BACK ORTHOSIS AND ORTHOTIC METHOD

• US 20100168630A1
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean Cropper
• Original Assignee: Dean Cropper
• Inventors: Cropper, Dean, Cropper, Tanner
• Granted Patent: US 8,409,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 602/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/024 having pressure pads connected in a frame for reduction or correction of the curvature of the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/028 Braces for providing support to the lower back, e.g. lumbo sacral supports
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/30 Pressure-pads corn-pads, corn-rings A61F13/06; tourniquets A61B17/132

Abstract

A lumbar orthosis that includes first and second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panels; and a separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece configured for positioning only at the rear of a wearer, wherein pulling of a cord causes the brace both circumferentially to tighten and to concentrate compression and pressure of the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece directly and especially upon a spinal region of a wearer'"'"'s back with the aid of a mechanical advantage dependant upon a number of apertures through which the cord or cords pass. An orthosis and method for correcting lumbar and thoracic back pain and disorders is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A back orthosis, comprising:

first and second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panels, which are operatively attached to one another to form a circumferential enclosure about a wearer; and

a separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece configured for positioning only at the rear of a wearer and having;

opposing first and second lateral sides, the first side connected along substantially its entire vertical length to the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel by a first cord, and the second side connected along substantially its entire vertical length to the second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel by a second cord;

a first set of apertures through which the first cord passes and is operatively pulled or allowed to loosen, respectively either;

to draw the first side laterally closer to the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel, and the first, separate, opposing, and the first separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel posteriorly closer to the first side, or

to distance the first side laterally further from the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel, and the first, separate, opposing and mating attachment panel further from the first side; and

a second set of apertures through which the second cord passes and is operatively pulled or allowed to loosen, respectively either;

to draw the second side laterally closer to the second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel, and the second, separate, opposing, and the second separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel posteriorly closer to the second side, or

to distance the second side laterally further from the second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel, and the second, separate, opposing and mating attachment panel further from the second side;

wherein pulling of the first cord and the second cord causes the brace both to circumferentially tighten and to concentrate inward compression of the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece directly and especially upon a spinal region of the wearer'"'"'s back with the aid of a mechanical advantage dependant upon a number of apertures through which the first cord or the second cord passes.

2. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein pulling the first cord or the second cord causes relatively greater compression directly and especially upon a spinal region of a wearer'"'"'s back than upon a region adjacent to the spinal region of a wearer'"'"'s back.

3. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the first set, the second set, or both first and second sets of apertures are formed by raised eyelets that are substantially parallel to the wearer'"'"'s back surface when the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece is worn, and provide additional anchoring leverage actively to force the rigid lumbar compression piece specifically at the spinal region and so inwardly compress the spinal region of the wearer'"'"'s back while keeping the first cord and/or the second cord spaced away from the wearer'"'"'s back at a region adjacent to the spinal region of the wearer'"'"'s back.

4. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the first and second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panels have anterior portions that have greater rigidity than lateral sides of the orthosis, which provides an opposing vice-like frontal force diametrically opposed to the concentrated inward compression of the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece directly and especially upon a spinal region of a wearer'"'"'s back.

5. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece has a raised, beveled inner surface that operatively abuts against the wearer'"'"'s spinal region.

6. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the rigid lumbar compression piece has a flat, curved, regular, irregular, or form-fitting inner compression surface and a generally flat, curved, regular, irregular, or form-fitting outer surface.

7. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the rigid lumbar compression piece has at least four slots on each of the first and second lateral sides by which the respective first and second cords engage the lumbar piece so causing the lumbar piece to contour to a shape of the wearer'"'"'s back.

8. The back orthosis of claim 1 further comprising at least one tensioning handle with respect to which the first cord passes and with respect to which a portion of the first cord changes its relative position in accordance with variations in upper and lower first cord material lengths, relative to one another, each of which running between the at least one tensioning handle and the first set of apertures.

9. The back orthosis of claim 8 wherein every portion of the first cord changes its position with respect to the tensioning handle at least in accordance with adjustable vertical and circumferential stationary tensioning handle attachment positions on the first or second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panels, or first and second corresponding orthosis side portions.

10. The back orthosis of claim 1 further comprising a pad positioned between the wearer'"'"'s back and the lumbar compression panel wherein foam within the pad flows.

11. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the rigid compression panel comprises a horizontally and vertically centered reinforced center grid bordered by upper and lower hollowed out, beveled bowls, the bottoms of which push against the wearer'"'"'s spinal region.

12. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the first lateral side of the separate rigid lumber compression piece is immediately adjacent to at least one vertically centered aperture, through which the first cord passes through a final aperture on the separate rigid lumbar compression piece just before extending to a manually operated tensioning handle.

13. The back orthosis of claim 12 wherein the at least one vertically centered aperture is a pair of side-by-side apertures, through each of which one of two opposing lengths of the first cord passes.

14. The back orthosis of claim 1 wherein the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece includes a central vertical axis about which independent horizontally disposed extensions project.

15. The back brace of claim 14 wherein the independent horizontally disposed extensions each correspond to at least one aperture of the first and second sets of apertures.

16. The back brace of claim 14 wherein the independent horizontally disposed extensions operatively flex in accordance with varying contours of lumbar and thoracic spinal regions that vary from individual-to-individual, with a finger-like horizontal and transverse motion when engaged in tension by the first and second cords.

19. An orthotic method comprising utilizing an orthosis of claim 1.

17. A back orthosis comprising:

a separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece configured for self-adjustable positioning only at the rear of a wearer;

twin opposing rigid panels for immobile placement upon opposing lateral sides of a spinal region of the wearer;

a front abdominal piece, configured for immobile positioning upon an anterior side of the wearer; and

at least two independent cinching systems, at least two of which are on opposing lateral sides of the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece configured for positioning only at the rear of the wearer, each providing a mechanical advantage for circumferentially tightening of the orthosis and applying a relatively greater force than a circumferential force specifically to four points of the wearer'"'"'s torso;

wherein the rigid lumbar compression piece and twin rear immobile rigid panels direct pressure radial to the wearer'"'"'s spine; and

wherein three of the four points are immobile while the forth point is laterally movable about a posterior lumbar side of the wearer, and the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece addresses the forth point of the wearer'"'"'s torso.

18. A back orthosis, comprising:

first and second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panels; and

a separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece configured for positioning only at the rear of a wearer and having;

opposing lateral sides, one such side connected along substantially its entire vertical length to the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel by a cord, and the other such side connected along substantially its entire vertical length to the second, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel by another cord or an elastic piece;

a first set of apertures through which the cord passes and is operatively pulled or allowed to retract, respectively either to draw the one such side laterally closer to the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel or to distance the one such side laterally further from the first, separate, opposing and mating front attachment panel;

wherein pulling of the cord causes the brace both circumferentially to tighten and to concentrate compression of the separate, laterally adjustable, rigid lumbar compression piece directly and especially upon a spinal region of a wearer'"'"'s back with the aid of a mechanical advantage dependant upon a number of apertures through which the cord or the another cord passes.