Finger braces

Abstract

To provide a finger brace which a patient can easily wear on a finger and which does not excessively fix a finger having an affected part. [Solution] This finger brace comprises a tape body formed into a strip of a specified length and width, an elastically deformable pad provided at a specified position in the long axis direction of the tape body, and an adhesive portion provided on the tape body for joining the tape body together when the tape body is wrapped around a finger, and a first guide line provided along the long axis direction of the tape body and at a position offset a specified distance from the midpoint of the tape body in the short axis direction allows the patient to wear the finger brace at an appropriate position on the affected area.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a finger brace used to treat finger tendonitis. [Background technology]

[0002] When a finger develops tendonitis, the finger (PIP-J area, proximal interphalangeal joint) may become stiff and bent at about 90 degrees while sleeping. In this case, if you try to forcefully straighten the finger, it may cause pain and a springing phenomenon. To treat this type of finger tendonitis, ointments, injections, surgery, etc. are used.

[0003] However, topical ointments and injections cannot fundamentally treat finger tendonitis. In addition, although surgery is more effective than topical ointments and injections, many patients do not prefer it. For these reasons, fixation materials that fix patients' fingers so that they do not bend are known (for example, Patent Document 1). The fixation material in Patent Document 1 has a base made of a sheet or film, and multiple reinforcing parts made of a highly rigid material that are fixed to the base at intervals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP2004-261398A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The fixation material in Patent Document 1 has a structure that covers parts of the finger other than the affected part. In addition, the reinforcing part is for fixing and holding the joint, and has excessive rigidity, so that the affected finger is excessively fixed in an extended state. Here, "excessive fixation of the entire finger" does not only mean that the finger is completely fixed in an extended state, but also means that the finger bending function is hindered. This can cause problems such as a significant restriction on daily finger bending movements, such as grasping an object, and can cause joint disorders due to excessive fixation of the finger.

[0006] In view of the above background, the present invention aims to provide a finger brace for use in the treatment of finger tendonitis, which can be easily worn by the patient himself and which fixes the affected finger softly without fixing it too hard. Note that "softly fixing" the finger here means fixing the finger to an extent that does not interfere with the finger bending function, that is, fixing the finger moderately so as not to significantly restrict the finger bending motion that is necessary in daily life. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A finger brace (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a tape body (2) formed in a band-like shape having a predetermined length and width, an elastically deformable pad (3) provided at a predetermined position in the long axis direction of the tape body (2), a first guide line (4) provided along the long axis of the tape body (2) and at a position offset a predetermined distance from the midpoint of the short axis direction of the tape body (2), and an adhesive portion (5) provided on the tape body (2) for joining the tape body (2) together when the tape body (2) is wrapped around a finger.

[0008] According to this configuration, first, the finger brace (1) is placed on the side of the affected area so as to be perpendicular to the long axis direction of the finger and so that the first guide line (4) is offset toward the fingertip side. Next, the first guide line (4) is aligned with the wrinkles on the palm side (PIP-J part), the tape body (2) is wrapped around the finger with an appropriate tension, and the tape body (2) is held wrapped around the finger by the adhesive part (5). Anatomically, the position of the finger joint is slightly off from the wrinkles on the palm side, so it is difficult to determine the position of the finger joint from the outside. However, since the first guide line (4) is provided at a position offset by an appropriate distance from the midpoint of the short axis direction of the tape body (2), it is possible to easily wrap the tape body (2) in a position that is appropriately aligned with the finger joint by aligning the first guide line (4) with the wrinkles on the palm side. In addition, by making the pad (3) have an appropriate elasticity, there is no risk of excessive immobilization of the affected finger.

[0009] In the above finger brace (1), the first guide line (4) is configured to be a line extending in the major axis direction, passing through a point where the tape body (2) is divided into 3:2 along the minor axis direction.

[0010] With this configuration, when a patient wears the finger brace (1) on his / her finger, the pad (3) can be easily aligned to an appropriate position on the finger, including the PIP-J portion.

[0011] In the above-mentioned finger brace (1), the pad (3) has a length in the major axis direction of 1.5 to 3.5 cm.

[0012] According to this configuration, pads (3) of appropriate sizes can be selected according to the thickness of the fingers of various patients.

[0013] In the above finger brace (1), a second guide line (6) extending in the minor axis direction of the tape body (2) may be provided near one edge in the major axis direction of the pad (3).

[0014] With this configuration, the patient can accurately and easily align the pad (3) to a position corresponding to the joint on the palm side of the finger by aligning the second guide line (6) with the contour line of the palm side of the finger in a side view.

[0015] In the above-mentioned finger brace (1), the pad (3) may be made of a material having a structure that is less likely to stretch in the minor axis direction than in the major axis direction.

[0016] With this configuration, the patient can appropriately suppress bending and stretching of the affected area while maintaining comfort.

[0017] In the above-mentioned finger brace (1), the midpoint of the pad (3) in the longitudinal direction may be offset to one side with respect to the midpoint of the tape body (2) in the longitudinal direction.

[0018] According to this configuration, when a patient wears the finger brace (1), the pad (3) is easily visible, making it easy to align the pad (3) with the palm side of the finger.

[0019] In the above-mentioned finger brace (1, 201), a mark (7) indicating the wrapping thickness of the tape body (2) may be provided at the portion where the tape body (2) overlaps when wrapped around a finger.

[0020] With this configuration, when a patient wears the finger prosthesis (1), the thickness of the wrapping can be easily selected depending on the thickness of the patient's finger and the healing state of the affected area. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to this configuration, the patient can easily wear the finger prosthesis (1) on the finger, and the affected finger is not excessively immobilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a finger brace according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Cross-sectional view of the finger brace shown in FIG. 1 along line II-II [Diagram 3] III-III cross-sectional view of the finger brace in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a process of wrapping the finger brace according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a finger brace according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a finger brace according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a finger brace according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, a finger brace 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] <<First embodiment>> FIG. 1 shows a finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment. The finger brace 1 includes a tape body 2 formed in a strip shape. The tape body 2 is wrapped around the affected finger, and the surface facing the finger when wrapped is called the inner surface 8, and the opposite surface is called the outer surface 9. The tape body 2 is formed by processing a foldable flexible material such as urethane nonwoven fabric, polyvinyl chloride, stretchable cotton cloth, sponge sheet, urethane film, or olefin film into a thin film, and thin metal may also be added. The edge of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction is preferably formed into an arc shape.

[0025] 1 and 2, a pad 3 is provided on an inner surface 8 at a predetermined position in the long axis direction of the tape body 2. The pad 3 is formed to have a long axis length sufficient to cover approximately half the circumference of the palm side of the finger and a short axis length equal to the short axis length of the tape body 2, or is formed in a rectangular shape slightly smaller than these. The long axis direction of the pad 3 refers to the direction parallel to the long axis direction of the tape body 2, and the short axis direction of the pad 3 refers to the direction parallel to the short axis direction of the tape body 2.

[0026] The pad 3 is made of a material that is elastically easy to stretch and is soft. The pad 3 is made of a cloth (knit) made of warp knit or weft knitted yarns having a straight or spiral structure made of cotton, rayon, polyester, etc., and has at least two layers. The pad 3 is preferably formed so as to have a tissue that is less likely to stretch in the minor axis direction than in the major axis direction. Whether a certain tissue is less likely to stretch compared to other tissues can be determined, for example, by measuring the elongation rate using a constant-speed extension tensile tester, and it can be determined that the smaller the elongation rate, the less likely the tissue is to stretch. By having the pad 3 have a tissue that is less likely to stretch in the minor axis direction than in the major axis direction, the patient can appropriately suppress bending of the affected area while maintaining comfort, even when wearing the finger brace 1. For example, the degree of bending of the finger when wearing the finger brace 1 may be in the range of about 20 degrees to 60 degrees on the palm side.

[0027] The tape body 2 is provided with an adhesive portion 5 for preventing the finger brace 1 from coming off the patient's finger when the patient wears the finger brace 1 on the finger. The adhesive portion 5 is an adhesive or the like provided on at least one of the inner surface 8 or the outer surface 9 in the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2. The adhesive portion 5 may be provided only on the end of the inner surface 8 or the outer surface 9 of the tape body 2, or may be provided on the entire inner surface 8 of the tape body 2. In this case, the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 5 at the end of the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2 may be weaker than the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 5 in other parts. The adhesive portion 5 is not limited to an adhesive, and may be formed of a snap button, a hook-and-loop fastener, or the like that are bonded or fitted together according to ease of manufacture. In FIG. 1, the adhesive portion 5 is an adhesive applied to the entire inner surface 8 of the tape body 2. When the adhesive portion 5 is an adhesive, the tape body 2 may be provided with a peelable paper or film (not shown) that covers the adhesive portion 5. By providing peelable paper or film on adhesive portion 5, it is possible to prevent adhesive portion 5 from sticking to unintended locations when finger prosthesis 1 is not being worn.

[0028] The midpoint of the pad 3 in the longitudinal direction is not the midpoint of the tape body 2 in the longitudinal direction, but is located at a position offset from the midpoint of the tape body 2 in the longitudinal direction. In Fig. 1, the midpoint of the pad 3 in the longitudinal direction is located at a position offset by 0.5 cm from the midpoint of the tape body 2 in the longitudinal direction.

[0029] The finger brace 1 has a first guide line 4 provided on the inner surface 8 of the tape body 2 along the long axis direction of the tape body 2. The first guide line 4 is provided at a position offset from the midpoint of the short axis direction of the tape body 2. The first guide line 4 extends from one end of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction, passing through the pad 3, toward the other end of the tape body 2. In FIG. 1, the first guide line 4 is configured as a line extending in the long axis direction that passes through a point that divides the tape body 2 into 3:2 along the short axis direction.

[0030] The finger brace 1 has a second guide line 6 provided on the inner surface 8 of the tape body 2 along the minor axis direction of the tape body 2. The second guide line 6 is provided near one end of the pad 3 in the major axis direction. In other words, the second guide line 6 intersects with the first guide line 4 on the inner surface 8 of the pad 3 at a right angle.

[0031] A marking 10 is provided on the inner surface 8 of the end portion of the tape body 2 on the side where the midpoint of the pad 3 in the longitudinal direction is offset. The marking 10 may be a dot, a line, a number, or a letter, or may be a region of the end portion of the tape body 2 colored in a specific color or a geometric pattern. In the first embodiment, the marking 10 is formed by coloring the end portion of the tape body 2 in red.

[0032] The length of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction may be, for example, about 4.0 to 8.0 cm. The length of the tape body 2 in the short axis direction may be, for example, about 2.0 to 4.0 cm. In the finger prosthesis 1 of this embodiment, the length of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction is 8 cm, and the length of the short axis direction is 3.5 cm. The lengths of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction and the short axis direction can be appropriately changed according to the thickness and length of the fingers of various patients.

[0033] The length of the pad 3 in the long axis direction is the same as or longer than the length in the short axis direction. The length of the pad 3 in the long axis direction may be, for example, about 1.5 to 4 cm. The length of the pad 3 in the short axis direction may be, for example, about 1.5 to 3.5 cm. In the finger brace 1 of this embodiment, the length of the pad 3 in the long axis direction is 3 cm, and the length of the pad 3 in the short axis direction is 2 cm. The lengths of the pad 3 in the long axis direction and the short axis direction can be appropriately changed according to the thickness and length of various patients' fingers.

[0034] Next, a method of using the finger brace 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Here, the direction is determined as shown in the drawings, and an example will be described in which the index finger of the left hand has tendonitis. First, the patient takes the finger brace 1 in his / her hand and peels off the removable paper or film (not shown) covering the adhesive part 5. Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the patient fully extends the finger, and places the affected part (finger) between the finger brace 1 and the patient, with the marking 10 facing upward and the inner surface 8 of the tape body 2 facing the finger side. At this time, it is preferable to place the finger brace 1 so that it is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the finger and the first guide line 4 is offset toward the fingertip side. Next, the patient adjusts the position so that the first guide line 4 matches the palm side crease of the finger (proximal interphalangeal skin line). Next, the patient adjusts the position so that the palm side outline of the finger on which the finger brace 1 is worn is along the second guide line 6. Next, the patient holds the end of tape body 2 with his / her right hand and wraps tape body 2 with an appropriate tension around the finger on which finger brace 1 is to be worn. Fig. 5(A) shows the state after finger brace 1 has been worn as described above, and Fig. 5(B) is a view of Fig. 5(A) seen from the fingertip side.

[0035] According to the finger brace 1 of the above embodiment, the first guide line 4 is configured to be a line extending in the long axis direction passing through a point dividing the tape body 2 into 3:2 along the short axis direction. This allows the patient to easily wrap the tape body 2 in a position that is appropriately aligned with the finger joint, which is difficult to determine from the outside, by aligning the first guide line 4 with the wrinkles on the palm side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the virtual center line 11 in the long axis direction of the pad 3 can be aligned with a position that is aligned with the PIP-J part located at the junction of the middle phalange 12 and the proximal phalange 13 of the finger. In addition, by providing a marking 10 at one end of the long axis direction of the tape body 2, the patient can easily recognize the orientation of the finger brace 1 when wearing it.

[0036] In addition, since the pad 3 has a suitable elasticity, there is no risk of excessively immobilizing the affected finger. In addition, since the pad 3 is made of an easily stretchable material, the patient wearing the finger brace 1 can maintain comfort while softly immobilizing the affected area and appropriately suppressing bending and extension of the finger.

[0037] Furthermore, by providing the pad 3 at a position offset from the midpoint of the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2, the pad 3 can be aligned accurately to the palm side of the finger while the tape body 2 is easily wrapped around the finger.

[0038] In addition, a second guide line 6 is provided near one side of the long axis direction of the pad 3. With this, by aligning the second guide line 6 with the outline of the palm side of the finger when viewed from the side, when the patient wears the finger brace 1, the pad 3 can be accurately and easily aligned to a position corresponding to the joint on the palm side of the finger while visually checking most of the pad 3.

[0039] In addition, since the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 5 at the end in the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2 is weaker than the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 5 in other portions, even after the patient has worn the finger brace 1 in the wrong position, the patient can easily remove the finger brace 1 by grasping the end of the tape body 2 with weak adhesive strength, and thus adjust the position of the finger brace 1.

[0040] In the above explanation of how to use the finger brace 1, a method of use on the second joint (PIP-J part) of the index finger of the left hand was shown, but the finger brace 1 can also be attached to fingers other than the index finger or the first joint of the thumb. The finger brace 1 can also be attached to the fingers of the right hand.

[0041] <<Second embodiment>> The finger brace 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment in the position of the pad 3 and in the presence of two second guide lines 6. In the following explanation, only the different configurations will be explained, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same configurations as those of the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment, and the explanation will be omitted by citing the above description.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6, the pad 103 is provided on a strip-shaped tape body 2, similar to the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment. The midpoint of the pad 103 in the long axis direction is provided at the midpoint of the tape body 2 in the long axis direction. The finger brace 101 has two second guide lines 106 provided along the short axis direction of the tape body 2. The second guide lines 106 are provided near both ends of the pad 103 in the long axis direction. In other words, both second guide lines 106 intersect with the first guide lines 4 on the inner surface 8 of the pad 103.

[0043] By providing the midpoint of the long axis of the pad 103 at the midpoint of the long axis of the tape body 2 and providing two second guide lines 106, it becomes possible to easily wear it on the fingers of not only the left hand but also the right hand. The reason for this is that when wearing the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment, it was necessary to align the first guide line 4 to a position offset toward the fingertip side in FIG. 4. Therefore, when wrapping the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment around a finger of the right hand, when the fingertip is turned to the left, the finger brace 1 must be placed between the affected part (finger) and the patient, and the inner surface 8 must be turned toward the finger side. As a result, the first guide line 4 and the second guide line 6 are difficult for the patient to see. Alternatively, it is possible to turn the fingertip to the right and place the affected part (finger) between the finger brace 1 and the patient, but due to the limited range of motion of the wrist, it is difficult to wear the finger brace 1 at an appropriate position on the finger. On the other hand, in the case of finger brace 101 according to the second embodiment, by rotating finger brace 101 up and down 180 degrees, it is possible to position it so that the affected area (finger) is located between finger brace 1 and the patient when the fingertips of the right hand are pointed to the left, and since first guide line 4 and second guide line 106 are visible to the patient, finger brace 101 can be easily worn.

[0044] <<Third embodiment>> The finger brace 201 according to the third embodiment differs from the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment and the finger brace 101 according to the second embodiment in that a mark 7 is provided on the outer surface 9 of the tape body 2. This mark 7 indicates the wrapping thickness of the tape body 2 at the portion where the tape body 2 should overlap when wrapped around a finger. In the following explanation, only the different configurations will be explained, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same configurations as the finger brace 1 according to the first embodiment, and the explanation will be omitted by citing the above description.

[0045] At least one or more marks 7 are provided on each of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface 9 of the tape body 2. The marks 7 are, for example, dots, lines, numbers, alphabets, etc. As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the marks 7 are numbers 1 to 3 provided at three locations at intervals along the side edges on the same side of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2. When wearing the finger prosthesis 201, the patient wraps the tape body 2 so that a mark 7 (e.g., a mark 7 marked with "2") provided at one end of the tape body 2 in the longitudinal direction and a mark 7 (e.g., a mark 7 marked with "2") provided at the other end of the tape body 2 in the longitudinal direction overlap each other, thereby allowing the patient to adjust the wrapping strength of the tape body 2 appropriately according to the thickness of the finger and the healing state.

[0046] Although the description of the specific embodiment is finished above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely applied. For example, one edge in the longitudinal direction of the tape body 2 may be formed longer than the other edge, and the tape body 2 may be opened toward the fingertip side when wrapped around the finger. In particular, it is preferable that the tape body 2 is shaped so that only the palm side of the finger opens toward the fingertip side when the finger brace 1, 101, 201 is worn. With this configuration, the patient can bend the affected finger more easily even when wearing the finger brace 1, 101, 201.

[0047] Furthermore, at least a portion of the tape body 2 may have a hole penetrating from the inner surface 8 to the outer surface 9. This improves the breathability of the affected area when the finger brace 1, 101, 201 is worn, and prevents the area from becoming stuffy.

[0048] The thickness of the threads forming the pads 3, 103 may be various, and the pads 3, 103 may be formed by regularly weaving threads of different thicknesses. For example, by using more thick threads with high rigidity for the warp threads in the short axis direction than for the weft threads in the long axis direction, the pads 3, 103 can be configured to be less likely to stretch in the short axis direction than in the long axis direction. As a result, even when the patient is wearing the finger brace 1, 101, 201, the patient can moderately suppress and not hinder the bending and stretching of the patient's affected part, so that there is less functional impairment in daily life. In addition, the threads forming the pads 3, 103 may have an expandable spiral structure. As a result, the finger brace 1, 101, 201 expands and contracts, so that the patient can more easily bend and stretch the affected part even when wearing the finger brace 1, 101, 201.

[0049] Furthermore, the side edge of one end in the long axis direction of the tape body 2 on which the marker 7 is provided may be formed smaller in the short axis direction than the side edge of the other part in the long axis direction of the tape body 2. When the patient wears the finger prosthesis 201, the patient may wrap the tape body 2 such that the end of the tape body 2 formed smaller in the short axis direction in this manner overlaps the other end. This makes it easier for the patient to visually recognize the markers 7 provided at both ends in the long axis direction of the tape body 2 when wrapping it, and facilitates the alignment of the markers 7 provided at both ends.

[0050] Furthermore, the finger brace 1, 101, 201 configured as described above may be either reusable or disposable. If the finger brace 1, 101, 201 is disposable, the patient can keep the affected area where the finger brace 1, 101, 201 is attached in a clean state.

[0051] In the finger brace 1, 101, 201 having the above-mentioned configuration, if higher elasticity is required, a micro spring may be added to the soft pad 3.

[0052] The finger brace 1, 101, 201 may also be provided to the patient in the form of a kit that includes instructions on how to use the finger brace 1, 101, 201. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: Finger brace 2: Tape body 3: Pad 4: First guide line 5:Adhesive part 6: Second guide line 7:Sign 8:Inner surface 9: External surface

Claims

1. A finger brace, comprising: A tape body formed in a band shape having a predetermined length and width; an elastically deformable pad provided at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the tape body; a first guide line extending in a long axis direction of the tape body on a surface facing the finger when the tape body is wrapped around the finger and provided at a position offset by a predetermined distance from a midpoint in a short axis direction of the tape body; and an adhesive portion provided on the tape body for joining the tape bodies together when the tape body is wrapped around a finger.

2. The finger brace according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide line is configured to be a line extending in the major axis direction passing through a point dividing the tape body into 3:2 along the minor axis direction.

3. The finger orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pad has a longitudinal length of 1.5 to 3.5 cm.

4. 4. The finger brace according to claim 3, wherein a second guide line extending in a minor axis direction of the tape body is provided near one end edge in a major axis direction of the pad.

5. The finger orthosis according to claim 4, wherein the pad is made of a material having a structure that is less elastic in the minor axis direction than in the major axis direction.

6. The finger brace according to claim 5 , wherein a midpoint of the pad in the longitudinal direction is provided at a position offset to one side with respect to a midpoint of the tape body in the longitudinal direction.

7. 7. The finger brace according to claim 6, wherein a mark indicating a wrapping thickness of the tape body is provided at a portion where the tape body overlaps with the other tape body when the tape body is wrapped around a finger.

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