Torsion control harness

A soft-tissue correctional aide supported at the hips and shoulders and including a plurality of resilient straps which mount to shoes or other anchoring appliances containing mating fasteners. The straps are trainable about the hips and legs to the anchor fasteners to provide a relatively constant correctional bias, yet permit normal body movement. A length adjustable belt anchors the assembly to the waist and a pair of length adjustable suspenders anchor the belt to the shoulders. The straps mount directly to the belt or to one or more sleeves supported along the belt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to exo-skeleton or soft-tissue supports and, 
in particular, to an under or over garment harness or "dynamic splint" for 
correcting walking posture. 
Fillauer bars, Denis-Browne bars, Brackman skates, counter splints and 
Ganley splints have all been used to correct various types of rotational 
or positional deformities. McCrea, J. D., of Pediatric Orthopedics of the 
Lower Extremity pp. 330-332. (Futura Publishing Co, 1985) Each of these 
devices generally includes a rigid bar or extension and means for securing 
the bar between the feet of a user to correct a soft tissue deformity. The 
splints are normally worn during sleep which can produce inconvenience to 
the patient and those attending the patient and especially when used with 
minor children. 
A "twister cable" assembly is also disclosed which binds individual cables 
at the knees with a separate attachment at the shoes. Cable tension is 
adjusted at the leg attachment straps. 
Due to the inherent rigidity of the bars and cables of the above present in 
appliances, these devices have not been found to be particularly conducive 
to use with children. The activity levels of children demands a more 
elastic restraint to accommodate dynamic activity, both during sleep and 
while awake. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
dynamic exo-skeleton or soft-tissue brace or splint means for providing a 
therapeutic bias to a preferred body part, with minimal interference to 
normal activity and use of the affected limb. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a brace which anchors to 
a trunk portion of the body and provides a resilient and directionally 
sustainable pressure to various portions of the body whereat an opposite 
end of the restraint is secured. 
It is a further object of the invention to anchor the brace to the hips and 
shoulders. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a brace including a 
plurality of length adjustable, elastic members which can be selectively 
trained about the body trunk to mount to anchor means provided at selected 
other body parts. 
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an assembly which 
provides a wide range of adjustment and fitting to users of different 
sizes and shapes. 
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a launderable 
assembly. 
Various of the foregoing objects and advantages are particularly obtained 
in one presently preferred construction which includes a belt and to which 
are appended a suspenders assembly and a plurality of elastic torsion 
control straps. The belt comprises a wide-width web member and contains 
Velcro fasteners. Strap ends of the suspenders assembly extend from the 
belt and mate with one another at length adjustment fasteners. The 
relative mounting of the belt and suspenders can be adjusted to fit a 
variety of body shapes and sizes. 
Secured directly to the belt or to sleeves adjustably mounted along the 
belt are a plurality of length adjustable, elastic torsion control straps. 
Each strap includes length adjustment means and fastener means for 
securing the straps to an anchor means separately secured to a body part 
whereat correctional adjustment is desired. In the preferred embodiment, 
the fasteners mount to inner and outer, fastener containing surfaces of a 
pair of shoes. The straps, in turn, may be wrapped about the hips and legs 
to provide internally or externally directed torsion control. 
Still other objects, advantages and distinctions of the invention will 
become more apparent upon reference to the following detailed description 
with respect to the appended drawings. The description is intended to be 
illustrative only of presently considered constructions and various 
improvements and modifications thereto. The description should not be 
strictly construed, but rather should be interpreted within the scope of 
the following appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective drawing is shown of an under-garment 
assembly 2 as it appears when normally fit to a typical user (shown in 
phantom). FIG. 2 further depicts the assembly 2, when removed from the 
user. 
Generally, the assembly 2 provides a length adjustable belt 4 and to which 
is secured a pair of length adjustable suspenders assembly 6 and a 
plurality of tensioning strap assemblies 8. In normal use, the belt 4 is 
fit to the waist of the user and the suspenders 6 are secured about the 
user's shoulders. Appropriate length adjustments are made to properly fit 
the belt 4 to the waist and the suspenders 6 to the shoulders. 
Extending from the belt 4 are individual tension control straps 8. The 
straps 8 can be affixed at a single or multiple locations along the belt 4 
and may either be permanently or removably mounted to the belt 4. For the 
arrangement shown, the straps 8 extend from the belt 4 and behind the 
waist and hips of the user to wrap over the forward surfaces of the shins 
and clip to outside fasteners mounted to a pair of shoes 12 (reference 
FIGS. 3 and 4). A corresponding external, torsional pressure is thus 
applied about the legs of the user to induce the feet to point inward and 
correct for an out-toeing condition. Alternatively, the straps 8 can be 
trained about the front surfaces of the thighs and attach to inside 
fasteners 10 provided at each shoe. An internal torsional adjustment is 
thereby provided to correct for an in-toeing condition. Numerous other 
strap mountings can be effected as necessary to correct for other soft 
tissue misalignment. Depending upon the condition, the straps 8 may be 
secured to different locations of the shoe. The details of the particular 
mounting will become more apparent below. 
The specific torsional tension is determined from the relative length 
established for each strap 8 and the elasticity of each strap. Provided 
the user maintains an erect posture, a substantially constant force 
induces an opposite, sustained corrective force to realign the related 
body part to which the ends of the straps 8 are secured. The elasticity of 
the straps 8 not only accommodate the required torsional correction but 
also normal body movements of the affected limbs, such as during walking. 
The assembly 2 may also be worn during sleep. 
Although the assembly 2 is configured to mount to a pair of shoes 12, other 
anchoring appliances, such as a cuff assembly 14 of FIG. 5, can be fitted 
to other limb parts to receive the straps 8. For example, with the 
mounting of one or more cuffs 14, the straps 8 might be secured to the 
wrists, elbows, knees, shoulders or still other body parts which are 
maladjusted. Related fasteners 10 appended to the cuff 14 receive the 
straps 8, when properly trained about the body trunk to appropriately 
direct the corrective forces. 
While the suspenders 6 further stabilize the anchoring of the assembly 2 to 
the body, on occasion, they can be deleted and the belt 4 used alone. 
Preferably, multiple anchor points stabilize and distribute the 
counter-forces of the straps 8 at the reference end over a large body 
area. The active end of the straps 8 otherwise are secured in specific 
relation to the body part being corrected. User comfort and the "wear 
time" of the assembly 2 is thereby increased. 
With attention to FIG. 2, the belt 4 particularly comprises a length of a 
durable and/or corded material, such as heavy canvas, having a web width 
in the range of two to four inches. The cut ends or edges of the material 
are hemmed to prevent fraying. Provided along inner and outer mating 
surfaces of the belt 4 are pieces 16 and 17 of mating hook and loop Velcro 
fastener material and whereby the length of the belt 4 can be adjusted, 
depending upon the amount of overlap. 
Permanently hemmed along the upper periphery of the belt 4 are the 
suspenders 6. Secured along each suspender 6 are looped adjusters 18, 
whereby the suspender length may be tailored to the body trunk. 
Alternatively, the suspenders 8 may either be deleted from the belt 4 or 
detachably secured thereto in the fashion of the assembly 34 of FIG. 6. 
Anchored at common hem points along the sides of the lower edges of the 
belt 4 are pairs of tension control straps 8. The mounting position of the 
straps may be varied as desired relative to the condition to be treated. 
The straps 8 may also all be hemmed to a common location, such as the 
center of the belt 4. The straps 8 can also include length adjusters 18 
(reference FIGS. 5 and 6) or not (reference FIGS. 1 and 2). 
If not included and depending upon the mounting location of the straps 8, 
the strap length is controlled by varying the number of wraps and the 
location of the wraps along the body trunk. Secured to the outer ends of 
each strap 8 are safety clip fasteners 20 which mate with the D-fasteners 
10 appended to the shoes 12. Other types of fasteners 20 may be secured to 
the shoes 12 and straps 8. 
In lieu of mounting the straps 8 to shoes 12 (reference FIGS. 3 and 4), 
FIG. 5 depicts an anchor cuff 14. Like the belt 4, the cuff 14 is length 
adjustable and can be secured to selected limbs or portions of the 
exo-skeleton, such as the wrists, elbows, ankles, or knees. Each cuff 14 
provides a web of material, such as leather or fabric of two to six inches 
in width and whereto fasteners 10 are secured which retain the straps 8. 
Mating Velcro fasteners 24 sewn to the body of the cuff 22 permit length 
adjustment. 
An example of one use of the cuff 14 might encompass a circumstance where 
torsional adjustment is required to the arms. For this circumstance, the 
belt 4 can be raised to mount beneath the arm pits and wherefrom the 
straps 8 can be appropriately trained about the arms to mount to anchor 
cuffs 14 secured along the arms. 
With attention lastly directed to FIGS. 6 and 7, an over-garment assembly 
30 is depicted. This assembly uses a conventional leather belt 32 and 
whereto one or more torsion sleeve assemblies 34 are slideably mounted. 
The sleeve assembly 34 is constructed of a length of leather which is 
hemmed to a tubular sleeve 36 that is sized to mount over the belt 32. 
Also hemmed to the sleeve 36 are individual length adjustable tension 
straps 38. Each strap 38 is looped in relation to an active end mounted 
clip fastener 20 and an intermediate length adjuster 18. Each strap 38 can 
be separately length adjusted to the individual to appropriately direct 
correctional forces when wrapped about the body trunk. 
Removably secured otherwise to the belt 4 are individual suspenders 40. 
Each suspender 40 can be separately length adjusted via an adjuster 18. 
Hinged clips 42 secure the front of the suspenders to the belt and loops 
44 secure the back of each suspender to the belt 32. 
While the invention has been described with respect to various presently 
considered constructions, improvements and modifications thereto, it is to 
be appreciated that still other configurations might suggest themselves to 
those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the 
following appended claims should be interpreted to include all those 
equivalent embodiments within the spirit and scope thereof.