Off-loading Wrist Brace Pisiform Pressure Relief
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wrist braces, while providing stabilization, often compress the pisiform and ulnar nerve, leading to potential fractures, ulnar nerve palsy, and increased pain, as they do not effectively off-load pressure from the pisiform, exacerbating conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and pisiform-ligament complex syndrome.
Innovation Solution
A wrist brace with a linear body configuration, featuring a rounded proximal end, tapered distal end, and an offload target in the mid portion, designed to disperse pressure and reduce compression on the pisiform, constructed from breathable and stretch materials, with customizable closure components and offload targets to accommodate different wrist shapes and needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional wrist braces use rigid and compressive design to stabilize the wrist, then wrist stabilization is improved, but compression on the pisiform and ulnar nerve increases causing potential fractures and nerve palsy
Solution Approach 1:
The brace applies different levels of compression to different regions: high compression to the wrist joint for stabilization, but zero compression (offloading) to the pisiform region. The cutout design creates a localized pressure-free zone exactly where the pisiform bone is located, while maintaining overall wrist support through the surrounding structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace structure is segmented to create distinct functional zones: a compressed support region for wrist stabilization and an uncompressed offloading region for the pisiform. The cutout divides the continuous compression area into separated zones, allowing independent control of pressure distribution.
2Reliability
If traditional wrist braces apply compression to reduce repeated movements, then carpal ligament and median nerve compression is reduced, but pisiform and hamate compression increases potentially causing fracture
Solution Approach 1:
The brace creates a localized pressure-free zone over the pisiform and hamate bones through the cutout design. This allows the brace to maintain compression on the carpal ligaments and median nerve for therapeutic effect while simultaneously protecting the pisiform and hamate from compressive injury.
Data Source
AI summary
An off-loading wrist brace featuring a linear configuration, a split linear configuration, or a glove configuration with a thumb hole, pisiform hole, purlicue saddle, and closure components. The brace compresses to reduce repetitive movement of the carpal ligament while reducing compression of the pisiform to reduce injury and pain. The brace is removably affixed by placing the thumb through the thumb hole, wrapping the brace body around the wrist to attach the closure component at the tapered distal end to the closure component at the rounded proximal end.