STABILIZING SACPULAR REHABILITATION BRACE

Abstract

A stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace that operates to aid patients in rehabilitating their shoulder joint in an anatomically correct manner with the trapezius is locked down in order to prevent substantial upward shoulder shrug movements. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace includes a shoulder harness, a stabilization strap, and a thigh strap, with the stabilization strap operating to both tighten the shoulder harness on a user and connect and anchor the shoulder harness to the thigh strap. With the shoulder harness operating to keep the user's shoulder blades retracted and the thigh strap and stabilization strap preventing the shoulder harness, these components work together to emulate the same hand on trapezius area function that therapists manually apply to patient rehabbing a shoulder condition in-clinic.

Claims

1. A stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace, comprising: a shoulder harness having at least one shoulder strap and at least one strap connector disposed on the at least one shoulder strap, wherein the shoulder harness is configured to be worn by a user with the at least one shoulder strap going over their shoulders; a thigh strap configured to be fastened around a user's thigh; and a stabilization strap having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the stabilization strap includes a harness connector that is adapted to be removably attached to the at least one strap connector integral with the top end and the stabilization strap is adapted to be coupled with the thigh strap at the bottom end.

2. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 1, wherein the shoulder harness additionally includes a chest strap and is additionally configured to be worn by a user with the chest strap encircling the user's torso.

3. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 2, wherein the chest strap includes a length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the chest strap.

4. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 2, wherein the shoulder harness additionally includes a back panel connected to the chest strap and the at least one shoulder strap.

5. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 1, wherein the at least one strap connector is defined by a female connector that includes a socket.

6. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 5, wherein the harness connector is defined by a quick release clip segment which includes a portion that is adapted to engage with the socket.

7. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 1, wherein the shoulder harness includes two discrete shoulder straps and is configured to be worn by a user with the each of the shoulder straps going a separate shoulder.

8. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 7, wherein each shoulder strap includes two strap connectors, with the strap connectors on each shoulder strap arranged linearly with respect to one another, positioned on non overlapping lateral portions of the shoulder strap.

9. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 1, wherein the at least one shoulder strap includes two strap connectors, with the strap connectors on the at least one shoulder strap arranged linearly with respect to one another, positioned on non overlapping lateral portions of the at least one shoulder strap.

10. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 1, wherein the stabilization strap includes a strap length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the stabilization strap.

11. A stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace, comprising: a shoulder harness having a chest strap, two discrete shoulder straps, at least one strap connector disposed each of the shoulder straps, and a back panel connected to the chest strap and the shoulder straps, wherein the shoulder harness is configured to be worn by a user with the each of the shoulder straps going a separate shoulder and with the chest strap encircling the user's torso; a thigh strap configured to be fastened around a user's thigh; and a stabilization strap having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the stabilization strap includes a harness connector that is adapted to be removably attached to the at least one strap connector integral with the top end and the stabilization strap is adapted to be coupled with the thigh strap at the bottom end.

12. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 11, wherein the chest strap includes a length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the chest strap.

13. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 11, wherein the at least one strap connector is defined by a female connector that includes a socket.

14. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 13, wherein the harness connector is defined by a quick release clip segment which includes a portion that is adapted to engage with the socket.

15. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 11, wherein each shoulder strap includes two strap connectors, with the strap connectors on each shoulder strap arranged linearly with respect to one another, positioned on non overlapping lateral portions of the shoulder strap.

16. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 11, wherein the stabilization strap includes a strap length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the stabilization strap.

17. A stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace, comprising: a shoulder harness having a chest strap, two discrete shoulder straps, a plurality of strap connector disposed each of the shoulder straps, and a back panel connected to the chest strap and the shoulder straps, wherein the shoulder harness is configured to be worn by a user with the each of the shoulder straps going a separate shoulder and with the chest strap encircling the user's torso; wherein the plurality of strap connectors on each shoulder strap are arranged linearly with respect to one another, positioned on non overlapping lateral portions of the shoulder strap; a thigh strap configured to be fastened around a user's thigh; and a stabilization strap having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the stabilization strap includes a harness connector that is adapted to be removably attached to any of the strap connectors integral with the top end and the stabilization strap is adapted to be coupled with the thigh strap at the bottom end.

18. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 17, wherein each strap connector is defined by a female connector that includes a socket.

19. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 18, wherein the harness connector is defined by a quick release clip segment which includes a portion that is adapted to engage with the socket.

20. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace of claim 19, wherein: the stabilization strap includes a strap length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the stabilization strap; and the chest strap includes a length adjustment mechanism operative to selectively lengthen and shorten the chest strap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a scapular stabilization technique for rehabilitation activities in accordance with the prior art.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a shoulder harness for a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a stabilization strap for a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a thigh strap for a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a partial side perspective view of a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with the stabilization strap being positioned to attach to the shoulder harness.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a partial side perspective view of a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with the stabilization strap being attached to the shoulder harness.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a partial front elevational view of a stabilization strap for a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with its tension being adjusted.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a partial side perspective view of a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with the stabilization strap being positioned to attach to the thigh harness.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a partial side perspective view of a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace built in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, shown with the stabilization strap attached to the thigh harness.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Described herein is a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace that operates to aid patients in rehabilitating their shoulder joint in an anatomically correct manner to optimize outcomes following injury or surgery so as to deliver vastly improved convenience and benefits relative to existing options in the marketplace. When patients engage in shoulder hiking movements during rehabilitation (or rehab) sessions, it negatively impacts their ability to regain proper shoulder joint functionality and strength of shoulder following injury or surgery. But when the stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace is worn during shoulder rehab exercises, forces the patient to perform exercises in an anatomically correct manner that will optimize patient's recovery. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace is additionally adjustable so that it can correctly fit on all body types.

[0027] Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1, a common existing technique to reduce shoulder hiking involves a physical therapist T placing their hand on the patient's P trapezius area during in-clinic shoulder rehab sessions. When the patient is at home and trying to do the adjunct home-based exercises prescribed by the therapist, however, there is often no one there to manually hold down the trapezius area in order to prevent patient from engaging in the act of shoulder hiking. This unfortunately results in many patients, despite their best efforts, failing to regain full range of motion and strength and even possibly requiring additional surgery to resolve their shoulder problems due to their inability to rehab properly.

[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5, a stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 is shown having a shoulder harness 110, a stabilization strap 120, and a thigh strap 130. When worn by a user, these components work together to emulate the same hand on trapezius area function that a therapist manually applies to patient in-clinic. This means users can rehab at any time and do so in an anatomically correct manner as the trapezius is locked down in order to prevent substantial upward shoulder shrug movements (i.e., shoulder hiking) as well as to promote retraction of the shoulder blades in the mid-back area of the trapezius.

[0029] The shoulder harness 110 includes of a padded back panel 111, shoulder straps 112, a chest strap 113, and a waist buckle component 114 having two parts that are mechanically attached (by sewing or otherwise) to the opposite ends of the chest strap 113. The shoulder harness 110 additionally includes strap connectors in the form of two quick release female connectors 115 positioned on each shoulder strap 112, as well as a protective pad 116 below the female connectors 115 on each of the shoulder straps 112 to prevent shoulder straps 112 from cutting into the skin or causing discomfort. To facilitate adjustments to the circumference of the shoulder harness 110 and accommodate larger patients by increasing length of strapping system, a length adjustment mechanism 117 may be integrated into the chest strap 113.

[0030] The length adjustment mechanism 117 may be embodied as a discrete Y tab adjustor (or the hook aspect of another hook and loop fastener material). The length adjustment mechanism 117 may operate with adjustment buckles built into the waist buckle component 114, allowing the length adjustment mechanism 117 to be pulled further away from the ends of the chest strap 113, causing chest strap 113 material to pull through the adjustment buckles built into the waist buckle component 114 (reducing the length of the chest strap 113) and then removably attached to the chest strap 113 at that location.

[0031] To put on the shoulder harness 110, a user may place the shoulder harness 110 onto their upper torso (as one does when placing a backpack on themselves), with the back panel 111 against their back, the shoulder straps 112 going over their shoulders, the portion of the shoulder straps 112 containing the female connectors 115 in front of their shoulders, and the two ends of the chest strap 113 hanging from the bottom of the back panel 111. The user then pulls the ends of the chest strap 113 around their body so that the two waist buckle components 114 can connect in front of the user's body fastens the waist buckle components 114 together and adjusts the length adjustment mechanism 117. During this process, the user pulls on the chest strap 113 to tighten it as much as possible so that the shoulder harness 110 will cradle their body. Advantageously, doing this will help keep their shoulder blades in a retracted position because the tighter the shoulder harness 110 cradles the body, the more it retracts the shoulder blades.

[0032] With the chest strap 113 tightened and fastened, it causes the shoulder straps 112 to exert force on the user's shoulders to secure the shoulder blades in a retracted position. This occurs due to the counter-pressure the X crisscross design of the back panel 111 applies on the shoulder blades as they retract/compress toward the spine. To explain, when a user pulls outwardly 118 on the ends of the chest strap 113, the shoulder straps 112 tighten due to the fact that they are attach to one another. Particularly, the left shoulder strap 112 is tightened by pulling the right end of the chest strap 113 and the right shoulder strap 112 is tightened by pulling the left end of the chest strap 113.

[0033] Alternatively, the user may connect the ends of the chest straps 113 together via the waist buckle components 114 after proper shoulder blade retraction tension is achieved.

[0034] The stabilization strap 120 is operative to couple the shoulder harness 110 and the thigh strap 130. The stabilization strap 120 include an elongated body 121, a harness connector in the form of a quick release clip segment 122 positioned at the top end of the elongated body 121, a padded tensioner housing 123 positioned adjacent to a top end of the elongated body 121, and a fastening portion 124 which defines the bottom end of the elongated body 121. The quick release clip segment 122 is defined by a corresponding male fastener segment for the female connectors 115, and may be embodied as a stud, hook, or snap fastener style connector (with the female connectors 115 being a corresponding socket aspect thereof) that can be inserted into and releasably connect to the female connectors 115 on the shoulder harness 110. The tensioner housing 123 houses a strap length adjustment mechanism defined as a cable ratchet system and includes a tension adjustment knob 125 for adjusting the tension applied by the cable ratchet system (as discussed below). The fastening portion 124 may be defined by a Y Tab fastener (or the hook aspect of another hook and loop fastener material). The cable ratchet system is positioned between the quick release clip segment 122 and the fastening portion 124 and is used to create tension in the stabilization strap 120 which is designed to limit undesirable shoulder hiking motions.

[0035] The cable ratchet system may operate with an extension segment 121a of the elongated body 121. In some embodiments, the elongated body 121 may extend from the bottom end to the tensioner housing 123, with the extension segment 121a being the portion of the stabilization strap that extends from the tensioner housing 123 to the top end (with the quick release clip segment 122 attached to the extension segment 121a), with the cable ratchet system operative to shorten or lengthen the extension segment 121a so as to extend or retract the length of the stabilization strap 120.

[0036] In some embodiments, the elongated body 121 may extend for the full length of the stabilization strap 120, with the extension segment 121a simply being a portion of the elongated body 121. In such an embodiment, the cable ratchet system may operate to constrict or bunch up a portion of the elongated body 121 in the tensioner housing 123 to lengthen or shorten the amount of the elongated body 121 that extends out of the tensioner housing 123 as the extension segment 121a.

[0037] The quick release clip segment 122 can be attached to either female connector 115 on the shoulder harness 110. On any given shoulder strap 112, the upper female connector 115 may used when user rehabs in a seated position and the lower female connector 115 is used when user rehabs in a standing position. After stabilization strap 120 is connected to one of the female connector 115, the user may then attach the bottom end of the stabilization strap 120 the thigh strap 130 as discussed below.

[0038] In order to properly fit the user, prior to using this brace, the bottom end of the stabilization strap 120 may be cut in length to properly account for user's height. Once the extra length from the bottom end of the stabilization strap 120 is cut and properly sized for patient then the fastening portion 124 is placed at bottom end of the stabilization strap 120. Then, the fastening portion 124 is secured onto thigh strap 130. Once fitted for proper user length, the user will use the cable ratchet system to create the proper amount of tension required to eliminate shoulder hiking during their rehab sessions.

[0039] The thigh strap 130 is defined by a circular strap member that is sized to encircle and otherwise operative to be fastened around the user's upper thigh. The thigh strap 130 has a loop adjustment mechanism 131 that allows for adjustment to its circumference in order to ensure proper patient fitting. The loop adjustment mechanism 131 may be embodied as a buckle.

[0040] The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 allows a user to perform exercises while seated or standing depending how the user connects the stabilization strap 120 to the shoulder harness 110. The manner in which the stabilization strap 120 is connected to the shoulder harness 110 is illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8.

[0041] Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, to attach the stabilization strap 120 to the shoulder harness 110, the quick release clip segment 122 must be aligned with one of the female connectors 115. As mentioned above, the upper female connector 115 is for use when the user is seated and the lower female connector 115 is for use when the user is standing. As soon as the stud from the quick release clip segment 122 from the stabilization strap 120 is pushed in a insertion direction 126 into the wide portion of the socket of the female connector 115, the user pulls in the securing direction 127 to move the stud into the narrower portion of the socket of the female connector 115. The user may hear an audible click once attachment is successful.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 8, to adjust how much of the extension segment 121a extends from the tensioner housing 123 (and thus length of the stabilization strap 120), a user may rotate the tension adjustment knob 125 to activate the cable ratchet system and lengthens or shortens the extension segment 121a depending on the direction which the tension adjustment knob 125 is rotated.

[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the stabilization strap 120 may be secured onto the thigh strap 130 via the fastening portion 124 being wrapped around the thigh strap 130 and fastened to the interior side of the thigh strap 130 and/or the stabilization strap 120. When the stabilization strap 120 is connected to shoulder harness 110, then fastened onto the thigh strap 130, the stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 prevents shoulder hiking in part because the thigh strap 130 acts as an anchor which assists the shoulder harness 110 in preventing upward shoulder hiking.

[0044] When in use, the stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 helps a user regain full range of motion and strength by ensuring that the user performs their rehab exercises in an anatomical correct manner during shoulder rehab sessions. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 eliminates patient cheating during exercise sessions as it prevents shoulder hiking from taking place during rehab. Since cheating in the form of shoulder hiking significantly impacts user's ability to rehab correctly, the stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 reduces the likelihood of prolonged rehab sessions and reduces the likelihood of frozen shoulder and secondary surgery such as an MUA or Lysis of Adhesion Surgery due to poor rehab outcomes.

[0045] More specifically, the stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 prevents users from engaging in an upward motion with their trapezoid (e.g. shoulder shrug) by virtue of the stabilization strap which connects to the shoulder harness and thigh strap. The stabilizing scapular rehabilitation brace 100 keeps a user's shoulder blades in a retracted position, namely compressed inward towards the spine, and locks down the top of the trapezoid to prevent it from engaging in an upward motion during rehab. Such upward motion is referred to as scapular hiking or shoulder shrug. When a patient goes thru rehab without properly addressing scapular hiking issues during rehab, it permanently alters proper mechanics. Such an improper alignment leads to long term complications which will limit quality of life and arm functionality and may lead to additional therapy and/or surgery.

[0046] It is contemplated that the strap aspects of the shoulder harness, the thigh strap, and the stabilization strap may be formed of nylon with at least a portion having a surface that is analogous to a loop component of a hook and loop fastener.

[0047] The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.