Surgery – Truss – Perineal
Patent
1986-08-06
1988-01-26
Pearson, Charles A.
Surgery
Truss
Perineal
A61F 502
Patent
active
047211024
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a traction device and is particularly concerned with a portable device for putting part of the body into traction.
The pain and loss of work days associated with back complaints such as slipped discs is well documented and there have been various proposals for giving temporary relief, including elasticated belts and essentially rigid belts. While these devices may give some support to the back, neither is renowned for its success in easing the pain. Furthermore the essentially rigid belts prevent movement of the back and effectively incapacitate the wearer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for easing back and some other body ailments.
According to the present invention there is provided a traction device comprising an upper flexible band, and a lower flexible band means for securing the bands tightly around part of a body, and means extending between the two bands adapted to bias the two bands relatively away from each other.
By the present invention, the upper and lower bands may be worn tightly around the lower chest and waist respectively and be urged apart by the biasing means to provide support for the lower back region. The device may help to slightly separate the vertebrae and thereby relieve pain caused by a slipped disc and at the same time allow the lower back to flex as desired. The device may be suitably adapted for use on the upper back, the neck, or on other parts of the body which require traction. Thus, if the device were used on the neck, the upper and lower flexible bands should be shaped to be received around the chin and back of the head and on the shoulders respectively and have sufficient rigidity to maintain the support so that the biasing means applies traction to the neck. The flexibility would be required in the bands to permit them to be applied on the wearer.
One or both of the bands may be endless and be formed of elastic material or have other fastening means whereby the bands can be fitted onto the wearer and tightened, but preferably each band has opposed end portions and means for fastening the opposed end portions of each band together. The fastening means of each band is preferably separate.
Advantageously the two bands extend generally parallel to each other, and they may be prevented from exceeding a predetermined spacing by one or more lengths of flexible material extending between the upper and lower bands. Conveniently the or each length of flexible material underlies a respective biasing means, that is lies between the biasing means and the skin in use, so that some protection is afforded the wearer. In use of a device in accordance with the invention with such lengths of flexible material extending between the bands, the bands would be fitted to the wearer with the lengths of flexible material slack whereby the aforementioned traction may be applied by the bands. Alternatively the length or lengths of flexible material may be elastic.
Preferably the traction device includes a plurality of biasing means spaced along the bands and advantageously the spacing of the biasing means on opposite sides of an imaginary centerline through each band transverse to the length thereof is equal so that the plural biasing means may be symmetrically disposed about the body. The spacing between the plural biasing means may be adjustable to ensure, for example, that the biasing means do not sit uncomfortably, and this may be performed by adjustment of the biasing means relative to the bands or by taking in and letting out respective portions of the bands.
The biasing means may take any suitable form but in a preferred embodiment may comprise a slide housing supported in one of the flexible bands, a slide member slidably supported by the housing to move towards and away from said one flexible band and engaged with the other of the flexible bands, and spring means in the housing urging the slide member towards said other flexible band. The or each biasing means advantageously has as flat a cross-section as possible s
REFERENCES:
patent: 1722205 (1929-07-01), Freund
patent: 2820455 (1958-01-01), Hall
patent: 2886031 (1959-05-01), Robbins
patent: 3548817 (1970-12-01), Mittasch
patent: 3799156 (1974-03-01), Gurkin
patent: 3889664 (1975-06-01), Heuser et al.
Cohen Moshe I.
Pearson Charles A.
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