Simplified orthopaedic back support

• US 5,062,414 A
• Filed: 01/11/1990
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1989
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ossur hf
• Original Assignee: Royce Medical Company (Ossur hf)
• Inventors: Grim, Tracy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doyle, J.
• Application Number:
  US07/464,360
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 128/68.1, 128/78, 128/82.1, 128/85, 128/87 R, 128/118.1, 128/362, 128/379, 128/384, 128/400, 128/DIG. 20
• US Class Current: 602/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0001 Body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/028 Braces for providing support to the lower back, e.g. lumbo sacral supports
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/20 Inflatable splint

Abstract

The back support is constructed from a back brace of elastic material which carries a gel pad and an air bladder. The brace supports the pad against lower back of the user in firm engagement. The air bladder is juxtaposed and generally co-extensive with the pattern containing the gel-like material. The air bladder has three individually inflatable chambers, including left, right, and overall areas, so that the user may adjust the pressure exerted on the pad and hence the support of the lower back. The gel pad may also contain an adjustable heating element to electrically heat the gel-like material. The main portion of the back brace has two wide belt portions which extend forewardly and upwardly from the main lower back support area, and which are secured together by overlapping Velcro members at the lower stomach area; and the centerlines of these two wide belt portions may make an angle of about 30 degrees to 60 degrees with one-another. The air bladder assembly includes straps secured thereto which extend from the bladders per se through slits in the wide belts of the main portion of the back support and which straps are secured to the outer surfaces of the wide belts.

Claims

1. A simplified inflatable back support assembly comprising:

a main body member formed of elasticized material for extending continuously at least around both sides and the back of a patient;

said body member having an enlarged central area formed of said elasticized material for covering the lower back;

said body member having first and second arm means formed of said material for holding said back support assembly around the mid-section of the patient;

an inflatable assembly including a central inflatable bladder substantially co-extensive in configuration with said enlarged central area of elasticized material;

said inflatable assembly including at least two straps or thin arms directly secured to said bladder and extending outwardly along said first and second arm means and being substantially thinner than said arm means;

said first and second arm means being provided with transverse slits adjacent said central area to permit the passage of said straps therethrough, with the bladder on the inside of the enlarged central area of the main body member and said straps starting inside said main body member where said straps are secured to said bladder, and then extending along the outside of said main body member after passing through said slits;

means for adjustably securing the outer ends of said first and second arm means together to provide an initial coarse fit of said back support assembly onto said patient;

means for adjustably securing said straps to the outer surfaces of said arm means to provide a vernier fit of said back support assembly onto said patient; and

means for selectively applying air to said bladder assembly to provide a final therapeutic and comfort fit to said back support assembly.

2. A back support assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said air bladder has a plurality of chambers, including at least one left-hand chamber and one right-hand chamber, each of said chambers being individually inflatable by said inflating means.

3. A back support assembly as defined in claim 1 further comprising a thermal therapy pad, and means for mounting it on said assembly for applying thermal therapy to the user'"'"'s back.

4. A back support as set forth in claim 3 further comprising:

means for heating said thermal therapy pad.

5. A back support assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm means extend upwardly and outwardly from said enlarged central area, and wherein the extended centerlines of said arm means make an outwardly directed angle of between 30 degrees and sixty degrees with respect to one-another.

6. A back support assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein substantially the only arrangements for holding said assembly together are said slots with the straps extending through the slits, and additional securing material, including mating pads or hook type material and loop type material.

7. A back support assembly comprising:

a main body member having a central enlarged area for covering most of the lower back;

a composite air bladder mounted co-extensive with and juxtaposed to said central area of said main body member;

said composite air bladder including a left-hand, separately inflatable bladder means for applying pressure to the left-hand side of the lower back;

said composite air bladder further including a right-hand separately inflatable bladder means for applying pressure to the right-hand side of the lower back;

means for inflating said left-hand or said right-hand bladder means to a greater extent than the other bladder means to apply differential pressure to the two sides of the lower back; and

a main inflatable bladder means forming part of said composite inflatable bladder, and being located behind and extending over both the left and right-hand bladder means, thereby constituting means for applying increased pressure to both said left and right-hand bladder inn their application of pressure to the patient'"'"'s back.

8. A back support assembly as defined in claim 7 further comprising a thermal therapy pad, and means for mounting it on said assembly for applying thermal therapy to the user'"'"'s s back.

9. The back support as set forth in claim 8 further comprising:

means for heating said thermal therapy pad.

10. A simplified inflatable back support assembly comprising:

a main body member formed of two-way stretch material for extending continuously at least around both sides and the back of a patient;

said body member having an enlarged central area formed of said material for covering the lower back;

said body member having first and second arm means formed of said material for holding said back support assembly around the mid-section of a patient;

an inflatable assembly including a central bladder substantially co-extensive in configuration with said enlarged central area formed of two-way stretch material;

said inflatable assembly including at least two straps or thin arms extending outwardly along said first and second arm means and being substantially thinner than said arm means;

said first and second arms being provided with transverse slits adjacent said central area to permit the passage of said straps therethrough, with the bladder on the inside of the enlarged central area of the main body member and said straps starting inside said main body member where said straps are secured to said bladder, and then extending along the outside of said main body member after passing through said slits;

means for adjustably securing the outer ends of said first and second arms together to provide an initial coarse fit of said back support assembly onto said patient;

means for adjustably securing said straps to the outer surfaces of said arms to provide a vernier fit of said back support assembly onto said patient;

means for selectively applying air to said bladder assembly to provide a final therapeutic and comfort fit to said back support assembly; and

a thermal therapy pad mounted to the front of said inflatable assembly, to provide thermal therapy to the lower back of a user.

11. A back support assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said arm means extend upwardly and outwardly from said enlarged central area, and wherein the extended centerlines of said arm means make an outwardly directed angle of 30 degrees and sixty degrees with respect to one-another.

12. A back support assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein substantially the only arrangements for holding said assembly together are said slits with the straps extending through the slits, additional securing material, including mating pads of hook type material and loop type material.

13. A back support assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said inflatable assembly includes separately inflatable left-hand and right-hand bladders.

14. A back support assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said inflatable assembly further includes an overall separately inflatable bladder extending over said left and right-hand bladder.

15. A simplified inflatable back support assembly comprising:

a main body member formed of flexible elastic material for extending continuously at least around both sides and the back of a patient;

said body member having an enlarged central area formed of said flexible elastic material for covering the lower back;

said body member having first and second arm means formed of said material for holding said back support assembly around the mid-section of the patient;

an inflatable assembly including a central bladder substantially co-extensive in configuration with said enlarged central area;

said inflatable assembly including at least two straps or thin arms secured to said bladder and extending outwardly along said first and second arm means and being substantially thinner than said arm means;

said first and second arm means being provided with transverse slits adjacent said central area too permit the passage of said straps therethrough;

with the bladder on the inside of the enlarged central area of the main body member and said straps starting inside said main body member where said straps are secured to said bladder, and then extending along the outside of said main body member after passing through said slits;

means for adjustably securing the outer ends of said first and second arm means together to provide an initial coarse fit of said back support assembly onto said patient; and

means for adjustably securing said straps to the outer surfaces of said arm means to provide a vernier fit of said back support assembly onto said patient; and

means for selectively applying air to said bladder assembly to provide a final therapeutic and comfort fit to said back support assembly.

16. A simplified back support assembly comprising:

a main body member formed of flexible and resilient material for extending continuously at least around both sides and the back of a patient;

said body member having an enlarged central area formed of said flexible resilient material for covering the lower back;

said body member having first and second arm means formed of said material for holding said back support assembly around the mid-section of the patient;

a pressure application assembly including means for applying resilient pressure to the back of the patient substantially co-extensive in configuration with said enlarged central area;

said pressure application assembly including at least two straps or thin arms secured to said pressure applying means and extending outwardly along said first and second arm means and being substantially thinner than said arm means;

said first and second arm means being provided with transverse slits adjacent said central area to permit the passage of said straps therethrough, with the pressure applying means on the inside of the enlarged central area of the main body member and said straps starting inside said main body member where said straps are secured to said bladder, and then extending along the outside of said main body member after passing through said slits;

means for adjustably securing the outer ends of said first and second arm means together to provide an initial coarse fit of said back support assembly onto said patient; and

means for adjustably securing said straps to the outer surfaces of said arms to provide a vernier fit of said back support assembly onto said patient.

17. A simplified inflatable back support assembly comprising:

a main body member formed of elasticized material for extending continuously at least around both sides and the back of a patient;

said body member having an enlarged central area formed of said elasticized material for covering the lower back;

said body member having first and second arm means formed

said body member having first and second arm means formed of said material for holding said back support assembly around the mid-section of the patient;

a bladder assembly including a central bladder substantially co-extensive in configuration with said enlarged central area of elasticized material, said bladder including means for confining gas therein;

said bladder assembly including at least two straps or thin arms directly secured to said bladder and extending outwardly along said first and second arm means and being substantially thinner than arm means;

said first and second arm means being provided with transverse slits adjacent said central area to permit the passage of said straps therethrough, with the bladder on the inside of the enlarged central area of the main body member and said straps starting inside said main body member where said straps are secured to said bladder, and then extending along the outside of said main body member after passing through said slits;

means for adjustably securing the outer ends of said first and second arm means together too provide an initial coarse fit of said back support assembly onto said patient;

means for adjustably securing said straps to the outer surfaces of said arm means to provide a vernier fit of said back support assembly onto said patient; and

said bladder assembly providing a supplemental therapeutic and comfort fit to said back support assembly.