Thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device

• US 8,905,956 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alignmed, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alignmed, Inc.
• Inventors: Waeger, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US13/158,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20120316483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 128/846, 128/869, 128/870, 128873-876, 128/868, 602/5, 602/12, 602/19, 602/32, 602/36, 602/60, 602/61, 602/67, 246/4, 246/7, 246/6
• US Class Current: 602/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/026 Back straightening devices with shoulder braces to force back the shoulder to obtain a correct curvature of the spine for clavicle fractures A61F5/05808; restraining devices A61F5/37

Abstract

High friction scapular retraction straps for application directly to the tops of the respective shoulders of a patient and connected with tension straps to draw the gripper straps and, consequently, the shoulders rearwardly, and including fasteners to fasten to a garment worn by the patient to hold the shoulders rearward.

Claims

1. A dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient and comprising;

an elastic garment for stretching around the thoracic, lumbar and sacral of the patient including back, side and front panels, the front panels including pectoral areas and terminating in adjacent marginal edges, and shoulder straps connected between the back panel and respective side panels to form arm openings;

the back or side panels being formed with respective strap openings spaced below the level of the arm openings;

a garment fastener device attached to at least one of the marginal edges for fastening to the other marginal edge to hold the garment stretched to grip at least the thoracic;

first releasable fasteners mounted on the front surfaces of the respective front side panels;

elongated scapular retraction gripper straps fastened on their respective one ends to the interior of the respective pectoral areas to extend upwardly within the shoulder straps to, when the garment is donned by a patient, project over the respective shoulders of the patient and terminate in respective second ends, the respective straps being formed with downwardly facing high friction surfaces for gripping the patients respective shoulders, and the garment free of straps under the patient'"'"'s armpits;

an elastic lumbar belt attached to the garment for encircling the area of the patient'"'"'s lumbar and including belt free ends;

belt fasteners on the free belt ends for releasably fastening the belt free ends together;

elongated tension straps attached on their respective one ends to the respective second ends of the gripper straps and projecting inside the garment diagonally across one another on the inside of the back panel to extend out through the respective strap openings to terminate in respective free tension strap ends configured to overlie the respective first fasteners, the tension straps including respective second fasteners on the respective free ends for adjustably fastening to the respective first fasteners whereby the garment device may be placed on a patient, with the gripper straps over the shoulders and the respective gripper surfaces gripping the shoulders, the tension straps extending across one another in the back to project outwardly through the holes, the front panels drawn together and the garment fastener device fastened to hold the garment stretched to grip at least the thoracic, so that when tension is applied to the free ends of the tension straps to draw down on the respective second ends of the respective gripper straps force will be applied to the high friction surfaces to the respective shoulders to, as the tension forces are applied to the respective second ends, the shoulder straps will tend to draw the tops of the respective shoulders rearward and, while continuing to apply the tension, the second tension strap fasteners may be attached to the first tension strap fasteners.

2. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the scapula gripper straps are constructed of Neoprene.

3. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient of claim 1 that includes:

retainers attached to the respective shoulder straps to hold the respective gripper straps in place.

4. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient of claim 1 wherein:

the first and second releasable fasteners are constructed of loop and pile material.

5. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient of claim 1 wherein:

the garment is constructed to provide, when the front panels are closed by the garment fastener about the patient, provide for three dimensional stretching.

6. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient of claim 1 that includes:

an elongated rigid back brace for fitting inside the back panel and wherein;

the garment includes a pocket on the inside of the back panel for receipt of one extremity of the back brace.

7. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient of claim 1 wherein:

the gripper straps are inelastic; and

the tension straps are elastic.

8. A dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient and comprising:

an elastic garment for surrounding the thoracic, lumbar and sacral of the patient, including pectoral areas and terminating at the front side in marginal edges;

the garment including strap access slots on the opposite sides thereof at a location disposed in the thoracic or sacral area of the garment when donned by a patient;

a garment fastener device attached to one of the marginal edges for fastening to the other of the marginal edges to hold the garment stretched about at least the thoracic of the patient;

elongated scapula gripping straps attached to the interior of the garment in the pectoral areas and configured to, when the device is donned by a patient, extend upwardly and rearwardly over the shoulders of the patient and terminating in respective free ends;

a pair of elongated tension straps attached to the free ends of the scapula gripping straps, extending diagonally on across each other on the interior of the back of the garment and projecting guidingly through the access slots to be formed with respective free ends disposed, when the garment is worn by the patient, on the opposite sides at the front of the garment;

first releasable fasteners on the respective free ends

second fasteners on the opposite front sides of the garment for adjustably fastening to the respective first releasable fasteners.

9. An orthopedic method for dynamically improving the posture of a patient including:

applying an elastic garment to the patient extending around the thoracic pectoral, lumbar and sacral areas of the patient, the garment including high friction scapula retractor gripper straps anchored on their respective one ends to the garment at the respective pectoral areas;

applying the scapular retraction gripper strap in direct contact with at least the tops of the patient'"'"'s respective shoulders;

applying tension to the respective gripper straps on the respective one sides of the patient to maintain tension, crossing the tension straps on the back of the patient and drawing the respective gripper straps rearwardly on the respective shoulders to maintain the tops of the respective shoulders drawn rearwardly to hold the upper extremities of the patient'"'"'s shoulders rearwardly.

10. The orthopedic method for dynamically improving the posture of a patient of claim 9 that includes:

fastening the tension straps to the garment to maintain the tension straps in tension.

11. A dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device for improving the posture of a patient and comprising:

elongated gripper strap devices extending for, when the garment is donned by a wearer, extending from the pectoral areas of the wearer, over the tops of the wearer'"'"'s shoulders and downwardly and inwardly across the wearer'"'"'s back to cross over one another and terminate at the respective opposite sides of the wearers torso, the gripper strap devices including gripper straps having high friction elements on the underside of the straps extending over the tops of the shoulders;

an elastic garment for fitting over the wearers torso to be held frictionally in place on the torso and having a front panel;

the gripper strap devices being anchored to the interior of the garment in the respective pectoral areas; and

fasteners on the opposite sides of the garment in the waist area for releasably connecting with the respective free ends of the gripper strap devices.

12. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device of claim 11 wherein:

the garment includes through access slots disposed on the outsides thereof for passage of the respective free ends of the gripper strap devices;

and the fastener elements are disposed on the exterior of the garment.

13. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device of claim 11 that includes:

a lumbar belt for encircling the area of the patients lumbar to facilitate holding the garment down on the torso.

14. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device set forth in claim 11 wherein:

the garment is constructed to, when donned, press the gripper straps tightly down on the respective shoulders.

15. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device set forth in claim 11 wherein:

the garment includes shoulder straps for fitting over the gripper straps on the tops of the shoulder of the wearer; and

retainer straps for looping around the gripper strap devices to hold the respective gripper straps in place.

16. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device of claim 11 wherein:

the gripper straps are constructed of elastic; and

the garment device includes inelastic tension straps extending across the patient'"'"'s back and terminating in the respective free ends.

17. The dynamic thoracic lumbar sacral posture garment device of claim 11 wherein:

the garment is constructed of a seamless orthopedic compression material with 360°

stitching constructed for 3-dimensional compression to, when donned by the wearer, provide for close fit about the wearer'"'"'s torso and over the wearer'"'"'s shoulders.

18. A method of holding the tops of a wearer'"'"'s shoulders drawn rearwardly including:

selecting a pair of elongated gripper strap devices formed on the underside with high friction gripping material to be positioned directly on the wearer'"'"'s shoulders, the strap devices selected of a length to extend from the respective pectoral areas of the wearer up and rearwardly over the opposite shoulder to project downwardly and inwardly across the wearers back to cross over one another;

placing the strap devices on the wearer to project from the respective pectoral area rearwardly over the tops of the shoulders and then downwardly across the wearer'"'"'s back to terminate in respective free ends;

placing an elastic garment on the wearer over the respective gripper straps to tightly fit about the wearers shoulders and torso to press the gripper straps in position;

drawing the free ends of the respective gripper strap devices downwardly to cause such strap devices in the area of the tops of the shoulders to be drawn rearwardly thereby drawing the tops of the respective shoulders rearwardly; and

fastening the free ends of the gripper strap devices to the garment to maintain the respective shoulders and associated scapulae drawn rearwardly.

19. The method of claim 18 that includes:

fastening a belt around the lumbar area of the wearer to hold the bottom extremity of the garment frictionally downwardly on the wearer'"'"'s torso.

20. The method of claim 18 that includes:

projecting the free ends of the gripper strap devices through slots in the opposite sides of the garment and fastening the free ends to the exterior of the garment.