Conventional orthopedic braces embody a broad range of structures, each having the common purpose of supporting and stabilizing a joint when worn on the body of a user. The orthopedic brace may serve either a preventative role or a remedial role. In a preventative role, the brace provides added support and stability to a healthy skeletal joint, thereby reducing the risk of injury when the joint is subjected to undue stress. In a remedial role, the brace supports and stabilizes a skeletal joint which has been weakened by injury or other infirmity, thereby reinforcing the joint and reducing the risk of further injury to the joint.
Orthopedic braces may be characterized as either soft or rigid. Soft orthopedic braces are composed essentially in their entirety of soft components, i.e., relatively flexible components, such as cloth and flexible foams. An exemplary conventional soft orthopedic brace is a knee brace comprising a support sleeve formed from a stretchable elastic cloth-covered neoprene and one or more flexible, yet relatively non-stretchable, cloth straps partially or fully encircling the support sleeve. The straps may be tightened or loosened by shortening or lengthening the straps, respectively, which enables the user to adjust the fit of the brace to the knee joint and correspondingly to adjust the degree of support the brace provides the knee joint when the support sleeve is positioned over the knee joint.
In contrast to soft orthopedic braces, rigid orthopedic braces include relatively rigid structural components in addition to, or to the exclusion of, soft components. Typically, the rigid structural components of a conventional rigid orthopedic brace are support components dynamically linked together by one or more rotatable hinges enabling controlled pivotal movement of a joint on the body of a user during rehabilitative therapy or user activity. The rigid orthopedic brace is positioned on the body such that the hinges traverse the joint being stabilized, while the rigid components are secured to the body above and below the joint by a plurality of flexible straps which in combination with the rigid components encircle the body.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary prior art rigid orthopedic brace for the knee is shown and generally designated 10. For purposes of illustration, the knee brace 10 is configured for mounting on the right leg. The knee brace 10 comprises medial and lateral hinges 12, 14 and associated medial and lateral condyle pads 16, 18. The medial and lateral hinges 12, 14 pivotally link a pair of rigid upper and lower anterior support cuffs 20, 22 which are shaped to conform to the anterior contours of the upper and lower leg, respectively. The upper anterior cuff 20 is secured in engagement with the upper leg by first and second upper straps 24, 26 which encircle the posterior of the upper leg, while the lower anterior cuff 22 is secured in engagement with the lower leg by first and second lower straps 28, 30 which encircle the posterior of the lower leg. The straps 24, 26, 28, 30 are constructed from a flexible, non-stretchable cloth, such as nylon. Anterior pads 32, 34, 36 are provided to cushion the user's leg from the rigid cuffs 20, 22 and to insure the fit of the knee brace 10 with the leg. The upper anterior pad 32 and lower anterior pads 34, 36 are attached to the upper and lower cuffs 20, 22, respectively, by conventional releasable hook and loop fasteners (not shown), which are commercially available under the trade name “VELCRO”.
The cuffs 20, 22 are provided with anterior medial strap retainers 38, 40, 42, 44 which enable connection of the straps 24, 26, 28, 30 to the anterior medial side of the cuffs 20, 22. Although not visible in the view of FIG. 1, it is apparent that anterior lateral strap retainers corresponding to the anterior medial strap retainers 38, 40, 42, 44, respectively, may also be provided, which enable connection of the straps 24, 26, 28, 30 to the anterior lateral side of the cuffs 20, 22. All the strap retainers are substantially identical to one another in construction and function. Accordingly, the following description of the strap retainer 44 applies equally to the remaining strap retainers. The strap retainer 44 is constructed from a material, such as a plastic, which is non-stretchable and substantially more flexible than the rigid cuffs 20, 22, yet substantially more rigid than the flexible straps 24, 26, 28, 30. The configuration of the strap retainer 44 includes a strap loop member 46 having a strap aperture 48 extending through the strap loop member 46, and a body 50 having a mounting aperture 52 extending through the body 50. The strap retainer 44 is substantially permanently rotatably affixed to the lower cuff 22 by a fixed rivet 54 which extends through the mounting aperture 52 and a corresponding opening (not shown) in the lower cuff 22.
The strap 30 has an end 56, which is fitted with a first releasable fastener 58 on one side of the strap 30. The strap 30 correspondingly has a section 60 positioned adjacent to the end 56, which is fitted with a cooperative second releasable fastener 62 on the same side of the strap 30 as the first fastener 58. The first and second fasteners 58, 62 are preferably conventional hook and loop fasteners (“VELCRO”). The strap 30 is connected to the lower cuff 22 by means of the strap retainer 44 and the first and second fasteners 58, 62. In particular, the strap 30 is connected to the lower cuff 22 by threading the end 56 through the strap aperture 48 of the strap loop member 46 and doubling the end 56 back over the section 60 to a point on the section 60 with the first fastener 58 facing the second fastener 62. The first and second fasteners 58, 62 are then pressed against one another to releasably fasten them together. It is apparent that the user is able to adjust the strap 30, specifically, the strap length and strap tension, by selection of the point on the section 60 where the end 56 intersects the section 60.
The strap 30 is disconnected from the lower cuff 22 simply by reversing the above-recited steps for connecting the strap 30 to the lower cuff 22. In particular, the first and second fasteners 58, 62 are separated to release them from one another. The free end 56 is then backed away from the section 60 and out of the strap aperture 48.
Although the above-described prior art structure provides a reliable connection between the flexible straps and rigid cuffs of an orthopedic brace, the structure is not entirely satisfactory with respect to ease of use. In particular, the user must undo the strap adjustment whenever the strap is disconnected from the cuff and redo the strap adjustment (i.e., reset the strap length and tension) whenever the strap is reconnected to the cuff. This procedure becomes time consuming when a plurality of straps are involved as in the case of the present prior art knee brace and/or when the user frequently takes the brace on and off. As such, the present invention recognizes a need for a means of connecting the strap to the cuff of a knee brace which does not require the user to undo and redo the strap adjustment every time the user disconnects and reconnects the strap from and to the cuff. More generally, the present invention recognizes a need for a means of connecting a strap to another component of an orthopedic brace, wherein it is not necessary to undo and redo strap adjustment whenever the strap is disconnected and reconnected from and to the other component of the orthopedic brace.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a strap connector assembly which enables releasable connection or disconnection of a strap to or from another component of an orthopedic brace. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a strap connector assembly with a strap retainer which engages the strap to achieve a desired adjustment of the strap. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a strap retainer which maintains the desired adjustment of the strap whenever the strap is releasably connected or disconnected to or from the other component of the orthopedic brace. These objects and others are accomplished in accordance with the invention described hereafter. Elements of the present invention have also been described in my copending U.S. patent application filed Mar. 14, 2002, entitled “Strap Attachment Assembly for an Orthopedic Brace”, incorporated herein by reference.