TWI862825B - Rehabilitation equipment and upper limb orthoses - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a structure that is easy to use and can play a rehabilitation function for a hand that is maintained in a functional limb position of a hand joint. An upper limb orthosis 10 of one embodiment of the present invention has a rehabilitation device 11. The rehabilitation device 11 has: a platform 12, which is positioned on the front end side of a holding portion 14 for holding the hand joint at a specific angle; and a finger guide 30, which is arranged on the aforementioned platform. The guide 30 has a plurality of guide grooves 30a~30e as finger guides, each of which is configured to allow a corresponding finger to move back and forth along it, and is configured to position each finger in a separated and open position, and to position the thumb in an opposite position.

Description

Rehabilitation equipment and upper limb orthoses

The present invention relates to a rehabilitation device that can be used for finger rehabilitation, and an upper limb orthosis equipped with the same.

Previously, upper limb orthoses were used for the purpose of preventing finger flexion, maintaining functional limb positions, and/or supporting training. For example, there is a so-called vertical wrist splint among upper limb orthoses. The vertical wrist splint maintains the hand joint, which is in a drooping position due to, for example, radial nerve paralysis, in a dorsiflexion position of about 30 degrees, fixing the limb in a position suitable for daily life.

However, the previous vertical wrist splints are not suitable for rehabilitation because they only fix the hand joints in a specific limb position and have no mobility. Therefore, there is a demand for a device that can also play a rehabilitation function, and various proposals have been put forward. For example, Patent Document 1 has disclosed a rehabilitation device that is provided with an armband wrapped around the upper part of the upper condyle of the human arm and a palm band wrapped around the palm of the human hand, and the elastic force of the rubber installed on the rubber fixing part of the armband and the rubber fixing part of the palm band is used to force the palm to dorsiflex. [Prior technical document] [Patent document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-124191

[The problem the invention is trying to solve]

The rehabilitation brace of Patent Document 1 is a brace that uses the tension of rubber to force the hand to dorsiflex. Therefore, the rehabilitation brace needs to be selected in accordance with the daily physical condition or rehabilitation progress of the user such as the patient. There are problems in adjusting the rehabilitation brace, especially when the user himself makes the adjustment, which may cause difficulties.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a structure that is easy to use and can play a rehabilitation function for a hand that maintains a functional limb position of a hand joint. [Technical means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, one aspect of the present invention provides a rehabilitation device, which comprises: a platform, which is positioned on the palm side; and a finger guide, which is arranged on the platform; and the guide has a plurality of finger guides; the plurality of finger guides are configured to position each finger in a separated and open position and to position the thumb in an opposing position.

Preferably, the guide member is designed in such a way that when the fingers are arranged on each of the plurality of finger guide portions, the IP joint of the thumb and the DIP joints and PIP joints of the other fingers are in an extended position or over-extended.

Preferably, the platform is formed so that when the user's hand is placed thereon, the fingers can protrude to a specific length.

Preferably, the rehabilitation device may include a plurality of the aforementioned platforms of different sizes, and the aforementioned platforms are selectable.

Preferably, the platform is configured to be positioned at the front end side of a holding portion for holding the hand joint at a specific angle.

Preferably, the table portion is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the holding portion.

Another aspect of the present invention is an upper limb orthosis, which has the aforementioned rehabilitation device and a holding portion for holding the hand joint at a specific angle. The aforementioned holding portion is a vertical wrist splint. [Effect of the invention]

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned rehabilitation device has the above-mentioned structure, so it can be easily used for a hand that is maintained in a functional limb position of a hand joint, and can play a rehabilitation function for the hand.

The following is an explanation of the embodiments of the present invention based on the attached drawings. The same symbols are assigned to the same parts (or components), and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

The upper limb orthosis 10 of this embodiment has a rehabilitation device 11. The rehabilitation device 11 has a platform 12. The platform 12 is positioned on the palm side of the user, and in particular, is configured to be positioned on the front end side of a holding portion 14 for holding the hand joint at a specific angle. In addition, since the holding portion 14 is mounted on the human arm, and is mounted on the forearm here, the front end side of the holding portion 14 is the palm side portion.

Here, the rehabilitation device 11, i.e., the platform 12, is configured to be mounted on and removed from the holding portion 14. Specifically, the platform 12 is mounted on the holding portion 14 using an insertable buckle 16 as a fastener as shown in FIG. 1 . Thereby, the platform 12 is positioned at a specific position relative to the holding portion 14 as shown in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 1 , in the upper limb orthosis 10, the male snap-fitting portion 16a of the buckle 16 is disposed on the platform 12, and the female snap-fitting portion 16b of the buckle 16 is disposed on the holding portion 14, and here, in particular, is disposed at the front end of the armband portion 18 described later. However, it is feasible that the male snap-fitting portion 16a of the buckle 16 is disposed on the holding portion 14, and the female snap-fitting portion 16b of the buckle 16 is disposed on the platform 12. Furthermore, other fasteners such as buttons and Velcro can be used to connect the platform 12 and the holding portion 14. Furthermore, the platform 12 can be positioned at a specific position relative to the holding portion 14 when in use by simply inserting the protrusion of the platform 12 or the holding portion 14 into the recess of the holding portion 14 or the platform 12. A structure in which the protrusion is inserted into the recess and locked like the buckle 16 can also be adopted. The connection mechanism used to mount the platform 12 on the holding portion 14 is not limited to the aforementioned fasteners, and can have various other structures. In addition, the platform 12 can also be inseparably fixed to the front end side of the holding portion 14. Furthermore, it is feasible that the holding portion 14 and the platform 12 are completely separated and independent, and when in use, it is only necessary to position the platform 12 on the front end side of the holding portion 14. In this case, the table portion 12 and the holding portion 14 do not have a connection mechanism such as the buckle 16. In addition, the present disclosure does not exclude the use of the table portion 12 alone without the holding portion 14, that is, the use of the rehabilitation device 11 alone.

Here, the holding portion 14 is explained. Here, the holding portion 14 has the same structure as the so-called vertical wrist splint. That is, the holding portion 14 is configured to keep the angle of the hand joint that is in a drooping position due to, for example, radial nerve paralysis, at a specific angle, for example, a dorsiflexion position of about 30 degrees, and fix it in a limb position suitable for daily life (for example, a functional limb position). The holding portion 14 includes: an armband portion 18 installed along the arm, and a palm portion 20 extending from the end portion of the front end side of the armband portion 18. The palm portion 20 is positioned on the front end side of the armband portion 18, and extends from the armband portion 18 in its axial direction at an angle corresponding to the specific angle. Here, the specific angle is about 30°, but it may also be an angle other than this. The armband portion 18 is formed so that the cross-section thereof perpendicular to the axis is roughly U-shaped, but it may be other shapes, such as a plate shape. The palm portion 20 is roughly plate-shaped here, but it may have other shapes, such as a curved shape that is generally convex toward the palm side. In order to install the retaining portion 14, two fixing straps 22, 24 are provided on the armband portion 18, and one fixing strap 26 (26a, 26b) is provided on the palm portion 20. The fixing straps 22, 24, 26 each have (only a portion is shown in Figures 1 and 2) Velcro 28 as a fastener, but may also have other fasteners such as buttons. In addition, the number and shape of the fixing straps are not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the retaining portion 14 may also be the vertical wrist splint itself.

Next, the rehabilitation device 11 is described based on Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the table 12 of the rehabilitation device 11 as viewed from the front, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the table 12 as viewed from the rear. In addition, the rehabilitation device 11 is for right hand use. For example, a rehabilitation device for left hand use can be formed symmetrically with the rehabilitation device 11.

The table 12 is for the user (e.g., a patient) to place his or her hand. The table 12 is formed as a solid component. The table 12 is formed to have: a bottom portion 12a (refer to FIG. 5 ), and a mountain-shaped surface portion 12b extending from the bottom portion. Furthermore, in order to allow the fingers to protrude to a specific length when the user's hand is placed thereon during use, the table 12 is formed into a corresponding size and shape. A finger guide 30 is provided on the table 12. The guide 30 has a plurality of grooves (hereinafter referred to as guide grooves) 30a to 30e for the finger to be arranged as finger guides. Each of the guide grooves 30a to 30e is provided to extend from the top side of the mountain-shaped surface portion 12b to the bottom portion 12a as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 . Therefore, each of the guide grooves 30a to 30e extends generally in a manner of expanding outward as it reaches the bottom surface portion 12a. The platform portion 12 is formed with concave and convex portions to form the guide member 30. However, the portion between the guide grooves 30a to 30e is not limited to a convex portion, and may have various shapes such as a V-shaped groove in a portion thereof. In addition, a finger holding portion such as a finger strap may be provided on the platform portion 12. The finger holding portion allows the finger to move along the guide member 30, but prevents the finger from leaving the platform portion 12.

The guide member 30 has a guide groove 30a for the thumb (first finger), a guide groove 30b for the index finger (second finger), a guide groove 30c for the middle finger (third finger), a guide groove 30d for the ring finger (fourth finger), and a guide groove 30e for the little finger (fifth finger). Each guide groove 30a-30e is configured to allow the corresponding finger to move forward and backward along the guide groove, in other words, to move back and forth. The configuration of the guide grooves 30a-30e is designed to position each finger in a separated and open position, and in particular, to position the thumb in an opposite position (to the other fingers). In other words, the guide member 30 is formed in such a way that the metacarpophalangeal joint (MP joint) of the thumb is positioned in palmar external rotation, and the metacarpophalangeal joints (MP joints) of the other fingers are positioned in external rotation and slightly or moderately bent. When the fingers are arranged on the guide member 30, the guide member 30 is designed in such a way that the joints of each finger, that is, the interphalangeal joint (IP joint) of the thumb and the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP joint) and the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP joint) of the other fingers are positioned in an extended position. The guide member 30 can be designed to set at least any one of the joints (IP joint, DIP joint, PIP joint) in an over-extended position.

The use example of the upper limb orthosis 10 having the above-mentioned structure is explained based on Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 schematically shows a right hand equipped with the upper limb orthosis 10. As shown in Figure 5, when in use, the armband portion 18 of the holding portion 14 is fixed to the forearm FA, and the palm portion 20 is fixed to the palm in a manner that the palm portion 20 is connected to the palm. Thereby, the hand joint J is maintained in a state bent at a specific angle. In this state, the platform 12 is positioned in the palm B, that is, below the palm portion 20 of the holding portion 14. In this way, when the user's hand with the hand joint fixed at a specific angle by the holding portion 14 is placed on the platform 12, as shown in Figure 5, the platform 12 is formed into a size and shape such that the fingers are extended to a specific length. The specific length can be, for example, more than 5 mm and less than 2 cm, and for each finger, it can be about half the length of the fingertip. In addition, the "finger extension" or "finger protrusion" mentioned here means that when the user's hand is placed on the table 12, the finger extends along the guide member 30 from the bottom surface 12a of the table 12 (the surface on the inner side of the paper surface of Figures 3 and 4) which serves as the contact surface with the table, etc.

When the upper limb harness 10 is installed on the user's right hand as shown in FIG5 , the table portion 12 is placed on a flat surface such as a table. At this time, it is better to tilt the user's forearm FA relative to the table to an angle corresponding to the specific angle at which the holding portion 14 holds the hand joint. The angle θ in FIG5 may be equivalent to the angle of the forearm FA relative to the table in this case. In this state, as shown schematically in FIG6( a), when the user lightly grasps the table 12, the fingertips of each finger are in contact with the table below the table 12, and no special force acts on each finger. At this time, as for the joints of each finger, the IP joint of the thumb and the DIP joints and PIP joints of the other fingers only need to be roughly in the extended position and can be extended along the guide member 30. In the state of FIG. 6(a), if the user whose hand joint is fixed by the holding part 14 presses his palm against the table 12, as shown schematically in FIG. 6(b), a force can be applied to each finger from the table, etc., so that the fingertip of each finger is bent outward at the first joint, that is, the thumb at the IP joint, and the other fingers at the DIP joint. In addition, if the user whose hand joint is fixed by the holding part 14 presses his palm against the table 12, each finger can be bent inward at the first joint, preferably outward at the first joint.

The user only needs to adjust the pressure on the platform 12 by his own will, and can simply repeat the reciprocating movement of the fingers between the state of Figure 6 (a) (relaxed state) and the state of Figure 6 (b) (pressed state). In this way, the user can simply use the rehabilitation device 11 of the above structure. Moreover, through this action, the muscles and/or nerves of the fingers can be stimulated, so that the hand joints can be held in a functional limb position by the holding part 14. In addition, by stimulating the fingers as described above, the brain is also stimulated, so various functions can be expected to be restored.

Furthermore, by providing a finger holding portion such as a finger strap on the table portion 12 or the guide member 30, the user can attach the upper limb brace 10 to the hand not only during activities during the day but also when going to bed, or attach only the rehabilitation device 11 to the hand without attaching the holding portion 14. Thus, for a person who may have abnormal tension in the upper limb muscles when going to bed, for example, by using the upper limb brace 10 or by using only the rehabilitation device 11 without attaching the holding portion 14, the abnormal tension in the upper limb muscles can be suppressed, and the hand can be kept in an open state, for example, which helps the rehabilitation function.

In addition, in the upper limb orthosis 10, the platform 12 is formed so that when the user's hand is placed as shown in FIG5, fingers of a specific length can be extended. However, when the user's hand is placed on the platform 12, the fingers may not be extended. In this case as well, by performing the movement according to the user's will as described above, the fingers can be extended along the guide member 30, and stimulation can be given to the fingers, thereby exerting a rehabilitation function.

The platform 12 of the upper limb orthosis 10 is formed as a solid component, and in order to form the guide member 30, the surface thereof is formed with projections and depressions, and the guide grooves 30a to 30e are provided. However, the platform 12 is a component that supports the palm, and can be formed in other structures as long as it has the guide member 30. For example, the platform 12 is a metal component, and can be a platform formed by the outline of the platform 12, that is, the frame. In this case, each finger guide portion is not limited to the guide grooves 30a to 30e, and can be, for example, a cylindrical portion in which metal wires are woven into a cylindrical shape. In addition, the platform 12 can be made of synthetic resin, can be made of metal, and can also be made of elastic bodies such as rubber.

Furthermore, the rehabilitation device 11 of the upper limb orthosis 10 may have a plurality of platforms 12 of different sizes. Thus, the user can select a platform 12 that matches the size of the user's hand. In addition, the size of the finger guide disposed thereon can also be adjusted according to the size of the platform 12.

The above describes representative embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Various substitutions and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

10: Upper limb orthosis 11: Rehabilitation device 12: Table 12a: Bottom 12b: Mountain-shaped surface 14: Retaining part 16: Buckle 16a: Male snap-fit part 16b: Female snap-fit part 18: Armband 20: Palm 22, 24, 26, 26a, 26b: Fixing strap 28: Velcro 30: Guide 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e: Guide groove/slot B: Palm FA: Forearm J: Hand joint θ: Angle

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an upper limb orthosis of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper limb orthosis of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rehabilitation device of the upper limb orthosis of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rehabilitation device of the upper limb orthosis of FIG. 1 from another angle. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a posture of the upper limb orthosis of FIG. 1 when in use. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the state of the fingers when the upper limb orthosis of FIG. 1 is in use, (a) showing the state of the fingers in a relaxed state, and (b) showing the state of the fingers in a pressed state.

Claims (9)

A rehabilitation device, comprising: a platform, which is positioned on the palm side; and a finger guide, which is arranged on the platform; and the platform is formed to have a bottom surface and a mountain-shaped surface extending from the bottom surface; the guide has a plurality of finger guides; the plurality of finger guides are arranged to extend from the top side of the mountain-shaped surface to the bottom surface; the plurality of finger guides are configured to position each finger in a separated and open position and to position the thumb in a palm-lateral external rotation; the guide has a plurality of guide grooves as the finger guides. As in claim 1, the guide member comprises: a guide groove for the thumb, a guide groove for the index finger, a guide groove for the middle finger, a guide groove for the ring finger, and a guide groove for the little finger. As in the rehabilitation device of claim 1, the guide member is formed in such a way as to position the fingers other than the thumb in an external rotation. As in the rehabilitation device of claim 2, the guide member is formed by positioning the fingers other than the thumb in an external rotation. A rehabilitation device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, which has a plurality of the aforementioned platforms of different sizes; and the aforementioned platforms are selectable. The rehabilitation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is further provided with a finger holding portion in order to mount the rehabilitation device on a hand. The rehabilitation device as claimed in claim 5 is further provided with a finger holding portion in order to mount the aforementioned rehabilitation device on the hand. An upper limb orthosis comprises the rehabilitation device of any one of claims 1 to 7 and a holding portion for holding a hand joint at a specific angle. An upper limb orthosis, which has a rehabilitation device and a holding part; the rehabilitation device has: a platform, which is positioned on the palm side; and a finger guide, which is arranged on the platform; and the platform is formed to have a bottom surface and a mountain-shaped surface extending from the bottom surface; the guide has a plurality of finger guides; the plurality of finger guides are arranged to extend from the top side of the mountain-shaped surface to the bottom surface; the plurality of finger guides are configured to position each finger in a separated and open position, and to position the thumb in palm-lateral external rotation; and the holding part is used to hold the hand joint at a specific angle; the holding part is a vertical wrist splint.