Apparel – Body garments
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-11-27
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Body garments
C002S094000, C450S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321388
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an article of clothing made of a flexible, stretchable material and an orthopedic device for it.
Up to now, the treatment of people suffering from osteoporosis has not been satisfactory in every regard. Osteoporosis, which mostly occurs in women, attacks the skeletal system by causing the loss of bone mass. Although osteoporosis can be caused among other things by metabolic disorders, inactivity, and cortisone treatment, its chief cause is considered to be an age-related deficiency in anabolic hormones (estrogens), which are required for the production of bone tissue. One result of this deficiency is that the bone tissue gradually breaks down, the bone trabeculae become thinner and finally dissolve, and an increased fracture tendency arises.
In the region of the vertebral column, osteoporosis leads to the development of a hollow hump-back. Since the thoracic vertebrae are weak in the hump region in which they are under stress, vertebral fractures occur, which result in a formation of wedge-shaped vertebrae and thereby an increased acuteness of the hump region. In the hollow region, however, fewer fractures are observed because in this region, predominantly the posterior, comparatively hard vertebral regions are stressed.
At present, predominantly hormone and medication therapies are used to slow or prevent osteoporosis by means of supplying the patients with the missing estrogens and other substances (e.g. calcium, sodium fluoride, biphosphonates), which aid in bone production or reduce bone decomposition. In order for these substances to travel to the bones via the bloodstream and to be effective there, these therapies are frequently combined with special circulation promoting exercises. But the therapeutic successes that can be achieved in this way are not satisfactory. The exercises are also intended to strengthen the musculature in order to counteract the hollow hump-back.
In addition, so-called lumbosacral truss pads have been disclosed (EP 0 479 014 A1), which are attached to support bandages or belts and are made of air cushions which have a large number of air chambers which communicate with one another by means of partially discontinuous seams. Truss pads of this kind are used for the purpose of tensing the abdominal, gluteal, and ischiocrural musculature through reflex muscular work and to relax the spinal extensor musculature and thus to right the pelvis and as a result, to produce a stretching of the lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis, i.e. a stretching of the vertebral column as a whole. The wearing of such a truss pad can be used to counteract osteoporosis as long as a hollow hump-back is not yet fixed because then, the formation of a hollow hump-back and vertebral fractures particularly in the vicinity of the thoracic vertebrae can still be counteracted.
Consequently, with the aid of the known lumbosacral truss pads, in particular the mechanoreceptors of the lumbar region can be stimulated and the relevant muscles can be activated in order to improve posture. A normalization of the vertebral column structure produced by means of this, however, can neither stop the loss of bone mass and bone architecture, nor in the long term halt the osteoporosis or entirely prevent its most significant consecutive symptom, namely the occurrence of vertebral fractures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to produce a means with which the circulation of the bones in the region of the lumbar and thoracic vertebral column can be promoted and as a result, there can be an improvement in the action of combination therapies made up of medications and exercises.
This object is attained according to the invention by means of the features of the article of clothing for osteoporosis treatment being made from a flexible, stretchable material and comprising: a front part, a back part having an inner side and an imaginary center line associated with a verbal column of a user, and at least two air cushion strips extending over a thoracic vertebral region of said user, wherein one of said cushion strips is on one side of said imaginary center line and another one of said cushion strips is on another side of said imaginary center line and wherein each of said cushion strips has a plurality of air chambers being separated from one another by means of discontinuous seams such that said air chambers communicate with one another.
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Hale Gloria M.
Striker Michael J.
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