Patent Application
20170100279
The present invention relates to an apparatus for securing an item next to a human body. More particularly, the present invention is directed at a therapeutic device for applying and securing an ice pack in order to provide ice therapy to a portion of the human body.
Conventional approaches to treating back pain have long included the use of prescription medications, surgery, hot and cold therapy, chiropractic manipulation, physical therapy, or a combination of some or all of these methods. Surgery can be successful at reducing or eliminating back pain, but surgery is invasive, expensive, and can lead to complications and other adverse side effects.
Medications are commonly prescribed to manage the pain symptoms, but in most cases they do not treat any underlying cause of the pain. Medications can also cause allergic reactions and other adverse side effects, and in the case of some painkillers, the medications themselves can be habit forming and addictive. Furthermore, persons who have suffered from dependence in the past cannot use many of the most commonly prescribed medications.
Current therapeutic solutions consist of applying heat or cold over a broad area, taking the generic approach that heating or cooling the entire area offers some benefit to the affected area. Furthermore, current broadly applied cold therapy products often don't get cold enough or retain their cold temperatures long enough to provide meaningful reduction in inflammation.
What is needed is a non-invasive, non-surgical, medication free, therapeutic solution that can apply cold therapy that targets pain sources such as inflamed, displaced, or herniated discs, and/or swollen muscles and tissue in and around the spinal column. Additionally, this solution needs to reach lower temperatures and retain these temperatures long enough to supply meaningful reduction in inflammation, thereby treating the cause of and reducing back pain.
Provided is an apparatus and a method of use for securing an object to a human body comprising: a first belt, wherein the first belt further comprises a central portion; a second belt, wherein the second belt further comprises a pouch for holding an associated ice pack; and, an associated ice pack; wherein the central portion of the first belt comprises insulating material with a first bolster and a second bolster; and, wherein the first and second belt further comprise a fastening means to secure the first belt and second belt to a human body.
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In order to properly utilize the two-piece belt 10 for cold therapy relief, the ice pack 18 can be chilled in a conventional freezer at temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit for a period between 4 to 8 hours. At this point, the user can remove the ice pack 18 from the freezer and insert the ice pack 18 into the pouch 50 with such an orientation as to match the shape of the ice pack 18 to the shape of the pouch 50. Once the ice pack 18 is fully inserted into the pouch 50, the user places the two-piece belt 10 around his or her waist, making certain to position the pouch 50 containing the ice pack 18 over the desired treatment area, and fastens the inner belt 12 using the hook and loop fasteners. Once the inner belt 12 is properly placed and fastened, the outer belt 14 can be adjusted for comfort and fastened to the inner belt 12 using the hook and loop closures. In this position, the two-piece belt 10 delivers concentrated cold therapy directly to the spinal column to treat the source of pain. The insulating function of the foam that comprises the center portion 16 of the two-piece belt 10 and the larger mass of the ice pack 18 can prevent cold loss to the environment. According to one embodiment, the ice pack 18 can retain therapeutically effective temperatures for up to 40 minutes, which can be up to double the maximum amount of time (20 minutes) recommended for meaningful reduction in inflammation and pain relief
The bolsters 30, 40, and the shape of the pouch 50 can function to maintain the shape of the ice pack 18 to prevent the ice pack 18 from flattening out which keeps the cold therapy treatment focused on the desired treatment area and minimizes cold loss to surrounding tissues and structures that are not intended to be treated. In a preferred version of the invention, the distance between the bolsters 30, 40, is less than the width of the ice pack 18 when it is flattened out.
The inner belt 12 and outer belt 14 of the two-piece belt 10 also provide the added benefit of providing support to the back and spinal column during therapeutic treatment.
When used according to the claimed method, the present invention can provide a longer lasting, more meaningful reduction in inflammation and pain without the use of medications, the intrusiveness of surgery, or the side effects associated with these methods of treatment.
Having thus described the invention, it is now claimed:
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62239516 | Oct 2015 | US |
