JP2023007318A - walking aid - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cane that makes more comfortable walking possible by converting a force for advancing a body forward to a force for raising a front arm, thereby reducing a load on legs, and further by helping action of lungs, in a cane supported by a hand and an arm, while in any cane for use by elderly, for outdoors, and the like, a load on legs can be reduced for walking by a portion supporting body weight by a hand, arm, elbow, and an armpit.SOLUTION: Under the grip of a cane, there is provided a forearm support part for supporting a forearm. When a user advances, the support part comes into contact with the forearm of the user, raising the forearm, reducing a body weight on legs, and guiding an elbow to open the chest. As a result, the action of lungs is assisted to make breathing easy, as a characteristic. For gradient variation of a walking slope, flexible counter-measure is possible by gripping a vertical grip, gripping a side grip from above, adding a hand to the side grip, and the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a walking aid that enhances and improves walking ability.

Types of canes include T-shaped canes, loft-strand crutches, crutches, elbow-supporting canes, multi-legged canes, etc., which must be selected according to the user's leg strength, grip strength, walking ability, etc.

Below is a brief description of how to use conventional canes.
・T-shaped cane: Used by people who can walk without a cane but want to walk more stably.
・Lofstrand Clutch, Elbow Support Cane: Used by people with weak grip and arm strength.
・Crutches: Used by people who cannot put weight on their injured leg.
・Multi-legged cane: It is stable when weight is applied, and is mainly used indoors.

All canes reduce the weight on the legs and improve walking ability by balancing with the cane and bearing the weight on the cane. can.

Canes such as T-shaped canes, which are held in the palm and used by moving the arm up and down, are compact and easy to use, and can be used for trekking, etc. And you need leg strength.

Since the Lofstrand Clutch fixes the forearm, it can be used even if the grip strength and arm strength are weak, but the force applied to the palm and wrist is the same as a T-shaped cane.

A crutch is used by a person who cannot put weight on the affected leg, but it requires a certain amount of muscle strength and a sense of balance, and inevitably puts a strain on the wrist and presses the armpit.

The cane of Patent Document 1 is an elbow clutch type cane that can be used even by people with weak grip and arm strength.

The cane and loft strand clutch of Patent Document 1 are canes that support a load with the wrist and forearm. When in use, the weight is supported from the palm and elbow to the upper arm, and the arm and cane are integrally fixed, centering on the shoulder. moves like a pendulum. The crutch supports the weight on the wrist and armpit, and when in use, the arm and cane are fixed together and move like a pendulum around the shoulder.

The cane, the loft strand clutch, the crutch, etc. of Patent Document 1 all have their arms and the cane fixed together when they are used, so it is necessary to swing the upper body up and down in order to walk. . In this respect, although there are differences in suitability and suitability depending on the size of the burden on the user and the user's physical condition, the cane, the loft strand clutch, and the crutch of Patent Document 1 are not suitable for the movement of the cane during walking. can be said to be almost identical.

The cane of Patent Document 2 is a forearm and below-elbow support type cane. It allows the user to move smoothly with little up-and-down movement, and also considers stability when resting. It is mainly intended for people who have difficulty walking without a cane.

In the side-mounted cane of Patent Document 3, the cane and the armrest are set horizontally during use, and are adjusted so that the elbow is not lifted during walking. The purpose of this is to allow the user to move smoothly with little up-and-down movement, and to reduce the burden on the body.

With the exception of the T-shaped cane, which is used by moving the arm up and down, all of the canes described above are used from the palm to the shoulder as an integral part of the cane. In addition, T-shaped canes that are used by people who can walk without a cane, and canes used for trekking, etc., reduce the burden on the legs, but their main purpose is to aid balance.

Each cane bears the amount of weight applied and the amount of force applied, which helps maintain balance and reduce the burden on the legs.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-029335 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-217875 Jitsugan Hei 06-007342 Public Relations

Any cane that supports the hands, arms, and elbows used for the elderly, outdoors, etc. can reduce the burden on the legs by the amount of force applied in the axial direction of the cane and can walk, but the body tries to move forward. If you use force, you can further reduce the burden on your legs. However, current canes do not use the forward force to reduce the strain on the legs.

If you move your forearms and expand your chest while walking, breathing will be easier, but there are no existing canes that induce body movements in that way.

A cane that is handled only by the hands can respond relatively flexibly to changes in the gradient of the slope, but when climbing or descending, the part that relies on grip strength increases. Respond to changes by bending and stretching the upper body.
There are canes that can be adjusted in length, but it is troublesome to adjust each time the slope changes.
Thus, it cannot be said that the current walking sticks have a wide range of adaptation to slope changes.

The present invention is a cane supported by hands, arms, and elbows, which converts the forward force that moves the body forward into an upward force, and reduces the weight and burden on the legs as if the forearms were supported from below. In addition, by moving the forearm and lifting the upper arm, the lungs are expanded in a natural way, making it easier to breathe. To provide a cane with a wide range of adaptability to slope changes.

Under the grip of the cane, a support for supporting the forearm is provided in a form extending laterally from the cane shaft so that the distance from the ferrule to the forearm support is longer than the distance from the ferrule to the grip. The crossing angle between the cane shaft and the forearm support should be around 90°, which allows the body to be rested when stationary and the forearm to be pushed up when walking.

When the user moves forward or pushes the wrist forward, the cane axis rotates vertically around the ferrule. The forearm support comes into contact with the forearm. When you move your body forward and put your wrist forward, the forearm support pushes your forearm up. At this time, an axial force from the grip and a bending direction force from the forearm support are applied to the cane, and the reaction force of this bending direction force acts as a force to push up the forearm.

Current canes apply force in the axial direction, and in order to prevent the cane from breaking, force in the bending direction is not applied. A bending force is applied to the cane by the forearm support portion, and the reaction force is converted into an upward force to reduce the weight of the user. Therefore, the force applied to the stick in the bending direction is used within a range that does not break the stick.

The force in the bending direction becomes the force pushing up the forearm, so when the cane bends, this force is reduced. For this reason, it is desirable to use a highly rigid material for the cane shaft to be used.

The grip side of the support part that supports the forearm is structured so that it can be gripped from above. This makes it easier to apply force to the cane when going downhill.

The support part that supports the forearm is detachable and has a structure that can move up and down.

It has a structure with a cane as the center and a protrusion on which the index finger can be placed or placed on the opposite side of the support part that supports the forearm. This is because depending on the slope of the slope, it may be easier to walk with the cane by supporting it rather than holding it by the grip.

The structure is such that an accessory such as an anchor can be attached to the protrusion on which the index finger is placed or placed.

This proposal has the following effects.
1. The forward force that propels the body forward is converted into an upward force that pushes the forearms upward by the forearm support, lifting the upper body and reducing the weight on the legs. Also, at this time, the arms are moved to open the chest, which helps the movement of the lungs, makes breathing easier, improves walking ability, and allows walking as if it were improved. And this effect becomes greater when climbing a slope.

2. When going down a slope or when the position of the forearm support is low, the grip side of the support that supports the forearm can be grasped from above, making it easier to grip from above and support the weight. Also, as the body moves, the weight is reduced by the forearm push-up action, although less than the case of the forearm support. However, since it is supported by the wrist, grip strength and arm strength are required, and the burden on the wrist is increased.

3. By making the supporting part that supports the forearm detachable, the user can attach the supporting part to his/her cane and use it. In addition, by making the support part vertically movable, the position of the support part can be adjusted according to the inclination of the slope both when going up and down.

4. You can rest your body on the forearm support.

5. There is a protrusion on the opposite side of the forearm support part centered on the cane. If you put your index finger on it or place it on it, when you grip the grip of the cane, the range of movement of the forearm with respect to the cane changes, and the slope becomes uneven. The grip of the cane can be flexibly adapted to changes in the slope of the cane.

6. When using on a steep slope such as a mountain, attach an anchor to the protrusion provided on the opposite side of the forearm support from the cane, pierce the upper slope with the anchor, and use it to support your body. can be lifted. The same applies to hooking.

7. When the forearm support is acting, the force applied to the cane is mainly in the axial direction of the cane at the beginning of thrusting, but as the body moves forward, the forearm support is loaded and the bending direction of the cane changes. become the subject. When using a cane, grip strength is required when force is applied in the axial direction. With the forearm support pushing the forearm up, little grip strength is required.

cane side view Side view when using a cane (on flat ground) Side view when using a cane (uphill) Side view when using a cane (downhill) Side view when using a cane (when the forearm support is low) State of the user's chest when using a cane Figure with a protrusion in front of the forearm support Detailed view of the forearm support A figure of hooking on the front projection of the forearm support and setting the anchor

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, a grip 5 and a forearm support 4 are attached to the cane body 1 so as to extend laterally. The position of the forearm support part 4 is set longer than the distance from the ferrule 3 to the grips 2 and 5.

At this time, the direction of the grip 5 and the forearm support 4 with respect to the cane body 1 is desirably about 90° laterally so that when a force is applied to the forearm support 4, the force in the bending direction with respect to the cane shaft becomes the main force.

When the direction of the grip 5 and the forearm support 4 with respect to the cane shaft is set upward, when a force is applied to the forearm support 4, the force acts mainly in the axial direction of the cane, and little in the bending direction. Therefore, the forearm push-up action becomes smaller.

Also, when the direction of the grip 5 and the forearm support 4 with respect to the cane shaft is set downward, the distance from the ferrule 3 to the forearm support 4 becomes shorter, and the forearm push-up action becomes smaller.

When standing still as shown in Fig. 2-1, the user can rest by gripping the grip 2 of the cane body 1, thrusting the ferrule 3, and resting the body on the forearm support 4.

Figure 2-2 is a view of the staff holding the handle 2 and sticking it forward. At this time, the cane body 1 is in the air and the forearm is separated from the forearm support 4, so it can be handled like an ordinary cane. will receive In this way, the forearm repeatedly separates from and attaches to the forearm support 4 while the cane is in use, so the forearm support 4 should be semicircular as shown in Fig. 8 so that the forearm support 4 can easily receive the forearm.

As shown in Fig. 2-3, grasping the handle 2, thrusting the ferrule 3, and moving the body forward, the cane body 1 tilts forward, and the forearm is pushed up by the forearm support 4 and the arm. Reduces the burden on your legs. At this time, the movement of the cane and the arm is not fixed like a loftstrand clutch, a crutch, etc., but moves with a degree of freedom.

At this time, as shown in Figure 6, the elbow is moved to open the chest, which helps the movement of the lungs and makes breathing easier. When the forearm push-up action works, it should be noted that the cane must have rigidity because the cane is subject to a force in the bending direction. This is the same when stationary as shown in Figure 2-1.

Figure 3 is a diagram when climbing a slope. When climbing a slope, the user's body leans forward, grasps the grip 2, and the time from when the ferrule 3 touches the ground to when the forearm contacts the forearm support 4. Since the time is short, the forearm support part 4 and the arm are in contact for a long time from the beginning of the cane thrust (Fig. 3-1) to the point where the head overtakes the ferrule 3 (Fig. 3-2) and the end of the cane thrust. You can feel the weight reduction effect by pushing up the forearm. Therefore, the weight reduction effect can be felt more when climbing a slope. However, it is necessary to adjust the forearm support 4 lower or make the position where the ferrule 3 is poked closer to the body than when on flat ground so that the forearm push-up action by the forearm support 4 does not become too large. It is also possible to hold the grip 5 from above and thrust it backwards, but in this case the forearm support 4 does not push up the arm.

A grip 5 (Fig. 4-1) is provided so that the cane can be gripped from above when descending a slope in Fig. 4 and when the forearm support part 4 in Fig. 5 is low. This makes it easier to support the weight, and by tilting the cane forward while holding the grip 5 (Fig. 4-2), the weight reduction effect by the wrist is obtained instead of the forearm pushing action by the forearm support 4, although small. . However, since the support is limited to the wrist, a certain amount of arm strength and grip strength are required.

In addition, by selectively using grip 2 and grip 5, the range of adaptation to changes in the gradient of the road is expanded.

As shown in Figure 7, if you put your index finger on or put your forefinger on the projection 6 on the opposite side of the forearm support part centered on the cane, the angle of the forearm with respect to the cane increases. In this way, by changing the position of the grip, changing the height of the forearm support part 4, etc., it is possible to flexibly cope with changes in the slope of the road.

When using on a steep slope such as a mountain, as shown in Fig. 9, attach an anchor 8 to the protrusion 6 on the opposite side of the forearm support part centered on the cane, and insert it into the upper slope to support the body. can be lifted.
Hook 7 is similar.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used in the nursing care field as a walking aid for the elderly and in the outdoor field such as walking, hiking, trekking, etc., and the user can walk as if his/her own walking ability has been improved.

1 cane body
2 handfuls
3 ferrule
4 forearm support
5 handfuls
6 Anterior protrusion of forearm support
7 Hook
8 Anchor

Claims (5)

A cane is combined with a supporting part that supports the forearm in a form that extends laterally from the cane shaft under the grip of the cane. This walking aid is characterized by having a supporting part for supporting the forearm, which, when a downward force is applied to the supporting part, is applied to the cane shaft as a force in a bending direction, and the reaction force is taken out as an upward force. 2. The walking aid according to claim 1, further comprising a grip for gripping the support for supporting the forearm from above. 2. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein the supporting part for supporting the forearm is detachable and vertically movable. 3. The walking aid according to claim 1, wherein there is a projection on which the forefinger or middle finger is placed or hooked. The walking aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part such as a hook or an anchor is attached to the protrusion according to claim 4.

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