Patent ID: 7322952
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A support belt for reducing back injury comprising: a support belt body sized to fit about the lower trunk of a human user, said support belt body having a front designed to be worn along the front of the lower trunk of the human user, a back designed to be worn along the back of the lower trunk of the human user, and sides designed to be worn along the sides of the human user, said support belt body being composed of elastic material; first and second sets of protrusions disposed along the sides of the support belt body so as to press against the sides of the lower trunk of the human user during use, at positions substantially 90° and 270° from the human user's navel; wherein the protrusions in a set are disposed between approximately four millimeters and approximately seventy millimeters, measured center to center, from each other, have a height of from approximately one-eighth inch (3.175 millimeters) to approximately one inch (25.4 mm), and have a hemispherical shape; said protrusions of each set being of a size to apply pressure at multiple recognizably separate points along each side of the lower trunk of the human user, whereby the pressure applied by the protrusions continually stimulates the user's muscles and thereby reduces any tendency of the muscles of the back of the human user to overcompensate in response to sudden or unexpected loading events.