the supporter body; Equipped with The pad is a single piece that receives the patella inside. The knee supporter is characterized in that the supporter body has a low-elasticity portion at a position overlapping the pad.