Other

Mueller Sports Medicine, Inc.

Ronald E Nelson

Herbert M Raschka

A knee brace for use by athletes or others requiring protection and support of the knee. The knee brace protects against abnormal motions of the knee, and provides direct and indirect patella stabilization. A base comprised of elastic material is configured to closely fit around portions of the knee and adjacent leg portions. Direct patella support is provided by upper crossed straps that are permanently fastened to the base and cross the front of the leg above the knee, or by lower crossed straps that are permanently fastened to the base and cross the front of the leg below the knee, or by both upper and lower crossed straps. Additional direct patella support may be provided by a patella opening. One or more generally upright lateral pockets containing semi-rigid stays may also be provided on the sides of the base for lateral support. A popliteal opening may be provided to reduce the possibility of chafing at the rear of the knee.

Self adjusting knee brace

A knee brace for use by athletes or others requiring protection and support of the knee. The knee brace protects against abnormal motions of the knee, and provides direct and indirect patella stabilization. A base comprised of elastic material is configured to closely fit around portions of the knee and adjacent leg portions. The knee brace includes at least one upright support member attached to a lateral side of the base, where the upright support member is curved with an upper portion bending away from the front central axis of the brace and a lower portion that bends toward the front central axis of the brace.

Knee brace

An ankle brace comprising a base of flexible material shaped to wrap around the sides of a foot and ankle and underneath a portion of the foot, with a support strap for protecting the anterior talofibular ligament. The two ends of the support strap are fixed to the base at or near the forward edges of the base. The strap is not otherwise fixed to the base underneath the sole of the foot, allowing the strap to move freely under the foot to conform to the particular size and shape of the foot of a particular wearer. The ankle brace features a symmetric construction which allows the ankle brace to be worn on either the left or the right foot, simplifying manufacturing and inventory management.

Ankle brace

Bracelet for holding graphical displays

A lightweight wrist brace has a flexible base which extends along the palm and receives a stiffening member within a pocket. A narrow hand strap extends upwardly and sidewardly from the base at about 105-120 degrees on each side of the base. The two hand straps wrap around the hand and are connected to each other with hook and loop fasteners across the dorsal area of the hand. Two wrist straps are spaced from one another at the rearward end of the base. The wrist straps have hook material and loop material disposed thereon and are releasably received within rings positioned adjacent each strap where it extends from the base. The wrist brace is thus capable of being worn on either a right or a left hand and is adapted for wear by people with varying size wrist and hands.

Wrist brace

An ankle restraint device having a first or outer ankle brace configured to substantially conform to the lower leg, ankle and foot of the wearer and offer generalized support. A second or inner brace is imbedded between first and second side walls of the outer brace and is specifically configured to encompass the heel and bind it to the remainer of the foot in a heel lock type configuration. The inner brace acts independently of the outer brace and has forward edge portions with arms that extend through openings on the outer brace for purposes of fastening the forward edges of the inner brace together in order to bind the heel. Both the inner brace and outer brace have fastening means which can include a single shoelace trained through eyelets formed in forward edges of the inner brace and outer brace. In one form of the invention, the brace assembly is installed with respect to an outer item of footwear apparel such as an athletic shoe.

Ankle restraint device

An ankle brace having compression straps to give generalized support to the ankle region and specifically place it in a mild compressive state when relaxed such that upon engagement in rigorous activity, hyperextension of the ankle joint and undue twisting and turning as might lead to injury are avoided. The brace includes a base that wraps snuggly around the ankle and adjacent leg and foot regions. Lateral and medial compression straps are attached to lateral and medial sides of the base and wrap around the superior foot portion to bind it to the lower leg portion. End sections of the straps are fixed to the base along a relatively wide area of the sides of the base such that tension applied to the straps is distributed about a relatively large area on the side of the base. The end sections of the straps are fixed to the base by a plurality of spaced apart seams that extend along the sides of the base. These seams serve to distribute the tension force occasioned by tensioning the compression straps over a wider area of the base and foot.

Ankle brace with compression straps

A back brace to provide firm support to the lumbar sacro area of the back, includes an elastic inner wrap that circumferentially stretches around the torso and fastens in the front. The inner wrap carries a back support panel. An elastic outer wrap overlaps the inner wrap with the back support panel between it and the inner wrap. A support pad is carried outside the outer wrap. The support panel carries resilient flexure means that fit in the small of the back when the inner and outer wrap are wrapped around the torso and secured in front. The support pad disburses the supportive force of the support panel about the lumbar sacro area of the back.

Back brace

An ankle brace for relative confinement of the foot and ankle to help prevent injury to an individual engaged in active conduct, or inhibit aggravation of pre-existent injury, or provide protection during healing of an injury. A base includes an inner layer of sheet-like material shaped to be engaged in conforming relationship about the foot and ankle. A second layer covers the base. Lateral and medial support panels are embedded on lateral and medial sides of the brace between the inner and second layers. The support panels are formed of a mesh of plastic-type material to conform somewhat to the ankle and lower leg region when the brace in installed and tightly applied to the foot. In one form of the invention, lateral and medial rides are provided with pockets containing removable rigid stay members spanning the area between the lower leg and the upper foot in order to provide greater confinement to the ankle region upon initial healing of an injury. The stays are removable once the healing process is along the way and less restriction is required of the ankle.

Reinforced ankle and foot brace

An ankle support brace to provide generalized support to the ankle and specifically protect the anterior talofibular ligament from injury or aggravation of preexistent injury. A base is conformable to the foot and ankle region of the wearer and carries lateral and medial resilient stays. The stays are vertical in the upper part of the base and curve rearwardly in the lower part of the base around the medial malleolus and lateral malleolus. An anterior talofibular ligament support strap is fixed at one end to a lower part of the base positioned to be beneath the sole of the foot proximate the heel and extends distally around the foot. The other end of the support strap is fixed to a portion of the base positioned on the superior portion of the foot such that the support strap binds together the lower portion of the foot and the ankle bone to limit the permissible amount of stretching of the anterior talofibular ligament in a direction that would tend to injure it.

Reinforced ankle brace

A knee brace and wrap assembly for protecting and stabilizing the knee joint against overextension, twisting, lateral impact, injury associated with immense muscular effort of the leg muscle and particularly the quadriceps, as well as other such trauma as can result from rigorous activity, such as football or skiing. The brace includes upper and lower leg support means secured to the outer sides of the thigh and calf. The support means can be contoured pads connected by a composite hinge assembly having three pivot points such that the pads will rotate relative to one another upon rotation of the knee about an axis that generally follows that of the knee. The composite hinge assembly has first and second fixed members secured to the leg pads, and first and second movable members comprised as hinge plates pivotally connected to each other and to the fixed members. Stop members limit rotation of the hinge assembly in both directions of rotation of the knee to limit rotation of the knee. According to another form of the invention, support means can be comprised of upper and lower wrap assemblies, each having inner and outer elastic wraps for installation on a leg.

Double hinged knee brace with double leg wrap

An ankle brace to encompass the lower leg, ankle and upper foot of the user and adapted to substantially immobilize a badly injured ankle joint to protect it from aggravation during healing. The brace has a base with a plurality of lateral and medial generally upright pockets which carry rigid stay members contoured to anatomically conform to the ankle and foot structure. The brace has a tongue which also carries rigid stay members curved to conform to the adjacent foot portion. The stay members connected by the base together form a rigid structure in surrounding, immobilizing relationship to the ankle.

An ankle brace for constraining movement of the lower leg and foot about the normal horizontal axis of rotation of the ankle while inhibiting other rotation or extension or retraction movement about abnormal axes or in abnormal directions in order to help prevent injury to the ankle joint. The device includes a U-shaped leg member positionable in straddling relationship to the ankle joint and fixable to the lower leg. An ankle member is connected by a sliding pivot to the U-shaped leg member and is engaged with respect to the foot to hold the foot and lower leg together for movement about an arcuate path described by the sliding pivot joint.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MN, United States of America

Ronald E Nelson