Braces for preventing injuries to the knee joint

摘要

Several knee stabilizing braces include an articulated knee joint support having upper and lower support arms, a first hinge bar pivoting on the upper and lower support arms and extending diagonally between them, and a second hinge bar pivoting on the upper and lower support arms and extending diagonally in an opposite direction for intersecting the first hinge bar. The two hinge bars allow relative rotation of the support arms while resisting relative forward or rearward sliding motion of each arm. Adjacent ends of the arms rotate into contact when they rotate to an upright position to stop further rotation beyond the upright position. One preventive knee brace has the upper and lower arms releasably affixed to flexible cuffs wrapped around the patient's upper and lower leg to hold the brace adjacent the knee joint. In another brace, each knee joint support is enclosed within a flexible sleeve; the support arms extend into pockets of padding, and a central sleeved portion of the padding covers the hinged portion of the brace. Flexible extensions from the padding provide infinitely adjustable attachment to the patient's legs. Another brace providing greater support includes flexible cuffs extending around the upper and lower legs, and semi-rigid reinforcing members on the cuffs, with the support arms of the braces rigidly affixed to sides of the reinforcing members. The braces are made of lightweight but rigid plastic and are offset at the hinge bars. The hinge bars are non-pinching during rotation, and reinforcing embossments in the offset regions of the arms add rigidity to reduce bending during use.