Assistive device for hamstring injury rehabilitation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11241340-B2
Application number	US-201916534355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2019
Priority date	Aug 8, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

Various implementations include an assistive hamstring device including a belt, knee sleeve, first elastic strap, second elastic strap, and third elastic strap. The first elastic strap extends between a first dorsal belt portion of the belt located adjacent a sagittal plane on a dorsal side of the person and a lateral knee portion of the knee sleeve located adjacent a lateral side of the knee. The second elastic strap extends between a side belt portion of the belt located adjacent a coronal plane of the person and a medial knee portion of the knee sleeve located adjacent a medial side of the knee. The third elastic strap extends between a second dorsal belt portion of the belt located between the first and side belt portion and an intermediate dorsal knee portion of the knee sleeve located between the lateral and medial knee portion, along the dorsal portion of the knee.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assistive hamstring device, comprising:
a belt for being disposed around a waist and/or hips of a person, the belt having a first dorsal belt portion for being disposed adjacent a sagittal plane on a dorsal side of the person, a side belt portion for being disposed adjacent a coronal plane of the person, and a second dorsal belt portion disposed between the first dorsal belt portion and the side belt portion, the second dorsal belt portion for being disposed adjacent the dorsal side of the person;
a knee sleeve for being disposed around a knee of the person, the knee sleeve having a lateral knee portion for being disposed adjacent a lateral side of the knee, a medial knee portion for being disposed adjacent a medial side of the knee, and an intermediate dorsal knee portion for being disposed adjacent a dorsal portion of the knee between the lateral knee portion and the medial knee portion;
a first elastic strap having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the first elastic strap being coupled to the first dorsal belt portion and the second end portion of the first elastic strap being coupled to the lateral knee portion;
a second elastic strap having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the second elastic strap being coupled to the side belt portion and the second end portion of the second elastic strap being coupled to the medial knee portion; and
a third elastic strap having a first end portion, a second end portion, and an intermediate portion between the end portions and spaced apart from at least the first end portion, the first end portion of the third elastic strap being coupled to the second dorsal belt portion and the intermediate portion of the third elastic strap being coupled to the intermediate dorsal knee portion.

2. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third elastic straps comprise nylon.

3. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , further comprising an ankle sleeve for being disposed around an ankle of the person, wherein the second end portion of the third elastic strap is coupled to the ankle sleeve.

4. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate portion and the second end portion of the third elastic strap are adjacent, and the second end portion of the third elastic strap is also coupled to the intermediate dorsal knee portion.

5. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth strap having a first end portion coupled to the belt and a second end portion opposite the first end portion, the second end portion for being coupled to a shoulder support for being disposed on a shoulder of the person.

6. The assistive hamstring device of claim 5 , wherein the shoulder support comprises shoulder pads to be worn by the person.

7. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one shoulder strap that extends over a shoulder of the person, the shoulder strap comprising a first end portion and a second end portion, the first and second end portions being coupled to the belt.

8. The assistive hamstring device of claim 7 , wherein a first end portion of the shoulder strap is coupled to the dorsal portion of the belt and a second end portion of the shoulder strap is coupled to a frontal portion of the belt.

9. The assistive hamstring device of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of tights, the tights comprising the belt and the knee sleeve, wherein at least a portion of each strap is coupled to the tights.

10. The assistive hamstring device of claim 9 , wherein the straps are disposed within one or more sleeves defined by the tights, the one or more sleeves extending between the belt and the knee sleeve of the tights.

11. The assistive hamstring device of claim 10 , wherein the end portions of the straps are sewn to the tights.

12. A method of assisting hamstring injury recovery, the method comprising:
disposing a belt around a waist and/or hips of a person, the belt having a first dorsal belt portion disposed adjacent a sagittal plane on a dorsal side of the person, a side belt portion disposed adjacent a coronal plane of the person, and a second dorsal belt portion disposed between the first dorsal belt portion and the side belt portion, the second dorsal belt portion disposed adjacent the dorsal side of the person;
disposing a knee sleeve around a knee of the person, the knee sleeve having a lateral knee portion disposed adjacent a lateral side of the knee, a medial knee portion disposed adjacent a medial side of the knee, and an intermediate dorsal knee portion disposed adjacent a dorsal portion of the knee between the lateral knee portion and the medial knee portion;
coupling a first end portion of a first elastic strap to the first dorsal belt portion and a second end portion of the first elastic strap to the lateral knee portion;
coupling a first end portion of a second elastic strap to the side belt portion and a second end portion of the second elastic strap to the medial knee portion; and
coupling a first end portion of a third elastic strap to the second dorsal belt portion and an intermediate portion of the third elastic strap to the intermediate dorsal knee portion, wherein the intermediate portion of the third elastic strap is spaced apart from the first end portion of the third elastic strap and is between the first and second end portions of the third elastic strap.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first, second, and third elastic straps comprise nylon.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising disposing an ankle sleeve around an ankle of the person, wherein the second end portion of the third elastic strap is coupled to the ankle sleeve.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the intermediate portion and the second end portion of the third elastic strap are adjacent each other, and the second end portion of the third elastic strap is also coupled to the knee sleeve.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising coupling a first end portion of a fourth strap to the belt and a second end portion of the fourth strap to a shoulder support disposed on a shoulder of the person.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the shoulder support comprises shoulder pads worn by the person.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising disposing at least one shoulder strap over a shoulder of the person, the shoulder strap having a first end portion and second end portion, and the first and second end portions of the shoulder strap being coupled to the belt.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first end portion of the shoulder strap is coupled to the dorsal portion of the belt and the second end portion of the shoulder strap is coupled to a frontal portion of the belt.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein disposing the belt around the waist and/or hips and disposing the knee sleeve around the knee comprises donning a pair of tights into which the belt and knee sleeve are incorporated and to which at least a portion of the straps are coupled.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the tights define one or more sleeves and the straps are disposed within the one or more sleeves.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein coupling end portions of the straps to the tights comprises sewing the end portions of the straps to the tights.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein coupling respective end portions of the first, second, and third straps to the

Assignees

• Univ Alabama

Inventors

• Allen Jeff
• Keith Clay
• Haskew Tim

Classifications

• A61F5/0106 Primary

  for the knees · CPC title

• A61F2005/0169

  with damping means · CPC title

• A61F13/06 Primary

  specially adapted for feet or legs; Corn-pads; Corn-rings · CPC title

• A61F5/0111

  for the feet or ankles · CPC title

• A61F2005/0172

  with cushions · CPC title