WO2024090553A1 - Lower limb supporter - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a lower limb supporter that assists smooth movement of the talus to enhance the ambulation of the wearer.　A lower limb supporter 1, which is knitted into a tubular body by circular knitting to assist the gastrocnemius muscle and the ankle joint of the wearer, comprises: a heel holding portion 4 that is formed by opening a lower end-side flection part of a tubular knitted fabric; a lower thigh holding portion 5 that supports a lower thigh portion above the heel holding portion 4; and a foot holding portion 6 that supports a foot portion below the heel holding portion 4. The lower thigh holding portion 5 includes a gastrocnemius muscle support part 7 that supports the gastrocnemius muscle of the wearer, and an upper support part 8 that encircles from the lower end of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 to a region corresponding to the instep portion of the wearer. The foot holding portion 6 includes a lower support part 13 that encircles from a region of the upper support part 8 of the lower thigh holding portion 5 that corresponds to the instep portion of the wearer to the foot portion of the wearer. The gastrocnemius muscle support part 7, the upper support part 8, and the lower support part 13 are successively arranged in the upper-lower direction, and are each formed to have an expansion/contraction resistance greater than the expansion/contraction resistance of the base knitted fabric parts 9, 10 of the tubular knitted fabric.

Description

Lower limb supports

The present invention relates to a lower limb support that can assist smooth movement of the talus and improve the wearer's walking ability.

　Conventionally, this type of lower limb support is known as a support that is worn on the lower limbs and is made of a material with high elasticity resistance to provide pressure for the purpose of improving motor function and protecting the muscles and ankle joints of the lower leg.

For example, a conventional lower leg support is configured with a gastrocnemius support section that supports the wearer's gastrocnemius muscle by connecting one end to a first anchor section on the back side of a tubular knit fabric, extending to a section corresponding to the outer edge of the wearer's medial gastrocnemius muscle, passing near a section corresponding to the junction of the wearer's gastrocnemius muscle and Achilles tendon, extending to a section corresponding to the outer edge of the wearer's lateral gastrocnemius muscle, and connecting the other end to the first anchor section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Also, conventional ankle joint supports are knitted as a foot and body part, excluding the part corresponding to the heel of the wearer, between the first anchor part and the second anchor part of the tubular knit fabric, and have a figure-eight part that supports the wearer's talocrural joint, and the foot part in the figure-eight part consists of an instep part that corresponds to the instep of the wearer, and a sole part that corresponds to the sole of the wearer's foot and is knitted with a continuous and common knit fabric for approximately half the circumference of the tubular knit fabric (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 6016360 Japanese Patent No. 5704572

In walking, a person first lands on the ground with his/her heel, transfers weight to his/her toes, and then kicks off the ground with the toes to move forward. When the heel lands on the ground and when the toes kick off the ground, the up-down state of the ankle bone of the foot corresponds to each other, and smooth movement is required.

However, the lower leg support disclosed in Patent Document 1 supports the gastrocnemius muscle to suppress excessive vibration and distortion of the gastrocnemius muscle, but does not assist the movement of the talus. Additionally, the ankle support disclosed in Patent Document 2 uses a figure-eight section to assist in damping dorsiflexion of the ankle joint and guide the wearer's center of gravity in the tiptoe direction, but this also only directly suppresses forward slippage of the talus and does not assist the up and down movement of the talus.

Even if these lower leg and ankle supports were combined, the part of the lower leg support that corresponds to the gastrocnemius muscle support and the part of the ankle support that corresponds to the figure eight part cannot exert a continuous elastic force as one unit, and therefore cannot assist the movement of the talus.

In addition, even if the gastrocnemius muscle support part of the lower leg support and the figure-eight part of the ankle support are simply joined together, they will be connected at the wearer's Achilles tendon side, and the figure-eight part that wraps around the sole of the foot cannot be pulled upward to smoothly support the talus.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a lower limb support that can assist smooth movement of the talus and improve the walking ability of the wearer.

The lower limb support according to the present invention is a lower limb support knitted into a tubular body by circular knitting, which supports the wearer's gastrocnemius and ankle joint, and includes a heel support section formed by opening the bent portion at the lower end of the tubular knit, a lower leg support section above the heel support section that supports the lower leg, and a foot support section below the heel support section that supports the foot. The lower leg support section has a gastrocnemius support section that supports the wearer's gastrocnemius and an upper support section that runs around from the lower end of the gastrocnemius support section to a section corresponding to the dorsum of the wearer's foot, and the foot support section has a lower support section that runs around from a section of the upper support section of the lower leg support section that corresponds to the dorsum of the wearer's foot to the wearer's foot, and the gastrocnemius support section, upper support section, and lower support section are arranged continuously in the vertical direction, and the stretch resistance of each of these is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of the base knit section of the tubular knit.

In this way, the present invention includes a gastrocnemius muscle support portion, an upper support portion, and a lower support portion that are continuously arranged in the vertical direction and are formed to have a greater stretch resistance than the base knit portion of the tubular knit, so that the stretching force of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion act continuously and integrally along the vertical direction of the lower limb support, lifting the foot when the heel lands and sufficiently separating the toes from the ground, and lifting the lower leg when the toes push off the ground, thereby assisting in the smooth movement of the talus, and supporting the walking movement of the wearer without placing excessive strain on the gastrocnemius muscles, etc.

The lower limb support according to the present invention has a reinforcing portion that is formed along the upper and lower support portions between the upper and heel support portions so as to surround the heel support portion as necessary, and that is formed so that the resistance to stretching in the wale direction is greater than the resistance to stretching in the course direction.

In this way, in the present invention, the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the reinforcement portion formed along the upper support portion and the lower support portion is made greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction, so that the upper support portion and the lower support portion, which perform a taping function for the wearer's lower leg, can be prevented from being pulled toward the heel holding portion, and the function of assisting the smooth rise of the talus by the stretch force of the gastrocnemius support portion, upper support portion and lower support portion is not hindered.
It is also possible to assist the expansion and contraction forces of the upper support portion and the lower support portion.

The lower limb support according to the present invention is provided with an upper anchor part which is connected to the upper end of the gastrocnemius muscle support part as required and fastens the tubular knit fabric to the knee side of the wearer's lower leg, and a lower anchor part which is connected to the lower support part at a location corresponding to the sole of the wearer's foot and fastens the tubular knit fabric to the wearer's foot, and the stretch resistance of the upper anchor part and the lower anchor part is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of the base knit part of the tubular knit fabric.

In this way, in the present invention, the upper and lower ends of the tubular knitted fabric are provided with upper anchor parts that are connected to the upper end of the gastrocnemius support part, and lower anchor parts that are connected to the lower support part at a location corresponding to the sole of the wearer. The stretch resistance of these upper and lower anchor parts is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of the base knitted fabric part of the tubular knitted fabric, so that the upper and lower anchor parts function as anchors for the gastrocnemius support part, upper support part, and lower support part that are integrally formed with the highly stretchable knitted fabric, and the gastrocnemius support part, upper support part, and lower support part can more effectively exert their taping function for the entire lower leg.

The lower limb support according to the present invention has a heel support section that is formed between the upper support section and the heel support section, as required, and has a stretch resistance greater than that of the base knit section.

In this way, in the present invention, a heel support portion with a greater stretch resistance than the base knit portion is formed between the upper support portion and the heel holding portion, which makes it possible to suppress vertical movement of the lower limb support in the length direction (wale direction), and to prevent the lower limb support from shifting out of position together with the heel holding portion.

1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a lower limb support according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a lower limb support according to a first embodiment of the present invention when worn, in which FIG. 1A is a front perspective view, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the movement of the talus during walking. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the action of an expansion and contraction force in each supporting portion of the lower limb support according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the action of expansion and contraction forces at each supporting portion of a lower limb support to which a conventional support is connected. FIG.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
A lower limb support according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout this embodiment.

The lower limb support 1 according to this embodiment is to be tightly attached to the lower leg and foot of a wearer and is formed as a tubular knitted fabric knitted by circular knitting. Since the lower limb support 1 is knitted by circular knitting, a tubular knitted fabric consisting of a plurality of regions with different stretch resistance can be manufactured in one process.
The lower limb support 1 is provided with desired functionality such as a taping function by applying different knitting patterns to base knitted fabric portions 9, 10, which are stretchable knitted fabrics knitted by flat knitting or the like.

In the following description, the stretch rate is defined as "a test piece having a width of 5.0 cm is prepared, the entire width in the width direction is grasped, and the piece is set in a tensile tester (manufactured by A&D, RTF-1250), and then marks are made at 10 cm intervals (L0). A load of 3.5 kgf is applied, and the length between the marks (L1) after holding for 1 minute is divided by L0."
Here, a larger expansion/contraction ratio means a smaller expansion/contraction resistance.

The lower limb support 1 is made up of an upper anchor part 2 that is knitted around the upper end of the tubular knit and fastens the tubular knit to the knee side of the wearer's lower leg, a lower anchor part 3 that is knitted around the lower end of the tubular knit and fastens the tubular knit to the wearer's foot (arch), a heel support part 4 that is formed by opening the bent part on the lower end of the tubular knit, a lower leg support part 5 that supports the lower leg above the heel support part 4, and a foot support part 6 that supports the foot below the heel support part 4.

The upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 are knitted so that the stretch resistance in the course direction (circumferential direction) is greater than the stretch resistance of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10.
As a result, the upper anchor portion 2 fixes (positions) the lower limb support 1 below the wearer's knee, preventing the upper end of the lower limb support 1 from slipping down, and the lower anchor portion 3 fixes the lower limb support 1 to the wearer's foot, preventing the lower end of the lower limb support 1 from slipping up.

The upper anchor part 2 is connected to the gastrocnemius muscle support part 7, which will be described later, and also functions as an anchor for this gastrocnemius muscle support part 7. On the other hand, the lower anchor part 3 is connected to the lower support part 13, which will be described later, and also functions as an anchor for this lower support part 13.

The upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 can be, for example, a knitted fabric knitted with a pique stitch.

In this way, the upper and lower ends of the tubular knitted fabric are provided with an upper anchor portion 2 connected to the upper end of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, and a lower anchor portion 3 connected to the lower support portion 13 at a portion corresponding to the sole of the wearer. The stretch resistance of the upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of the base knitted fabric portions 9 and 10 of the tubular knitted fabric. More specifically, the stretch resistance of the upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 in the wale direction is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of the base knitted fabric portions 9 and 10 of the tubular knitted fabric in the wale direction. As a result, the upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 function as anchors for the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, upper support portion 8, and lower support portion 13, which are integrally formed with the highly stretchable knitted fabric, and the taping function of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, upper support portion 8, and lower support portion 13 for the entire lower limb can be more effectively exerted.

Here, the expansion rate in the wale direction of the upper anchor part 2 and the lower anchor part 3 is preferably 1.3 to 3, more preferably 1.6 to 2.4, and particularly preferably 1.8 to 2.2.
The stretch rate in the wale direction of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 is preferably 2 to 5, more preferably 2.5 to 4, and particularly preferably 3 to 3.5.
Furthermore, the stretch rate of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 is preferably 1.1 to 3, more preferably 1.3 to 2, and particularly preferably 1.5 to 1.7, when the stretch rate of the upper anchor portion 2 and the lower anchor portion 3 is 1.

The heel support portion 4 is formed by opening the bent portion on the lower end side of the tubular knitted fabric, and is a substantially circular through-hole that exposes the heel of the wearer.
By exposing the wearer's heel, the heel holding portion 4 positions the lower limb support 1 relative to the wearer's ankle joint and suppresses circumferential rotation and vertical movement in the longitudinal direction (wale direction) of the lower limb support 1, thereby preventing the lower limb support 1 from shifting out of position.

The heel support portion 4 is formed by making a slit in the tubular knit at the bent portion on the lower end side of the tubular knit, folding the cut edge back to the inside of the tubular knit, and sewing with a sewing machine, but it may also be knitted by knitting without cutting the tubular knit. In this case, it is preferable to use a highly elastic sewing thread for the sewn portion and increase the number of stitches of the sewing machine to make it flexible and bellows-like, thereby reducing the pressure on the heel of the wearer.

The lower leg holding portion 5 comprises a gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 that supports the wearer's gastrocnemius muscle (in the lower leg portion), an upper support portion 8 that runs around from the lower end of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 to the dorsum of the foot, and base knit portions 9, 10 on the front and back sides that are surrounded by the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 and the upper support portion 8.
A reinforcing portion 11 is formed between the upper support portion 8 and the heel support portion 4. This reinforcing portion 11 is disposed so as to extend to a lower support portion 13 of the foot support portion 6, which will be described later.
Furthermore, a heel support part 12 is formed between the reinforcing part 11 and the heel support part 4 and above the rear side of the heel support part 4 .

The gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 is arranged in a roughly U-shape on the back side of the lower limb support 1. Specifically, the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 has one end connected to the upper anchor portion 2, extends to a region corresponding to the outer edge of the wearer's medial gastrocnemius muscle, passes near the region corresponding to the junction of the gastrocnemius muscle and Achilles tendon, extends to a region corresponding to the outer edge of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle, and has the other end connected to the upper anchor portion 2, and together with the upper anchor portion 2, supports the gastrocnemius muscle from above, below, left, and right.

The gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10.
Moreover, the gastrocnemius muscle supporting portion 7 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction.
Here, the expansion/contraction ratio in the wale direction of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 is preferably 1.4 to 3.5, more preferably 1.7 to 2.7, and particularly preferably 2 to 2.4.
Furthermore, the stretch rate of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 is preferably 1.1 to 3, more preferably 1.2 to 2.2, and particularly preferably 1.3 to 1.7, assuming that the stretch rate of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 is 1.

The gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 may be, for example, a knitted fabric knitted by tuck knitting. The number of tucks is not particularly limited.
In addition, the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 can be knitted by adding another knitting yarn to the ground knitting yarn of the tuck knitting, and this allows the stretch resistance of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 to be appropriately adjusted.

In this way, the gastrocnemius support part 7 is connected at both ends to the upper anchor part 2 and knitted in a roughly U-shape so as to surround the wearer's gastrocnemius muscle. The gastrocnemius support part 7 is knitted so that its stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knitted parts 9 and 10 and greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction of the gastrocnemius support part 7. This supports the wearer's gastrocnemius muscle from the ankle side to the knee side and assists the contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle, making the movement of the wearer's lower limbs smoother, suppressing the up-down and left-right swings and distortions of the gastrocnemius muscle, assisting the wearer's walking, preventing the wearer from losing physical strength, and reducing fatigue (taping function). In addition, the gastrocnemius support part 7 is knitted so that its stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction of the gastrocnemius support part 7, allowing the lower limb support 1 to be worn smoothly and improving wearability.

The upper support part 8 is connected to the gastrocnemius support part 7 at a location corresponding to the junction of the wearer's gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon, and is arranged so as to run from the location corresponding to the junction of the wearer's gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon, over the medial and lateral malleolus, and around to the dorsum of the foot. The upper support part 8 is inclined so that its height decreases from the location where it is connected to the gastrocnemius support part 7 to the location where it is connected to the lower support part 13, which will be described later.

The upper support portion 8, like the gastrocnemius support portion 7, is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knitted fabric portions 9 and 10, and the upper support portion 8 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction.
Here, the stretch rate in the wale direction of the upper support portion 8 is preferably 1.4 to 3.5, similar to that of the gastrocnemius support portion 7, more preferably 1.7 to 2.7, and particularly preferably 2 to 2.4.

The upper support portion 8 is made of the same knitted fabric as the gastrocnemius support portion 7, and can be made of a knitted fabric knitted with tuck knitting, for example.

The base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 are formed so that the stretch resistance in both the wale direction and the course direction is small. The base knitted fabric portion 9 is formed on the front side of the lower limb support 1 so as to be surrounded by the upper anchor portion 2, the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, and the upper support portion 8, while the base knitted fabric portion 10 is formed on the back side of the lower limb support 1 so as to be surrounded by the upper anchor portion 2 and the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7.

The base knitted fabric portions 9 and 10 can be, for example, knitted fabrics made by flat knitting.

As described above, the reinforcing portion 11 is formed between the upper support portion 8 and the heel support portion 4. The reinforcing portion 11 extends to the lower support portion 13 of the foot support portion 6, and is disposed along the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13 so as to surround the periphery of the heel support portion 4.

The reinforcement portion 11 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knitted portions 9 and 10.

The reinforcement portion 11 is also knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction.

The reinforcing portion 11 can be, for example, a knitted fabric made by ribbing.

In this way, the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the reinforcement portion 11 formed along the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13 is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction, so that the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13, which perform a taping function for the wearer's lower leg, can be prevented from being pulled toward the heel holding portion 4, and the function of assisting the smooth rise of the talus by the stretch force of the gastrocnemius support portion 7, upper support portion 8 and lower support portion 13 is not hindered.
It is also possible to assist the expansion and contraction forces of the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13 .

Furthermore, the reinforcement portion 11, which has a larger stretch resistance than the base knitted portions 9 and 10, is formed between the upper support portion 8 and the heel support portion 4 so as to surround the heel support portion 4. This means that the reinforcement portion 11 of the highly stretchable knitted fabric is knitted along the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13, which further supports the formation of the outer longitudinal arch, inner longitudinal arch, and transverse arch, and further improves the wearer's walking comfort.

The heel support part 12 is formed above the heel support part 4 between the upper support part 8 (reinforcement part 11 ) and the heel support part 4 .
The heel support portion 12 is formed in a generally triangular shape that tapers from the heel support portion 4 toward the upper end of the tubular knitted fabric, but is not limited to this.

The heel support portion 12 is formed from the same knit as the upper support portion 8, and is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knit portions 9 and 10, and is also knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction.

In this way, since the heel support portion 12, whose stretch resistance is greater than that of the base knitted portions 9, 10, is formed between the upper support portion 8 and the heel holding portion 4, vertical movement in the lengthwise direction (wale direction) of the lower limb support 1 can be suppressed, and positional shifting of the lower limb support 1 together with the heel holding portion 4 can be prevented.
Here, the stretch rate of the heel support part 12 in the wale direction is preferably 1.4 to 3.5, more preferably 1.7 to 2.7, and particularly preferably 2 to 2.4.
Furthermore, assuming that the elasticity of the heel support portion 12 is 1, the elasticity of the base knitted portions 9, 10 is preferably 1.1 to 3, more preferably 1.2 to 2.2, and particularly preferably 1.3 to 1.7.

The foot holding portion 6 comprises a lower support portion 13 that runs around from the portion of the upper support portion 8 of the lower leg holding portion 5 corresponding to the dorsum of the wearer's foot to the wearer's foot (arch), and a dorsum of the foot support portion 14 that is arranged at the portion corresponding to the dorsum of the wearer's foot so as to be surrounded by the lower support portion 13 and the lower anchor portion 3.
As described above, the foot holding portion 6 has a reinforcing portion 11 formed between the upper support portion 8 in the lower leg holding portion 5 and the heel holding portion 4, and is arranged to extend from the lower leg holding portion 5 to between the lower support portion 13 and the heel holding portion 4.

The lower support part 13 is connected to the upper support part 8 of the lower leg holding part 5 at a part corresponding to the instep of the wearer's foot, and is arranged so as to go around from the part corresponding to the instep of the wearer's foot to the part corresponding to the sole of the wearer's foot (arch). The lower support part 13 is connected to the lower anchor part 3 at the part corresponding to the sole of the foot (arch).

The lower support part 13, together with the upper support part 8 of the lower leg holding part 5, forms a figure eight and supports the wearer's talocrural joint.

In this way, the upper support part 8 of the lower leg holding part 5 and the lower support part 13 of the foot holding part 6 form a figure eight, which envelops the wearer's talocrural joint, improves joint compatibility, stabilizes the ankle, suppresses sway of the wearer's ankle when walking (heel lock), prevents inversion sprains, and eliminates instability when standing on one leg, thereby assisting the wearer in stable walking.
In addition, by assisting in damping the dorsiflexion of the ankle joint, the center of gravity of the wearer can be guided in the tiptoe direction, thereby assisting the wearer in walking.
Additionally, it can help stabilize the wearer's ankle and absorb shock from the ground (floor) during the early stance phase (the period when the foot is on the ground while walking).
In particular, it can contribute to shock absorption in the early stance phase and propulsive force from the middle to late stance phase, and can also stabilize the ankle joint by braking left and right (inversion and eversion).

In addition, by supporting the wearer's ankle joint, it can relieve pain in the Achilles tendon, fatigue and pain in the triceps surae, and pain on the outside of the ankle joint (ligaments).

The lower support portion 13, like the gastrocnemius support portion 7 and the upper support portion 8, is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the wale direction of the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 in the lower leg holding portion 5, and the lower support portion 13 is knitted so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction.
Here, the expansion rate of the lower support portion 13 in the wale direction is preferably 1.4 to 3.5, similar to that of the gastrocnemius support portion 7, more preferably 1.7 to 2.7, and particularly preferably 2 to 2.4.

The lower support part 13 is made of the same knitted fabric as the gastrocnemius support part 7 and the upper support part 8, and can be made of a knitted fabric knitted by tuck knitting, for example.

The instep support portion 14 is positioned at a location corresponding to the instep of the wearer's foot so that it is surrounded by the lower support portion 13 and the lower anchor portion 3.

The insole of the foot support portion 14 can be, for example, a knitted fabric made by ribbing.

Next, the function of each support part when the wearer wears the lower limb support 1 based on the above configuration will be explained using Figures 3 to 5.

First, before explaining the function of each support part, the ideal way to move your feet will be explained.
In an ideal walking state, the heel of the walker lands on the ground (step 1 in FIG. 3(a)). Since the talus is upwardly oriented relative to the horizontal plane parallel to the ground and the toes are spaced apart from the ground sufficiently, the weight is transferred to the toes using the heel as a fulcrum, and the toes land on the ground, and finally the toes push off the ground (step 2 in FIG. 3(a)). By repeating this motion, the walker can move forward. In this ideal walking state, smooth movement of the talus is important, and in particular, smooth rising of the talus is required when landing with the heel with the toes raised, and when pushing off the ground from the toes. Here, the talus connects the tibia and fibula of the lower leg to the calcaneus and navicular bone, which are the tarsal bones, and the talus supports the entire body weight.

On the other hand, when walking is not ideal, when the heel lands, the talus is pointing downward from the horizontal plane parallel to the ground, and there is not enough space between the toes and the ground (step 1 in Figure 3(b)). This makes it difficult for the toes to move forward smoothly, which can lead to a fall, and the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles must raise the talus by lifting the foot, and the next step in the walking motion must be reached (step 2 in Figure 3(b)). As a result, compared to ideal walking, excessive strain is placed on the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.

Next, we will explain the action of the stretching force of each support part in the lower limb support 1 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4( a ), an expansion/contraction force F 1 acts on the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 in the arrangement direction of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 toward the upper anchor portion 2 in response to the movement of the wearer.
If this stretching force F1 is resolved into the direction in which the upper support part 8 is disposed and a direction perpendicular to this, a component force F1A acts in the direction in which the upper support part 8 is disposed toward the gastrocnemius muscle support part 7. A component force F1B acts in the perpendicular direction.
Next, if the force component F1A is resolved at the connecting portion between the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13 into the direction in which the lower support portion 13 is disposed and a direction perpendicular thereto, a force component F1C acts toward the upper support portion 8 in the direction in which the lower support portion 13 is disposed (FIG. 4(b)). A force component F1D acts in the perpendicular direction.
That is, the expansion and contraction force F1 acting on the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 passes through the upper support portion 8 and acts on the lower support portion 13 as a component force F1C, and these act together continuously (FIG. 4(c)).
Although not shown, the expansion and contraction force of the upper support portion 8 itself also exerts a component force in the direction in which the lower support portion 13 is disposed toward the upper support portion 8 side.

Here, the angle θ between the stretching force F1 and the component force F1A (the angle between the arrangement direction of the gastrocnemius support part 7 and the arrangement direction of the upper support part 8) is preferably set to a range of less than 75°, more preferably set to between 20° and 70°, and even more preferably set to between 40° and 60°.
In addition, the angle φ between the component forces F1A and F1C (the angle between the upper support portion 8 and the lower support portion 13) is preferably set to less than 75°, more preferably set to between 20° and 70°, and even more preferably set to between 30° and 50°.
The angles θ and φ are appropriately set within a range that does not impair the taping function of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, the upper support portion 8, and the lower support portion 13.

In this way, the elastic forces of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, the upper support portion 8, and the lower support portion 13 act continuously and integrally in the up and down direction of the lower limb support 1, and as a result, when the heel lands during walking, the talus is raised above the horizontal plane, ensuring sufficient space between the toes and the ground, and when the toes push off the ground, the talus is assisted in rising and the lower leg is lifted, supporting walking without placing excessive strain on the wearer.

In contrast, we will explain the action of the elastic force of lower limb support 100, which is constructed by simply combining a conventional support that supports the gastrocnemius muscle (see, for example, Patent Document 1) with a support that forms a figure-eight and supports the ankle joint (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
The lower limb support 100 is configured to include a first support portion 101 corresponding to the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7 of the lower limb support 1, a second support portion 102 corresponding to the upper support portion 8 of the lower limb support 1, and a third support portion 103 corresponding to the lower support portion 13 of the lower limb support 1. The second support portion 102 is disposed in a generally horizontal direction.

In response to the wearer's movements, an expansion/contraction force F2 acts on the first support portion 101 in the arrangement direction of the first support portion 101, toward the upper anchor portion 104 side that is positioned below the wearer's knee.
If the expansion and contraction force F2 is resolved into the direction in which the second support part 102 is disposed and a direction perpendicular to the direction, a component force F2A acts toward the first support part 101 in the direction in which the second support part 102 is disposed (FIG. 5(a)). A component force F2B acts in the perpendicular direction.
Next, when this force component F2A is resolved at the connecting portion between the second support portion 102 and the third support portion 103 into the direction in which the third support portion 103 is disposed and a direction perpendicular thereto, a force component F2C acts toward the second support portion 102 in the direction in which the third support portion 103 is disposed (FIG. 5B). A force component F2D acts in the perpendicular direction.

Thus, the expansion and contraction force F2 of the first support part 101 acts as a component force F2C on the third support part 103 via the second support part 102. However, because the second support part 102 is arranged horizontally (the angle between the first support part 101 and the second support part 102 is approximately 90 degrees), the component force F2C acting on the third support part 103 is very small, and it is not possible to assist the smooth movement of the talus or support walking movements like the lower limb support 1 according to this embodiment.

As described above, the lower limb support 1 according to this embodiment includes the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, upper support portion 8, and lower support portion 13, which are continuously arranged in the vertical direction and are formed to have a larger stretch resistance than the base knitted fabric portions 9, 10 of the tubular knitted fabric. Therefore, the stretching forces of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion 7, upper support portion 8, and lower support portion 13 act continuously and integrally along the vertical direction of the lower limb support 1, lifting the foot when landing with the heel and sufficiently separating the toes from the ground, and lifting the lower leg when pushing off the ground with the toes, thereby supporting the smooth movement of the talus, thereby supporting the walking movement of the wearer without placing excessive strain on the gastrocnemius muscles of the wearer.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lower limb support 2 Upper anchor section 3 Lower anchor section 4 Heel support section 5 Lower leg support section 6 Foot support section 7 Gastrocnemius muscle support section 8 Upper support section 9, 10 Base knit section 11 Reinforcement section 12 Heel support section 13 Lower support section 14 Dorsus of foot support section 100 Lower limb support 101 First support section 102 Second support section 103 Third support section 104 Upper anchor section

Claims (4)

A lower limb supporter that is knitted into a tubular body by circular knitting and supports the gastrocnemius and ankle joint of a wearer,
A heel support portion formed by opening a bent portion on the lower end side of the tubular knitted fabric;
A lower leg support portion that supports a lower leg portion above the heel support portion;
a foot holding part for supporting a foot below the heel holding part,
The lower leg holding portion has a gastrocnemius muscle support portion that supports the gastrocnemius muscle of the wearer, and an upper support portion that goes around from a lower end of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion to a portion corresponding to the dorsum of the wearer's foot,
The foot support portion has a lower support portion that goes around from a portion of the upper support portion of the lower leg support portion that corresponds to the instep of the wearer's foot to the foot of the wearer,
The gastrocnemius muscle support portion, the upper support portion and the lower support portion are continuously arranged in the vertical direction, and the stretch resistance of each of these portions is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of a base knitted fabric portion of the tubular knitted fabric. The lower limb support according to claim 1,
A lower limb supporter comprising: a reinforcing portion formed along the upper support portion and the lower support portion between the upper support portion and the heel support portion so as to surround the periphery of the heel support portion, the reinforcing portion being formed so that the stretch resistance in the wale direction is greater than the stretch resistance in the course direction. The lower limb support according to claim 1,
An upper anchor portion that is connected to an upper end of the gastrocnemius muscle support portion and fastens the tubular knitted fabric to the knee side of the wearer's lower leg;
a lower anchor portion connected to the lower support portion at a portion corresponding to the sole of the wearer's foot and fastening the tubular knitted fabric to the wearer's foot;
A lower limb supporter, characterized in that the stretch resistance of the upper anchor portion and the lower anchor portion is formed to be greater than the stretch resistance of a base knitted fabric portion of the tubular knitted fabric. The lower limb support according to claim 1,
A lower limb support comprising: a heel auxiliary portion formed between the upper support portion and the heel support portion, the heel auxiliary portion having a stretch resistance greater than that of the base knitted fabric portion.

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