HK1172521B

HK1172521B - Hand joint supporter

Info

Publication number: HK1172521B
Application number: HK12113524.4A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 松尾和彦; 古贺英文
Original assignee: 兴和株式会社; 饭田靴下株式会社
Priority date: 2010-01-22
Filing date: 2011-01-24
Publication date: 2015-07-31

Description

Hand joint protector

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hand joint supporter that can assist a wearer in daily operations, and more particularly, to a hand joint supporter that can improve stability of a hand joint, reduce a burden on the hand joint, and prevent tenosynovitis of a hand.

Background

The conventional wrist restraint protector comprises: a supporter main body formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, being stretchable in at least a circumferential direction of the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction, and being capable of covering at least a portion from the vicinity of a wrist of the forearm to the vicinity of a base of the second finger to the fifth finger; a first finger opening formed in the protector body; and a support body inserted into the pocket and extending toward the fifth finger side of the supporter main body in the longitudinal direction; the support body is provided so as to extend from at least the vicinity of the wrist of the worn forearm portion to the side portion on the fifth finger side of the palm through the pisiform region (see, for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2005-549

The conventional wrist restraint brace is a brace for restraining the movement of the wrist as a conservative treatment for the occurrence of a fall, a sprain, and an tendon sheath inflammation of the wrist, and does not have a support body on the first finger, the back of the hand, and the palm side. In particular, the conventional wrist restraint brace is formed of, for example, synthetic resin, metal, carbon fiber, glass fiber, wood, or the like, so long as the support is not bent by an external force or load.

Therefore, the conventional supporter for restraining a wrist requires a step of attaching the support body to the supporter main body by sewing, rivet fixing, bonding, adhesion, or the like after forming the substantially cylindrical supporter main body, and has a problem that the manufacturing process is complicated.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hand joint supporter which does not require a manufacturing process of arranging a separate support member different from the supporter main body in the supporter main body, and which can reduce the burden on the hand joint and prevent tenosynovitis of the hand.

The hand joint supporter of the present invention includes: a first anchor section woven around one end of the tubular knitted fabric for fastening the tubular knitted fabric to a forearm of a wearer; a second anchoring section which is knitted around the other end of the tubular knitted fabric and fastens the tubular knitted fabric to the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer around portions corresponding to the second metacarpal bone, the third metacarpal bone, the fourth metacarpal bone, and the fifth metacarpal bone in the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the wearer; a hole fixing portion formed in the vicinity of the second fixing portion of the tubular knitted fabric as a through hole having a substantially circular shape, through which a first finger of a hand of a wearer is passed; a support section which is knitted on the front and/or back side of the tubular knitted fabric so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric across a portion corresponding to a carpometacarpal joint of a wearer, is connected to the first anchor section and the hole anchor section, and supports a hand joint of the wearer; a base cloth portion woven together with the support portion around a portion corresponding to a wearer's hand joint and supporting the wearer's hand joint together with the support portion; and a knitted fabric surrounded by the second fixing portion, the hole fixing portion, the support portion, and the base fabric portion as a tubular knitted fabric, and having a flexible buffer portion between the second fixing portion and the support portion.

The effects of the present invention are as follows.

The hand joint supporter according to the present invention can stabilize the hand joint of the wearer by braking the palmar flexion and/or the dorsiflexion of the hand joint, reduce the load applied to the tendon located at the hand joint, and prevent tenosynovitis of the hand.

Drawings

Fig. 1 (a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the hand joint supporter according to the first embodiment, fig. 1 (b) is a rear view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1 (a), fig. 1 (c) is a left side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1 (a), fig. 1 (d) is a right side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1 (a), and fig. 1 (e) is a top view and a bottom view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1 (a).

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a wearing state of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 (a) is an explanatory view for explaining a hand joint and a bone, fig. 3 (b) is an explanatory view for explaining a position of the support portion with respect to the hand of the wearer, fig. 3 (c) is an explanatory view for explaining another position of the support portion with respect to the hand of the wearer, and fig. 3 (d) is an explanatory view for explaining yet another position of the support portion with respect to the hand of the wearer.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory view for explaining a measurement portion of the elongation of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1 (a).

FIG. 5 (a) is an explanatory view for explaining an experimental operation, FIG. 5 (b) is a graph showing a result of verification by a surface electromyogram of a flexor carpi ulnaris of the hand joint supporter shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 (c)

Fig. 5 (d) is a graph showing the result of verification by surface electromyogram of the biceps brachii of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 (a) is a graph showing the measurement results of the hand joint palm flexion moment on the work done by each subject for verifying the operation and effect of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1, and fig. 6 (b) is a graph showing the average value of the measurement results shown in fig. 6 (a).

Fig. 7 (a) is a graph showing the measurement results of the hand joint dorsiflexion moment to the work amount of each subject for verifying the operation effect of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 1, and fig. 7 (b) is a graph showing the average value of the measurement results shown in fig. 7 (a).

Fig. 8 (a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the hand joint supporter according to the second embodiment, fig. 8 (b) is a rear view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), fig. 8 (c) is a left side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), fig. 8 (d) is a right side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), and fig. 8 (e) is a top view and a bottom view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a).

Fig. 9 (a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of another hand joint supporter according to the second embodiment, fig. 9 (b) is a rear view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), fig. 9 (c) is a left side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), fig. 9 (d) is a right side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), and fig. 9 (e) is a top view and a bottom view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a).

Fig. 10 (a) is a perspective view showing a wearing state of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8, and fig. 10 (b) is a perspective view showing a wearing state of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9.

Detailed Description

(first embodiment of the invention)

In fig. 1 and 2, the hand joint supporter 10 is a supporter configured by a tubular knitted fabric knitted in a circular knitting manner by a hosiery knitting machine (for example, a knitting machine type manufactured by ロナテイ (with a needle count of 256 needles)), and is configured to closely adhere to a body surface of a wearer to assist a hand joint of the wearer.

The hand joint supporter 10 has a function required for a band-binding function or the like by differently knitting the base fabric portion 1, which is a knitted fabric knitted by a plain stitch, a rib stitch, a tuck stitch, a float stitch, a pile stitch, or the like, using a surface yarn, a back yarn, and an elastic yarn as knitting yarns. The base fabric portion 1 of the present embodiment is a knitted fabric knitted with a tuck stitch (hereinafter, referred to as "tuck knitted fabric").

The tuck knitted fabric is a knitted fabric in which some kind of mesh is not formed temporarily at the time of knitting a fabric, and a mesh is formed at the same time at the time of knitting the next course. In the present embodiment, the number of times of tucking is set to two in consideration of the balance with the density, but the number is not limited to this number.

The hand joint supporter 10 has the first anchor section 2 knitted around one end (upper end 10 a) of the tubular knitted fabric and used to fasten the hand joint supporter 10 to the forearm of the wearer.

The first anchor section 2 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 (tubular knitted fabric) is larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric section 1 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10. That is, the tension when a certain elongation is applied without the fabric being stretched is denoted by F, and the tension of the base fabric portion 1 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is denoted by F_H1The tension of the first anchor section 2 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is denoted as F_H2In this case, the first anchor portion 2 has F having a stronger tightening force in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 than the base cloth portion 1_H2＞F_H1Such a size relationship.

Specifically, by forming the first anchor section 2 as a knitted fabric knitted with a deer-skin texture (hereinafter referred to as "deer-point pattern knitted fabric"), the stretch resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 can be increased relative to the base fabric section 1 of the tuck knitted fabric.

The deer-point pattern knitted fabric is a knitted fabric described below: a knitted fabric in which the stitches are alternately present in the course and the wale or in which the stitches are present in each of the courses in plain stitch and tuck stitch (a stitch in which the mesh is not dropped off in a certain course and the stitches are dropped off in the subsequent course). Therefore, by using the plain stitch and the tuck stitch together in the first anchor section 2, a raised or transfer mesh stitch can be formed on the surface of the knitted fabric, and a mesh pattern such as a deer-point pattern can be formed.

In this way, the first anchor section 2 is woven around the forearm of the wearer, and the stretch resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is made larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric section 1 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10, so that the hand joint supporter 10 can be anchored to the forearm of the wearer, and the slip-down of the upper end 10a of the hand joint supporter 10 when the palm of the hand joint is bent can be suppressed. The first fixing portion 2 is connected to a support portion 4 described later, and also functions as a fixing member for the support portion 4.

The hand joint supporter 10 further includes a second anchor section 3, and the second anchor section 3 is knitted around the other end (lower end 10 b) of the tubular knitted fabric, and as shown in fig. 3 (a), the hand joint supporter 10 is fastened to the palm and back of the hand of the wearer around the portions corresponding to the second metacarpal bone 102, third metacarpal bone 103, fourth metacarpal bone 104, and fifth metacarpal bone 105 in the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joint 110 of the wearer.

The second anchor section 3 is woven so that the stretch resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the stretch resistance of the buffer section 5, which will be described later, in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10. That is, the tension of the second anchor section 3 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is represented by F_H3F is the tension of the buffer section 5 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10_H5In the meantime, the second anchor section 3 has F having a stronger tightening force in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 than the buffer section 5_H3＞F_H5Such a size relationship.

Specifically, by forming the second anchor section 3 as a deer-point pattern knitted fabric, the stretch resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 can be increased relative to the cushioning section 5 of a mesh fabric described later.

In this way, the second anchor section 3 is woven around the palm and back of the hand of the wearer, and the expansion resistance in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the expansion resistance of the buffer section 5 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10, so that the hand joint supporter 10 can be anchored to the palm and back of the hand of the wearer, and the slip-down of the lower end 10b of the hand joint supporter 10 when the palm of the hand joint is flexed can be suppressed.

If the tightening force of the second fastening portion 3 to the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer is too strong, the fingers of the wearer (the second finger (index finger), the third finger (middle finger), (the fourth finger (ring finger), and the fifth finger (little finger)) cannot be sufficiently spread apart from each other, and thus, the operation of the keyboard of the personal computer is hindered.

Therefore, the hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment does not hinder the movement of the fingers wearing the hand joint supporter 10 by adjusting the density of the second anchor section 3 (for example, by reducing the tightening force by about 10% with respect to the first anchor section 2). That is, the hand joint supporter 10 of the present embodiment preferably has F_H2＞F_H1＞F_H3＞F_H5Such a magnitude relationship is such that an appropriate fastening force is provided in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10.

The hole anchor section 11 is formed in the vicinity of the second anchor section 3 of the hand joint supporter 10 as a substantially circular through hole through which a first finger (a thumb) of the hand of the wearer passes.

The hole anchor section 11 of the present embodiment is formed by knitting a tubular knitted fabric to be the hand joint supporter 10 by adding a cut portion (cut れ mesh) to the tubular knitted fabric and folding back the cut edge inside the tubular knitted fabric, and then sewing the tubular knitted fabric with a sewing machine, but may be formed by knitting without cutting the tubular knitted fabric. In particular, it is preferable that the sewn portion constituting the hole fixing portion 11 uses a highly stretchable thread, and the pressing force applied to the first finger of the wearer is relaxed by increasing the number of stitches of the sewing machine and forming a soft crease.

The hole fixing section 11 can position the hand joint supporter 10 with respect to the hand joint of the wearer by passing the first finger of the wearer therethrough, and can prevent the hand joint supporter 10 from being displaced by suppressing the rotational movement in the circumferential direction H and/or the parallel movement in the longitudinal direction. The hole fixing portion 11 is connected to a support portion 4 described later, and also functions as a fixing portion of the support portion 4.

The support portion 4 is woven on the front surface and/or the back surface side of the hand joint supporter 10 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the hand joint supporter 10 across a portion corresponding to the carpometacarpal joint 120 of the wearer, and is connected to the first fixing portion 2 and the hole fixing portion 11 to support the hand joint of the wearer. That is, the support portion 4 is fixed by the first fixing portion 2 on the forearm side of the wearer and is fixed by the hole fixing portion 11 on the hand side of the wearer.

The support portion 4 of the present embodiment is knitted in a substantially rectangular shape, but is not limited to this shape as long as it extends in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 across a portion corresponding to the carpometacarpal joint 120 of the wearer.

The support portion 4 is woven so that the stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric portion 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. That is, the tension of the base cloth portion 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is set to F_L1The tension of the support portion 4 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is set to F_L4In this case, the support portion 4 has F having a stronger fastening force in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 than the base cloth portion 1_L4＞F_L1Such a size relationship.

Specifically, by forming the support portion 4 as a knitted fabric in which the tuck stitch and the plating stitch are used in combination (hereinafter, referred to as a "tuck stitch-plating stitch knitted fabric"), the stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 can be increased with respect to the base fabric portion 1 of the tuck knitted fabric.

In addition, in the tuck stitch-plating knitted fabric, by adding another knitting yarn (for example, a linuron textured yarn) in addition to the ground knitting yarn of the tuck stitch knitted fabric and feeding the yarn, the expansion and contraction of the support portion 4 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is appropriately suppressed, and another knitting yarn is cut at the boundary between the support portion 4 and the base fabric portion 1 (cut embroidery plating yarn (カツトボス)).

In this way, the support portion 4 is knitted on the front surface and/or the back surface side of the hand joint supporter 10 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 across the portion corresponding to the carpometacarpal joint 120 of the wearer, and the stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the stretch resistance of the base cloth portion 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. Thus, the support portion 4 can restrict the palm flexion and/or the dorsiflexion of the hand joint of the wearer, ensure the stability of the hand joint, and reduce the load applied to the tendon located at the hand joint.

In particular, when the hand joint supporter 10 is not worn, if the hand joint is painful, the elbow joint compensating for the overload of the hand joint is also burdened, and there is a possibility that secondary pain is induced. Therefore, a person who has a high frequency of using the fingers or the hand joints and pain in front of the elbow or shoulder joint can reduce the pain of the elbow and shoulder joint caused by the pain of the hand joints by using the hand joint supporter 10 of the wearer.

The support portion 4 is disposed on the front side (palm) of the hand joint supporter 10 to regulate dorsiflexion of the hand joint of the wearer, and is disposed on the rear side (back side) of the hand joint supporter 10 to regulate palmar flexion of the hand joint of the wearer. Therefore, depending on the symptoms of the hand joint of the wearer, the hand joint supporter 10 may be provided with the support portion 4 only on the front side (palm) side when the dorsiflexion of the hand joint is to be restricted, and the hand joint supporter 10 may be provided with the support portion 4 only on the back side (back) side when the dorsiflexion of the hand joint is to be restricted.

In particular, it is preferable that the configuration in which the support portion 4 is disposed on the front surface and the back surface of the hand joint supporter 10 is symmetrical with respect to the front surface and the back surface of the hand joint supporter 10, and can be used as both a supporter for the left hand and a supporter for the right hand.

Further, as shown in fig. 3 (c), when the supporting portion 4 is extended from only the vicinity of the wrist joint 130 (first anchor portion 2) to the vicinity of the carpometacarpal joint 120 together with the base fabric portion 1 knitted between the supporting portions 4 positioned on the front and back sides of the tubular knitted fabric, a feeling of gripping the wrist cannot be obtained, and the above-described effect of the supporting portion 4 is not exerted.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 3 d, when the support section 4 and the base fabric section 1 are extended from the vicinity of the wrist joint 130 (first fixing section 2) to the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joint 110 (second fixing section 3), the wearer's fingers cannot be sufficiently opened, and the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer are tightened, which causes pain.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 3 b, the support portion 4 and the base material distribution portion 1 preferably extend from the vicinity of the wrist joint 130 (the first fixing portion 2) to the metacarpal body (substantially the center of the second metacarpal 102, the third metacarpal 103, the fourth metacarpal 104, and the fifth metacarpal 105).

In addition to the palmar flexion and the dorsiflexion, there are also the radial flexion and the ulnar flexion, which are movements frequently used in daily life, and along with these movements, the diruette syndrome (ド - ケルヴアン syndrome), which is an inflammation of the tendons extending from the hand to the thumb, occurs frequently. In contrast, the support portion 4 and the base fabric portion 1 restrict the radial flexion and the ulnar flexion of the hand joint of the wearer, and thus can be expected to prevent and improve the direwing syndrome.

The cushion section 5 is a knitted fabric of the hand joint supporter 10 surrounded by the second anchor section 3, the hole anchor section 11, the support section 4, and the base fabric section 1, and is a knitted fabric having flexibility between the second anchor section 3 and the support section 4.

The cushion section 5 is woven so that the stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is smaller than the stretch resistance of the base fabric section 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. That is, the tension of the buffer section 5 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is set to F_L5In this case, the cushion section 5 has a length longer than that of the base cloth section 1 in the hand joint supporter 10F with weak fastening force in direction L_L1＞F_L5Such a size relationship.

Specifically, the cushion section 5 is a knitted fabric (hereinafter referred to as a "mesh knitted fabric") knitted with a mesh structure which is a knitted structure having good air permeability, and the stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 can be reduced with respect to the base fabric section 1 of the tuck knitted fabric.

The mesh knitted fabric is a knitted fabric in which some kind of mesh is not formed temporarily at the time of knitting a fabric, and meshes are formed at the same time at the time of knitting the next course, and a structure in the form of the mesh is well stretched.

As described above, the cushion section 5 has a smaller stretch resistance in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 than the stretch resistance of the base fabric section 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10, and therefore, the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer are not tightened, the fingers of the wearer can be sufficiently opened, blood flow disturbance can be suppressed, and discomfort can not be given to the wearer.

In the hand joint supporter 10 of the present embodiment, the stretch resistance of the base fabric section 1 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is made larger than the stretch resistance of the first anchor section 2 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 by the knitted fabric of each part. Further, the stretch resistance of the first anchor section 2 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the stretch resistance of the second anchor section 3 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. The stretch resistance of the second anchor section 3 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10 is larger than the stretch resistance of the buffer section 5 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. The stretch resistance of the support portion 4 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10 is substantially equal to the stretch resistance of the base cloth portion 1 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10.

Therefore, the hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment satisfies the magnitude relationship shown in the following expression (1) with respect to the tension F in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10. Wherein, in the following formula (1), F_L2Is the tension of the first anchor section 2 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10, F_L3Is the tension of the second anchor section 3 in the longitudinal direction L of the hand joint supporter 10.

[ mathematical formula 1]

F_L4＞F_L1＞F_L2＞F_L3＞F_L5 （1）

The hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment satisfies the magnitude relationship shown in the following expression (2) with respect to the tension F in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10. Wherein, in the following formula (2), F_H4Is the tension of the support portion 4 in the circumferential direction H of the hand joint supporter 10.

[ mathematical formula 2]

In the present embodiment, as the ground knitted yarn used for the deer-grain weave, tuck weave and mesh weave, a surface yarn composed of two nylon yarns having a fineness of 70 denier, a back yarn composed of two nylon yarns having a fineness of 30 denier, and an elastic yarn as a covering yarn (DCY) in which two nylon yarns having a fineness of 40 denier are wound around a polyurethane core yarn having a fineness of 260 denier are used, but the ground knitted yarn is not limited to these materials.

For example, as the surface yarn, natural fibers such as cotton, wool (cashmere, lamb, mohair, and the like), silk, and hemp, chemical fibers such as propylene, or raw materials having sweat absorbing, quick-drying, or body temperature adjusting functions are preferable in accordance with the cost of the hand joint supporter 10 and the demand of the wearer. In addition, as the back side yarn, polyester or long fiber twisted yarn (FTY-woven yarn) or an antibacterial, deodorant or deodorant material is preferable in accordance with the cost of the hand joint supporter 10 or the demand of the wearer.

The pile-like nylon textured yarn (textured yarn) of the tuck stitch-plating knitted fabric (support portion 4) is composed of two yarns having a fineness of 100 denier.

Here, the results of measuring the elongation (percentage of the difference between the length (elongation) at the time of stretching and the original length (preset dimension) with respect to the original length) by a tensile tester (tensile load: 4 kg) for each part of the hand joint supporter 10 (see fig. 4) produced by the above-described knitting yarn and knitted fabric are shown in table 1 below.

TABLE 1

Further, since the knitted fabric is more easily stretched as the value of the elongation in table 1 is larger, and the knitted fabric is more difficult to stretch (the fastening force is larger) as the values of the tension F in the above equations (1) and (2) are larger, the inequality signs indicating the magnitude relationship of the elongation are opposite to the inequality signs indicating the magnitude relationship of the tension F.

Next, the results of verifying the operation and effect of the hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

In the first experiment, when the hand joint supporter 10 was worn on the right wrist of a subject (a healthy male aged 26 years, no past medical history of the four limbs) (hereinafter, referred to as "worn time") and when the subject was not worn (hereinafter, referred to as "unworn time"), the subject held a long-handled pan having a weight of 300g of 1kg in the right hand and held the pan for 30 seconds with the upper arm and forearm of the right arm substantially vertical (fig. 5 (a)).

In this case, in the experiment, the myoelectric potentials of the biceps brachii (a muscle bending the elbow) and the ulnar carpus and the radial carpus (a muscle bending the wrist) in the latter half for 5 seconds were measured by surface electromyography (fig. 5). In addition, "マイオリサ - チ" manufactured by Nonaxon corporation was used for measurement of the surface electromyogram.

As shown in fig. 5 (b) and 5 (c): in the case of wearing, the myoelectric potentials (average amplitude, muscle integral value) of the ulnar wrist flexor muscle and the radial wrist flexor muscle are reduced as compared with the case of not wearing, so that the load on the ulnar wrist flexor muscle and the radial wrist flexor muscle is reduced, and the burden on the hand joint is reduced. In particular, the hand joint supporter 10 can prevent tenosynovitis of the hand by reducing the burden on the hand joint.

As shown in fig. 5 (d): in comparison with the case of not wearing, the myoelectric potential (average amplitude, muscle integral value) of the biceps brachii is reduced, so that the load on the biceps brachii is reduced, and the burden on the hand joint is reduced.

In the second experiment, when the hand joint supporter 10 was worn (worn) and not worn (not worn) on the right wrist of three subjects (healthy adult male, average age 29 ± 3.6 years, average height 169.7 ± 4.9cm, and average weight 64.3 ± 11.9 kg), the hand joint was dorsiflexed and palmflexed in a state where the upper arm of the right arm was substantially vertical and the forearm of the right arm was substantially horizontal. In the experiment, the work amount of the hand joint palm flexion moment of each subject was measured (fig. 6), and the work amount of the hand joint dorsiflexion moment of each subject was measured (fig. 7).

As shown in fig. 6 and 7: in all the subjects, the work amount of the hand joint palm flexion moment and the hand joint dorsiflexion moment are increased when the hand joint supporter 10 is worn as compared with when it is not worn.

(second embodiment of the invention)

Fig. 8 (a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the hand joint supporter according to the second embodiment, fig. 8 (b) is a rear view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), fig. 8 (c) is a left side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), fig. 8 (d) is a right side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a), and fig. 8 (e) is a top view and a bottom view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8 (a). Fig. 9 (a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of another hand joint supporter according to the second embodiment, fig. 9 (b) is a rear view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), fig. 9 (c) is a left side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), fig. 9 (d) is a right side view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a), and fig. 9 (e) is a top view and a bottom view of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9 (a). Fig. 10 (a) is a perspective view showing a wearing state of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 8, and fig. 10 (b) is a perspective view showing a wearing state of the hand joint supporter shown in fig. 9. In fig. 8 to 10, the same reference numerals as those in fig. 1 and 2 denote the same or corresponding parts, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the above-described drawings, the hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment has a structure including a fixing and reinforcing portion 12 in addition to the structure of the first embodiment, the fixing and reinforcing portion 12 being formed of a second tubular knitted fabric knitted continuously and circularly from the second fixing portion 3 of the tubular knitted fabric, and being configured to be fixed by being caught between the palm and the back of the wearer's hand in the interphalangeal groove (thigh) between the second and third fingers of the wearer, the interphalangeal groove between the third and fourth fingers, and/or the interphalangeal groove between the fourth and fifth fingers. Further, by forming the second tubular knitted fabric as the fixed reinforced portion 12 as a mesh knitted fabric having a good elongation, for example, strong pressing force is not applied to the interdigital groove between the second finger and the third finger, the interdigital groove between the third finger and the fourth finger, and/or the interdigital groove between the fourth finger and the fifth finger of the wearer, and discomfort is not given to the wearer.

For example, as shown in fig. 8 and 10a, the fixing reinforcement part 12 of the present embodiment may be configured to have two locking parts (first locking part 12a, second locking part 12 b) that are fixed in an inter-finger groove between the second finger and the third finger of the wearer and an inter-finger groove between the fourth finger and the fifth finger, or as shown in fig. 9 and 10b, may be configured to have three locking parts (first locking part 12a, third locking part 12c, second locking part 12 b) that are fixed in an inter-finger groove between the second finger and the third finger, an inter-finger groove between the third finger and the fourth finger, and an inter-finger groove between the fourth finger and the fifth finger of the wearer.

In particular, the joint supporter 10 shown in fig. 9 and 10 (b) is capable of stably supporting the joint of the wearer by covering each finger near the proximal interphalangeal joint of the second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers of the wearer, increasing the number of fixing portions of the fixing reinforcement portion 12 that are hooked in the interphalangeal grooves of the wearer, and increasing the contact area with the wearer's finger, as compared with the joint supporter 10 shown in fig. 8 and 10 (a).

In this way, the hand joint supporter 10 according to the present embodiment can prevent tenosynovitis of the hand by hooking the locking portion of the fixation reinforcement portion 12 in one or more inter-digital grooves, thereby more reliably supporting the hand joint of the wearer and reducing the burden on the hand joint.

In addition, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in that the fixation reinforcing section 12 having one or more locking sections is newly arranged in the second fixation section 3 of the hand joint supporter 10, and therefore, has the same operational effects as the first embodiment except for the operational effects of the fixation reinforcing section 12.

Description of the symbols

1-base cloth part, 2-first fixing part, 3-second fixing part, 4-supporting part, 5-buffering part, 10-hand joint protector, 10 a-upper end, 10 b-lower end, 11-hole fixing part, 12-fixing reinforcing part, 102-second metacarpal bone, 103-third metacarpal bone, 104-fourth metacarpal bone, 105-fifth metacarpal bone, 110-metacarpophalangeal joint, 120-carpometacarpal joint and 130-radiocarpal joint.

Claims

1. A hand joint supporter comprising a tubular knitted fabric knitted in a circular knitting manner for closely adhering to a body surface of a wearer to assist a hand joint,

comprising:

a first anchor section knitted around one end of the tubular knitted fabric for fastening the tubular knitted fabric to the forearm of the wearer;

a second anchor portion which is knitted around the other end of the tubular knitted fabric and which is fastened to the palm and back of the hand of the wearer around portions corresponding to the second metacarpal bone, third metacarpal bone, fourth metacarpal bone and fifth metacarpal bone in the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the wearer;

a hole fixing portion formed in the vicinity of the second fixing portion of the tubular knitted fabric so as to form a substantially circular through hole, through which a first finger of the hand of the wearer passes;

a support section that is knitted on the front surface and/or the back surface of the tubular knitted fabric so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric across a portion corresponding to the carpometacarpal joint of the wearer, is connected to the first anchor section and the hole anchor section, and supports the hand joint of the wearer;

a base cloth part woven together with the support part around a portion corresponding to the hand joint of the wearer and supporting the hand joint of the wearer together with the support part; and

the tubular knitted fabric is a knitted fabric surrounded by the second fixing portion, the hole fixing portion, the support portion, and the base fabric portion, and has a flexible buffer portion between the second fixing portion and the support portion.

2. The hand joint protector of claim 1 wherein,

the stretch resistance of the first anchor portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric,

the stretch resistance of the support portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

3. The hand joint protector of claim 1 or 2,

the stretch resistance of the base fabric portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the first anchor portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric,

the resistance to stretch and contraction of the first anchor portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric is greater than the resistance to stretch and contraction of the second anchor portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric,

the resistance to stretch and contraction of the second fixed portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric is greater than the resistance to stretch and contraction of the cushioning portion in the longitudinal direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

4. The hand joint protector of claim 1 or 2,

the stretch resistance of the base fabric portion and the support portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the second anchor portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric,

the stretch resistance of the second anchor portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the cushion portion in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

5. The hand joint protector of claim 3 wherein,

6. The hand joint protector of claim 1 or 2,

and a fixing/reinforcing part which is formed of a second tubular knitted fabric knitted continuously from a second fixing part of the tubular knitted fabric in a circular shape, connects between the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer in an inter-digital groove between the second finger and the third finger, an inter-digital groove between the third finger and the fourth finger, and/or an inter-digital groove between the fourth finger and the fifth finger of the wearer, and is fixed by being caught in the inter-digital groove of the wearer.

7. The hand joint protector of claim 3 wherein,

8. The hand joint protector of claim 4 wherein,

9. The hand joint protector of claim 5 wherein,