JPH0455079B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joint supporter, in particular for supporting and guiding the talar joint.

PRIOR ART Persons who have sprained the talocrural joint, have loosened the ligament guidance of the talocrural joint or talonavicular joint, or who have had a ligament tear operated on, or who put the talar joint at particular risk, such as football players, handball players, etc. In players, basketball players or volleyball players, it is necessary to support and guide the talar joint by a joint supporter.

Conventionally, joint supports consisting of rubber stockings for supporting the talar joint, for example, are known.
This joint supporter is automatically formed and is resistant to compression and has good shape stability. However, the disadvantage of this type of rubber stocking is that it lacks protection against sprains and has no protection against violent action.

Furthermore, it is known that rubber stockings of this type are laterally reinforced by helical springs located on the talar joint, in order to improve the stability of the stockings. However, in this case, improving stability is meaningless as it induces other drawbacks.

Furthermore, ankle bandages made of artificial leather with cushioned lateral conditions and dorsal malleolus corsets are also known. An elastic strip is placed in the area of the talon joint, which serves as a reinforcement. However, this elastic member does not conform to each individual's ankle joint, and therefore, even if the corset is rigid, it does not provide sufficient stability.

Furthermore, sports shoes are known which are equipped with reinforcing strips that extend laterally and upwardly beyond the talar joint, which reinforcing strips are intended to prevent ankle sprains during sports. The reinforcing strip is made of elastic material and adapted to the shape of the individual's ankle. However, due to the incomplete adaptation of the reinforcing strips to the shape of the foot, the stability is relatively low. Moreover, this case has the disadvantage that special shoes are required.

Furthermore, tape bandages are known, the disadvantage of which is that they can only be used once and cannot be used for abrasions.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,489, a talar joint support is known in which the sides and lower part of the foot are wrapped with a U-shaped plastic strip made of thermoplastic material, the inside of which is expanded. A removable air hose is arranged, which extends at least over the entire width of the U-shaped plastic strip. In short, the U-shaped plastic strip serves as a support for the inflatable air hose. This air hose is located between the joint and this support when the support is attached. This air hose is inflated to exert pressure on the joint from the side, supporting it from the side. A disadvantage of this known talar joint support is that it is not possible to increase the air pressure to an extent that prevents lateral movement of the talar joint without increasing the pressure acting on the foot intolerably. In practice, the hose section located under the foot becomes a walking constraint, so replacing it with a strip reduces the stability of the joint supporter. As far as the effectiveness of the joint supporter is concerned, this joint supporter:
It is less stable than the joint supporter described above.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to safely prevent sprains of the talar joint, for example, even under heavy sports loads, to provide perfect support for the talar joint, and to provide a suitable solution to the joints of each individual user. A joint support of the type mentioned at the outset, which fits easily and permanently, does not limit the movement capacity of the talocrural and talocanavicular joints, and yet still allows rotational movement and at the same time protects the ankle. It is about providing.

Means of the present invention that solves the problems The gist of the present invention that solves the problems described above is that, in particular, a joint supporter for supporting and guiding a talar joint includes two strips that cover the joint from the sides, and two strips that are connected to each other. The intermediate web is formed into a shallow V-shape in the expanded state, and is made of a low temperature thermoplastic material that is deformable in contact with the joint, and in the worn state, the front and back sides of the shin. The reason is that it is designed to cover the joint from the side without covering it.

A joint support constructed according to the invention, for example for a talar joint, consists of two strips placed along the talar joint, for example. The two strips are connected to each other by an intermediate web, which is passed under the foot. This joint supporter has a shallow V-shape in the expanded state, and the width of the intermediate web is narrower than the width of the strip. The width of the band is selected so as not to limit the ability to move the talocrural and talonavicular joints. The joint support is made of a low-temperature thermoplastic material, preferably a thermoplastic that can be deformed at as low a temperature as possible. 55℃
Thermoplastics are known which can be deformed at temperatures of . The joint supporter according to the present invention is, for example, 60
It is immersed in a ~70 °C water bath and heated to this temperature. The joint supporter is then pressed onto the foot and talar joint, thereby forming a matrix of the talar joint. Low temperature thermoplastics provide an excellent negative image of the individual talar joint or other joints. Therefore, each talar joint supporter conforms to the foot shape of the individual using it. To attach the talar joint support, either the upper ends of both strips are fixed to the lower leg by means of a connecting strap, or the strips are connected one above the other, for example by means of hook and loop fasteners. What is most important for the high stiffness and secure retention of the talar joint supporter is that both strips are flexibly connected to each other by an intermediate web and that
ensuring reliable contact with the contours of the foot and joints;
This allows even when large forces are applied to the talar joint, as occurs, for example, in athletics.
Lateral movements of the foot relative to the support and thus sprains are safely prevented.

For convenient mounting of the talar joint supporter, a cushion layer, for example a foam layer, is provided on the inside thereof. Advantageously, this supporter is covered with leather, artificial leather or other materials to improve the appearance and hide the cushion layer.

Embodiment The talar joint supporter (hereinafter simply referred to as supporter) 1 shown in the drawings is shown in an expanded state in FIG. 2 and in this state has a shallow, approximately V-shaped configuration. The two strips 2, 3 of the supporter 1 are designed to be wider than the width of the intermediate web 4 which connects them to each other. The support 1 is formed from a one-piece strip 5 of a low-temperature thermoplastic, which is plastically deformable above 55 DEG C. and maintains its shape after cooling.
This strip 5 is provided with a cushion layer 6 on one side, which cushion layer is applied to the joint,
This makes it easy to attach the supporter 1. The strip 5 and the cushion layer 6 (preferably made of foam) are covered by a protective jacket 7,
This protective jacket 7 can consist, for example, of leather, artificial leather or other materials. This protective jacket improves the appearance of the supporter and also serves to protect the cushion layer 6.

In FIG. 1, the supporter 1 is shown in the attached state. Both strips 2, 3 are laterally pulled upwards along the joint and enclose it. The two strips 2, 3 are connected to each other via an intermediate web 4. The support is made of thermoplastic, so that in the area of the intermediate web 4 it has the shape of a foot.
and precisely adapted to the joint in the area of the strips 2, 3. To secure the support to the foot, a bandage is wrapped around the foot and the strips 2, 3 a few times, as shown in FIG. 1, or hook and loop fasteners are provided on the outside of the strips 2, 3. The height of the supporter is selected to encompass the talocrural and talonavicular joints in the posterior third of the longitudinal curvature of the ankle.
Very good stiffness and joint guidance are obtained on the one hand by the intermediate web and on the other hand by the conformability of the support.

It is advantageous to use low-temperature thermoplastics which can be softened and plastically deformed at a temperature of 55°C. On the inside, the strips 2, 3 advantageously extend approximately 10 cm above the medial malleolus and on the outside approximately 11.5 cm.

If the support is provided with a plastic cushion and a jacket, these can also be used to adapt the support to the joint.

The support according to the invention can be incorporated into a shoe as an integral component. In that case, the intermediate web of the supporter is fixed to the sole. Adaptation takes place either by heating the entire shoe or by heating only the support, for example with hot air, as appropriate.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention in use, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 2. 1... (talar joint) supporter, 2, 3... strip, 4... intermediate web, 5... strip, 6...
...Cushion layer, 7...Protective outer covering.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A joint supporter, especially for supporting and guiding the talar joint, consisting of two strips 2, 3 that laterally cover the joint, and an intermediate web 4 that connects both strips to each other, When expanded, it is formed into a shallow V-shape, and is made of a low-temperature thermoplastic material that can be deformed in contact with the joint, and when worn, it does not cover the front and back sides of the shin, but covers the joint laterally. A joint supporter characterized in that it is designed to cover from. 2. The joint supporter according to claim 1, which is integrally formed as a whole. 3. The joint supporter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the width of the intermediate web 4 is from 3 cm to 5 cm. 4. The joint supporter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the strips 2 and 3 is 6 cm to 11 cm. 5. Claim 1, wherein the cushion layer 6 is attached to at least one surface of the joint supporter.
The joint supporter according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The joint supporter according to claim 5, wherein the cushion layer is made of a foam material. 7 Claim 1 in which the joint supporter is covered with leather, artificial leather or similar material
The joint supporter according to any one of items 6 to 6. 8. A joint supporter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is integrated into a shoe.