Patent Application
20240277514
The present invention pertains to body wraps and more particularly to wraps that supply heat therapy to ailing torso areas of a human body.
Many people suffer from temporary or chronic back and shoulder pain. This is due to any number of reasons, including trauma from injury, stresses, habit, improper body mechanics, exercise and age. Of course, merely saying that a person suffers from back or shoulder pain does not identify where on or along the back or shoulder the person is suffering, and whether it is structurally related to some part of the spinal cord, the muscular system, tissue, or tendons.
For example, more than thirty bones, i.e., vertebrae, combine to form the spinal column, also called the spine, which houses the spinal cord. Spacing between the vertebrae are maintained by intervertebral cartilage discs which allow for spine flexure and general cushioning of the spinal structure and its components. Indeed, pain can emanate from any spot along the spine.
More specifically, the spine comprises four regions. First are the seven cervical or neck vertebrae, generally designated C1-C7; second, the 12 thoracic or upper back vertebrae, generally designated T1-T12; third, the five lumbar or lower back vertebrae, generally designated L1-L5; and fourth, the sacrum and coccyx, s called the “tail bone,” which are fused together and form the base of the spine.
It is thus understood that a person may suffer from spinal back pain in any one or more of these regions. Neck pain (at the cervical vertebrae), often expressed as shoulder pain, upper back pain, Low back pain, and tail bone pain are all common ailments that need treatment. Indeed, the vast majority of back pain patients are diagnosed with nonspecific acute back pain which has no serious underlying pathology and often patients cannot pinpoint a single identifiable region of pain. That said, low back pain is one of the more common regions people suffer with.
Shoulder pain is another common medical problem caused by numerous conditions. For example, subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. Anatomically, SIS refers to the supraspinatus tendon impinging on the undersurface of the anterior acromion as the arm is raised overhead. Typically, pain is generated with elevation of the arm above the head though it can occur with rest. Multiple pathologies, such as subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, partial rotator cuff tears, and even small tears can coexist to create SIS.
The above back, neck and shoulder regions of the body can also experience temporary soreness from any of myriad reasons, including strenuous resistance training. For these ailments, treatment is also desirable. A wide variety of well-known, non-invasive conventional interventions are available for symptomatic relief and/or treatment of these pains. These include, without limitation, application of compresses, bed rest, massages, self-stretching exercise, medications, and spinal manipulation with a physical therapist or chiropractor. Less conventional approaches to symptomatic relief and treatment include, but are not limited to acupuncture, biofeedback, interventional therapy, traction, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and ultrasound.
One popular, low risk category of solutions that are effective to relieve and even prevent back and shoulder pain is the numerous back and torso heat-supplying and compression support devices, commonly in the form of a wrap or “belt”. Other devices such as generic, at-home heating pads are also often used by simply resting them on regions of the torso.
Unfortunately, existing devices that supply heat or heat and compression are designed to treating one specific part of a body, or one part at a time. Thus, if a person is suffering pain simultaneously in more than one region, say in the lower back and shoulder, her options are limited by the devices that treat only one region at a time.
Accordingly, the art of non-invasive heat treating back and shoulder, hereinafter “torso,” pain therapy would benefit from a device and system that simultaneously treats multiple ailing regions of a person's body. The present invention addresses this need and more.
The present invention employs a system for heat treating zones of a person's body. In preferred embodiments, a multizone, preferably unitary, wrap system for supplying heat treatment to a torso of a wearer is disclosed. The system includes a lower torso wrap adapted to hold one or more heating elements for placement against at least a part of a wearer's lower torso region and for supplying heat to that part of the wearer's lower torso region when worn; and a second wrap spaced apart from and above the lower torso wrap and connected to the lower torso wrap, the second wrap adapted to hold one or more heating elements and for placement against and supplying heat to a second region of the wearer's torso when worn.
In further embodiments, the system includes a spine connecting the lower torso wrap and the second wrap. The lower torso and second wraps may be secured to wearer's torso by wrapping them around the wearer's torso. In preferred embodiments, the second wrap may be movable up and down the spine to adjustably set the location of the second wrap corresponding to a desired spot on the torso of the wearer. In another embodiment, the second region of the wearer's torso is a shoulder region, and the second wrap is a heat-supplying shoulder strap.
In yet another configuration of the present invention the system further includes a third wrap spaced apart from and above the second torso wrap and adapted to hold one or more heating elements. The third wrap is for placement against and supplying heat to a third region of the wearer's torso when worn. In this configuration, the third wrap may also be movable up and down the spine to adjustably set its location corresponding to a desired spot on the torso and above the second wrap. Optionally, the second wrap may also be movable up and down the spine to adjustably set the location of the second wrap corresponding to a desired spot on the torso. This embodiment may also include a shoulder panel adapted to hold one or more heating elements, where the shoulder panel is for placement against and supplying heat to a shoulder region of the wearer's torso when the wrap system is worn.
In further optional details of the present invention, the one or more heating elements in the lower torso and second wraps may be integral with the wraps. Alternatively, the heating elements may be removable from the wraps and are adapted to be heated external to the system. The heating elements may be powered by one or more batteries connected to the wrap system. Preferably, the first and second wraps are adapted to supply compression forces on the regions of the torso the wraps engage.
In other embodiments of the invention, an adjustable heat wrap for a torso is disclosed. The wrap includes a heating wrap for wrapping around the torso of the wearer, and a pair of adjustable length shoulder straps, each strap having ends connected to the upper edge of opposite ends of the wrap, such that by adjusting the length of the shoulder straps, the heating wrap may be adjustably wrapped around a desired region of the wearer's torso.
A method for heat treating zones of a subject's torso is also disclosed by the present invention. In embodiments, the method includes the steps of first donning onto the torso an integrated, multizone, wrap system having a lower torso wrap and a second torso wrap spaced apart from and above the lower torso wrap, both wraps having therein one or more heating elements; then adjusting the location of the second torso wrap to a desired zone on the torso; securing the lower torso wrap and second torso wrap onto the torso; and electronically activating the wrap system to supply heat to the torso. In preferred embodiments, the activation of the wrap system supplies heat simultaneously from the lower torso wrap and second torso wrap to the torso, and the activation of the wrap system supplies heat selectively from the lower torso wrap and second torso wrap to the torso.
Further advantages of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art with the benefit of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding features throughout the several views.
The drawings show a number of features of the present inventive heat wrap device and system.
Turning to
Wrap 20 is spaced apart from and positioned over wrap 10 to treat another part of the wearer's torso. As seen in
As further seen in
It should also be understood that spine 40 is only one means for connecting the two wraps according to the present invention. Other means and mechanisms for connecting the two wraps so that the system or device is a single integrated unit can be implemented. For example, in place of spine 40, the upper wrap 20 may be permanently (or not permanently) connected to wrap 10 with a soft, pliable material, such as a breathable cloth or mesh fabric. This embodiment can enable the system to collapse into a relatively small package, which may be preferable when space saving is desired, such as for shipping or for travel. With any of these configurations, it is readily apparent that person 1 can be effectively “heat treated” at two torso spots or locations simultaneously.
Turning now to another embodiment of the present invention,
Because in this embodiment, middle torso panel wrap 220 and upper torso panel wrap 230 are not supported by shoulder straps, it is important that these wraps are firmly secured to their intended locations on torso 2′. Thus, in a presently preferred example, and by way of example and not limitation, the wrap 220 is securely closed in front at buckle 222 and in the back, on spine 240 with closure 260. A close-up of this closure mechanism is shown in
Turning to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Various changes, modifications, and alterations in the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention encompass such changes and modifications.
