JP4574137B2 - Biological orthosis - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an orthopedic device suitable for use in the treatment and correction of orthopedic diseases.

  In the medical field including orthopedics, traction devices are used for the purpose of treatment and correction. Many are intended to promote recovery and correction by attaching to an affected area and extending or compressing (hereinafter referred to as towing) between two points of the body sandwiching the affected area. As the pulling method, there are a method using a support, a method using an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, a method using a weight, and the like.

  The method using the support column is suitable for fixing the affected part, but if not, the affected part is restrained to restrict the movement of the body. In addition, when towing with a support, it is difficult to cope with the expansion and contraction of the living body. Generally, a living body extends or contracts when a force is applied, but it is preferable to pull the two points with the same force even in such a case. However, when pulling with a support, it is necessary to adjust the length of the support when changing the position between two points. In this case, it is difficult to set the same force.

  For this reason, it may be possible to use an elastic body, but if the position between the two points changes, the force also changes, which is very different from the setting. For example, if the extension between two points occurs due to the continuation of traction and the displacement becomes small, the force becomes small and the traction effect is lost, and on the contrary, the posture is changed and a large force is output, Traction will increase rapidly, causing severe pain and worsening of the affected area.

  On the other hand, the method of pulling with a weight has an advantage that the same force can be applied even if the position between two points changes. However, since the apparatus becomes large and the body is also restrained by this, it cannot be used on a daily basis as a device that is always worn. Also, because it is difficult to install at home, you must go to the hospital.

  The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the elastic body and weight described above, is small and light, and can generate a constant force regardless of the displacement between two points.

Under the above-described problems, the present invention provides a living body orthopedic tool for pulling between two points of the body for the purpose of treatment or correction as set forth in claim 1 and filling between two points with oil filled with gas. The cylinder is connected to the cylinder of a gas spring that generates an extension force that extends the rod by gradually decreasing the taper according to the stroke of the rod by inserting a piston that forms an orifice into the cylinder and protruding the rod out of the cylinder. At the same time, a disc is attached to the rod, and a restriction member consisting of two stoppers that restrict the reciprocation of the disc within a certain range is attached to the cylinder so that the stroke of the rod is restricted within a certain range. The living body shaping tool is characterized in that the position of the range can be changed with respect to the cylinder.

Here, the gas spring is, as is well known, an extension force based on the pressure of the gas sealed in the cylinder is generated in the piston, and is almost constant over the entire stroke (strictly speaking, gradually decreasing gradually). It has the feature of producing an extension force. Pulling between two points of the body with such a gas spring makes it easy to allow some posture changes without completely restraining the body like a support. By setting this stretching force to an optimum force for treatment and correction, it is possible to always pull with the optimum (fixed) traction force even if the living body is stretched or contracted or the posture is changed. Therefore, a situation in which the force is too strong due to a change in posture or the like, or pain is given, or the effect is not enough due to being too weak is solved.

  This feature of producing a substantially constant extension force over the entire stroke, on the other hand, also has certain drawbacks. For example, when the posture is greatly changed in the direction to weaken the traction force, there is no problem if the traction force is reduced if it is a support or an elastic body, but if it is a gas spring, the traction force is still large for the posture. It can be dangerous to work and the body. In addition, the traction force may make it difficult to remove the traction device.

  On the other hand, when changing the posture in the direction of increasing the traction force, if it is an elastic body or the like, the traction force can be increased or the movement of returning the posture naturally can be induced, but it is a gas spring. And because the traction does not change, it may remain in a dangerous position. Even in such a case, if the stroke of the gas spring can be adjusted, a dangerous posture can be escaped by performing an operation to shorten the stroke, and the instrument can be removed at that time. Furthermore, if the stroke of the gas spring is limited within a certain range and the range can be changed, it is possible to regulate in advance a dangerous posture or the like. You can escape.

An orthopedic device for living body incorporating such a gas spring is the lower limb extension device according to claim 2, wherein the lower limb bone or the upper limb bone is cut, a pin is inserted above and below the cutting portion, and the pin is extended by the gas spring. or upper limb extension orthosis, according to claim 3, cervical orthosis towing the head or chin and chest or back with gas spring of claim 4, lower extremity of the tibia pressing the ankle traction with gas spring relative to the femur An orthodontic appliance such as a scoliosis correcting appliance in which the chest band around the chest is fastened with a gas spring is conceivable. In addition, the present invention can also be applied to a thoracolumbar orthosis in which a gas spring is disposed between the chest and the pelvis and a traction force is applied to the thoracic vertebra or lumbar vertebra.

In the present invention, the affected part is pulled by a gas spring. In this case, the gas spring has a characteristic that it can produce a force that does not change so much regardless of displacement. Even if there is a displacement of the traction point due to a posture change or the like, the traction force can be changed with a traction force that does not change so much that the medical effect is high. Also, because it is lightweight and compact, it can be worn on the body like a bracelet and used daily, so it will be towed for a long time compared to those that go to hospital and tow intensively with great force, In addition to having high medical effects, it can be expected that hospital visits are not necessary and the burden on patients is reduced.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the most common gas spring G. As is well known, the gas spring G has a piston 1 having an orifice 2 inserted in a cylinder 1 filled with oil filled with gas. Is. Since the rod 4 is connected to the piston 3 and protrudes from the cylinder 1, an extension force based on the gas pressure is generated in the positive pressure chamber of the cylinder 1 due to the area difference between the two back chambers, and the rod 4 is extended.

In addition, the gas spring G has a free piston that can be used even in a tilted posture with a free piston, or a valve structure (not shown) on the orifice 2 to lock the rod 4 in that position. Some of them have a locking mechanism, but any of them may be used in the present invention. By pulling between two points of the body with the above gas spring G, the posture can be changed somewhat without the body being completely restrained, and even if the interval between the two points changes due to the expansion and contraction of the living body and the continued pulling There is an advantage that it can be pulled with the same power. Further, since such a gas spring G is generally small and light, there is an advantage that it can be used as a brace-type traction device that can be always worn on the body.

The gas spring G used in the present invention is such that the stroke of the rod 4 can be adjusted by an external operation, the stroke is limited within a certain range, and the range can be changed by an external operation. Those are preferred. The reason is that, as mentioned above, the extension force does not change much regardless of the displacement, so you may fall into a dangerous posture or posture (emergency) without knowing it. This is possible and possible to prevent. Of course, it is also possible to reduce the displacement of the rod and remove the instrument by external operation.

  By the way, the stroke adjusting and limiting mechanism 5 has various structures. For example, the disk 6 is mounted in the middle of the rod 4 and the stoppers 7a and 7b for moving the disk 6 only within a certain range are moved forward and backward. It is conceivable to attach the limiting member 7 formed on the cylinder 1 to the cylinder 1 by screwing or screwing. In this case, since the position of the restricting member 7 can be moved back and forth on the cylinder 1, the position of the stroke range can be changed. If the stoppers 7a and 7b can be moved back and forth independently, both the most contracted position and the most extended position can be set independently. Further, in an emergency, it is possible to remove the danger by operating the limiting member 6 and the stoppers 7a and 7b to seal off the traction force.

  FIG. 2 is also a partial cross-sectional view of the gas spring G. In this example, the gas spring G is an internal built-in type in which the disk 6 and the stoppers 7a and 7b are incorporated in the cylinder 1. And the sub rod 4a which can be expanded and contracted with a screw etc. is connected to the rod 4 so that the position of the stroke can be changed. In addition, it is the same as the above that the stroke can be set independently and that an emergency can be handled.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of what is called a leg extension device A that cuts the shorter side and extends the bone according to the growth of the callus formed between the left and right legs when there is a difference in length. However, in the operation of extending the lower limb, pins 8 and 9 are inserted into both sides of the femur or tibia by cutting an appropriate portion of the femur or tibia and sandwiching the cut portion.

  Then, the bone is extended according to the growth of the callus. In the present invention, a support column 10 is provided to stretch between the pins 8 and 9, and the support column 10 is divided and the rod 4 of the gas spring G is respectively provided. A method of fixing the (sub rod 4a) and the cylinder 1 is employed. In this case, when the weight (resistance force) is larger than the extension force of the gas spring G depending on the body position and posture, the rod 4 is shortened, and when it is smaller, the rod 4 is extended within a certain range a.

When the callus grows, the distance between the pins 8 and 9 is gradually increased. In the present invention, the front and rear positions of the limiting member 7 are changed. Since the extension amount is preferably 1 to 2 mm every day, the limiting member 7 is lengthened within this range. The extension force at this time is always a force that does not change much regardless of the position of the rod 4 regardless of the growth state of the callus, and is preferable for the formation of the callus.

  In this case, it is more preferable to make the extension force of the gas spring G larger than the body weight. According to this, even if the body weight is applied, the gas spring does not contract, so that no load is applied to the callus (the extending direction is limited by the limiting member 7). In addition, if the diameter (size) of the orifice 2 is made extremely small and the extension speed thereof is adjusted to the above-mentioned daily extension amount, the daily extension operation that is artificially performed is automatically performed. Is also possible. The same applies to an upper limb extension device (not shown) that uses the upper limb instead of the lower limb.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the cervical spine orthosis B used when the cervical vertebra is pulled due to whiplash, etc., but in this case, the support provided so as not to fall by being suspended by the shoulder strap 11 or the like on the chest and back. A support column 10 is erected between the device 12 and a pad 13 provided on the head or jaw, and a gas spring G is incorporated into the support column 10. According to this, the support | pillar 10 will be stretched | stretched by the required traction force within the expansion-contraction range a of the gas spring G, will be freed and will accelerate | stimulate recovery. Further, when it becomes necessary to change the length of the support column 10, the position of the restricting member 7 is changed to cope with it, but the extension force does not change so much regardless of the position. is there.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of what is called a lower limb traction device C for unloading the knee joint of a patient who has undergone a cartilage regeneration operation due to knee arthropathy. The thigh insertion part 14 which becomes impossible, the footrest part 16 which is connected by the thigh insertion part 14 and the connecting body 15 and can place a foot, and is urged downward by the connecting body 15 so as to be vertically movable and attached to the ankle And an ankle presser 17 that pulls the tibia with respect to the femur by pressing from above.

  In this case, the connecting body 15 and the ankle presser 17 together constitute the support column 10, but in the case of this example, a gas spring G is interposed therebetween. According to this, the ankle presser 17 and the thigh insertion part 14 are repelled from each other. As a result, the load applied to the knee joint is released, and cartilage regeneration is promoted. Also in this case, since it is necessary to change the tension of the ankle presser 17 and the thigh insertion part 14 according to the situation, this is dealt with by changing the restricting member 7, and the force is always the same as above. It is.

  FIG. 6 is a rear view of what is called a scoliosis correction device D in which a chest band is wrapped around and tightened to correct scoliosis with a bent spine. The scoliosis correction device D is a device in which a chest band 18 is wound around a chest, a string 19 is taken out at one end, and is hooked and tightened on a stopper 20 provided at the other end. A gas spring G is used. Since it is necessary to adjust the tightening force according to the medical condition and the state of the body, the gas spring GS is adjusted at this time. The usage mode of the gas spring G may be the same as described above.

  In addition, although not shown in the drawings, a thoracolumbar orthosis that pulls the thoracic vertebrae or the lumbar vertebrae by interposing a traction device such as a strut between the chest and the pelvis (meaning including the thoracic vertebrae or the lumbar vertebrae or both) Although there is a so-called orthopedic device, when the gas spring G is applied to the traction device of the thoracolumbar orthosis, the above-described advantages can be enjoyed.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the gas spring used for this invention. It is a partial cross section figure which shows another example of the gas spring used for this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the leg extension orthosis which shows an example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the cervical spine which shows an example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the lower limbs orthosis which shows an example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the scoliosis correction appliance which shows an example of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylinder 2 Orifice 3 Piston 4 Rod 5 Adjustment and restriction mechanism 6 Disc 7 Restriction member 7a Stopper 7b Stopper 8 Pin 9 Pin 10 Strut 11 Shoulder strap 12 Support device 13 Chest G G Gas spring A Lower limb (upper limb) extension device B Cervical spine C Lower limb orthosis D Scoliosis correction device

Claims (6)

In a living body orthopedic tool that pulls between two points of the body for the purpose of treatment or correction , an orifice is formed between two points in a cylinder filled with oil filled with gas, and a rod is projected outside the cylinder. The piston is inserted and gradually reduced according to the stroke of the rod, and it is connected with the rod and cylinder of the gas spring that generates the extension force to extend the rod, and the disc is attached to the rod, and the reciprocating motion of the disc is within a certain range A restriction member consisting of two stoppers restricted by the above is attached to the cylinder so that the stroke of the rod is restricted within a certain range, and the position of the restriction range can be changed with respect to the cylinder. A living body orthosis. Biomedical orthosis of claim 1, by cutting the leg bone or limb bone puncture the top and bottom pins of the cutting point, a leg extension orthosis or upper limb extending brace the two pin pulling in gas spring vivo Orthopedic tool. Biological orthopedic device as in Claim 1, biomedical orthosis is a head or jaw and chest or back a cervical brace for pulling in the gas spring.   The living body orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the body orthosis is a lower limb orthosis that holds the instep and pulls the tibia with a gas spring against the femur.   The living body orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the living body orthosis is a scoliosis correcting device for tightening a chest band around a chest with a gas spring.   The living body orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the body orthosis is a thoracolumbar orthosis in which a gas spring is disposed between the chest and the pelvis and a traction force is applied to the thoracic vertebra or the lumbar spine.