Abstract:
An ankle brace for comfortably supporting an ankle of a wearer by inhibiting motion between a foot and lower leg of the wearer. The ankle brace employs a laminated, moisture-wicking material for leg and foot portions that improves wearability during athletic activities. The leg and foot portions are combined with medial and lateral stays that are supported within pockets of the leg portion so as to provide medial and lateral stability for the ankle. A strapping unit is used to further improve stability with a pair of straps that are formed of the same piece of laminate material as the foot portion and extend upwards from the foot portion to cross over the ankle and attach to the leg portion. Advantageously, constructing the straps from the same piece of material as the foot portion eliminates fasteners and overlapping material and allows the ankle brace to be used with off-the-shelf footwear.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1) Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention is related to the field of orthopedic braces, and in particular, braces for supporting the ankle of a wearer during sports and other activities.  
           [0003]    2) Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    Over the past few decades participation in various sports activities by both men and women has experienced explosive growth. The increase in participation has also led to an increase in the incidence of sports-related injuries. Many of these activities require high-speed running with rapid directional changes, or “cutting,” such as soccer and football. Cutting motions subject an athlete&#39;s ankle joint to extremely large forces which may result in a traumatic injury. In addition, such forces over time tend to decrease the stability of the ankle joint by increasing the drawer, or range of anterior-posterior and medial-lateral sliding motion, of the foot with respect to lower leg. Instability in the ankle increases the risk of the eventual occurrence of a traumatic injury. Traumatic injury often occurs with inversion, or eversion, of the foot. Inversion occurs when the athlete plants her foot to resist a large lateral force and the athlete&#39;s foot rolls onto its lateral surface while the lower leg (or tibia) remains relatively upright. Eversion occurs in the opposite direction, where the athlete&#39;s foot rolls onto its medial surface. Both motions can result in a soft-tissue injury, such as a sprain, or even a bone fracture. For instance, inversion can result in a Weber fracture, which is a fracture of the distal fibula.  
           [0005]    Various taping methods have been developed to increase the stability of an already-injured, or unstable, ankle joint. The application of tape, however, takes a significant amount of time and effort and may result in reduced circulation in the foot which is uncomfortable for the wearer. In addition, the tape cannot be easily removed, and when removed cannot be reapplied or reused. As a solution to this, ankle braces have been developed that typically include a canvas or leather sleeve extending over the ankle similar to the upper of a high-top basketball shoe with a plurality of laces and eyelets for a tensioned closure. Despite the additional support provided by such braces, tightening and loosening of the laces can be burdensome. In addition, canvas and leather are not very breathable materials causing the buildup of moisture during activities and making the brace uncomfortable for the wearer.  
           [0006]    An ankle brace shown in FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) of U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,303 to Shiono discloses a main body  1  constructed of a laminated, three-layer fabric and including a lower leg covering portion  2  and a foot covering portion  4  between which is defined a heel opening  13 . The laminated fabric has a polyurethane, non-woven fabric as a core material, a “sweat-in” and “sweat-out” polyester fabric as the inner layer, and a polyamide stretch French pile as the outer layer. Two stretch belts  20 ,  21  extend over the foot and ankle and cross each other to attach to the French pile via VELCRO fasteners  20   a  and  21   a , as shown in FIG. 1 of Shiono. Also, binding belts  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  wrap around and secure the shank portion of the main body to the leg. A pair of molded stays  22 ,  24  are mounted to the main body under the binding belts, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of Shiono. The use of the laminated fabric for the main body improves the removal of moisture and sweat from the skin of the wearer. However, Shiono&#39;s ankle brace is too bulky for use with most footwear and therefore is of limited use to an active wearer wishing to prevent, as well as rehabilitate, an injury.  
           [0007]    Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an ankle brace that is not too bulky to be useable with footwear during athletic activities. In addition, it would be advantageous to have an ankle brace that is comfortable to wear, especially during activities requiring exertion that produces heat and moisture within the brace. Further, it would be advantageous to have an ankle brace that combines comfortable wear with sufficient support to prevent ankle injuries.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention addresses the above needs and achieves other advantages by providing an ankle brace for comfortably supporting an ankle of a wearer by inhibiting motion between a foot and lower leg of the wearer. A foot portion and leg portion of the ankle brace are formed of a laminated, moisture-wicking material that improves wearability during athletic activities. The leg and foot portions are combined with medial and lateral stays that are supported within pockets of the leg portion so as to provide medial and lateral stability for the ankle. A strapping unit is used to further improve stability via a pair of straps that are formed of the same piece of laminate material as the foot portion and extend upwards from the foot portion to cross over the ankle and attach to the leg portion. Advantageously, constructing the straps from the same piece of material as the foot portion eliminates fasteners and their attendant bulk and allows the ankle brace to be used with off-the-shelf footwear.  
           [0009]    In one embodiment, the present invention includes an ankle brace for comfortably supporting an ankle of a wearer by inhibiting motion between a foot and lower leg of the wearer. The ankle brace includes a leg portion constructed of a flexible sheet material configured to embrace the lower leg of the wearer and to extend distally along the lower leg to the ankle. The flexible sheet material defines an opening for receiving the lower leg of the wearer. Lateral and medial stays are constructed of a relatively rigid material and are configured to extend along portions of the lower leg, ankle and foot of the wearer. The lateral and medial stays are attached to the lateral and medial sides of the leg portion, respectively, so as to inhibit motion between the foot and lower leg of the wearer. The ankle brace also includes a strapping unit, comprising the aforementioned foot portion and a pair of cross-straps, constructed of a single piece of moisture-wicking, laminate sheet material. The foot portion is coupled to the leg portion at the ankle and is configured to extend along and under at least a portion of the foot. The cross-straps are configured to extend upwards from the foot portion and cross over each other at the ankle, attaching to the leg portion. Use of the strapping unit further inhibits relative motion of the foot and lower leg while the laminate sheet material wicks away moisture from the wearer&#39;s foot, ankle and lower leg.  
           [0010]    In one aspect of the invention, each of the stays can include a rib or ribs extending along the stay so as to increase its rigidity. Further, the stays may each define a notch that is sized and shaped to receive the malleolus of the wearer. The leg portion can further include lateral and medial pockets configured to hold the lateral and medial stays, respectively.  
           [0011]    Preferably, the laminate material includes an inner moisture-wicking ply, an outer elastic ply and a foam core between the inner and outer plies. The flexible sheet material of the leg portion may also be constructed of a laminate material having moisture-wicking properties. The leg and foot portions can be coupled by being stitched together along adjacent edges meeting at the ankle of the wearer.  
           [0012]    The ankle brace may also include one or more lower leg straps that extend around the leg portion so as to bind it to the lower leg of the wearer. In one embodiment, loop material is disposed on the leg portion to provide a surface for attachment of each of the straps having ends with a hook material disposed thereon.  
           [0013]    Wearer comfort, and the ability to insert the ankle brace into conventional footwear that has little front-to-back adjustability, can be further facilitated by the foot portion defining heel and toe openings.  
           [0014]    Among other advantages, the ankle brace of the present invention supports the wearer&#39;s ankle while having minimal bulk and therefore being useable with conventional footwear. Further, the use of a single piece of laminate material for the strapping system eliminates the need for overlapping material or fasteners to attach the cross-straps to the foot portion. Elimination of the overlap and fasteners further reduces bulk and facilitates use of the ankle brace with footwear. Use of a laminate material with wicking properties keeps the ankle, foot and lower leg of the wearer dry during athletic activities. The optional rib on each of the stays improves the stiffness of the stay without adding appreciable weight or bulk to the ankle brace. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)  
       [0015]    Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an ankle brace of the present invention secured to an ankle of a wearer;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the ankle brace of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is yet another perspective view of the ankle brace of FIG. 1, but opened and ready to receive the ankle of the wearer;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a relatively rigid stay of the present invention for use with the ankle brace shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of another stay of the present invention including a reinforcement rib;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a laminate material used to construct a strapping system of the ankle brace shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a laminate material used to construct a leg portion of the ankle brace shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the laminate material of the leg portion shown in FIG. 7, the stay of FIG. 4 and a stay cover shown in FIG. 2 holding the stay to the leg portion;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an ankle brace of the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the ankle brace of FIG. 9; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 is yet another perspective view of the ankle brace of FIG. 9, but opened and ready to receive the ankle of the wearer. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    The present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.  
         [0028]    An ankle brace  10  of one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ankle brace includes a leg portion  11  extending along and embracing a lower leg  50  of the wearer. A foot portion  12  wraps under a portion of a foot  52  of the wearer and is attached to the leg portion  11  approximately at an ankle of the wearer. Extending upwards from the foot portion  12  are a pair of cross-straps  13  that cross over the ankle and attach to opposite sides of the leg portion  11 . The ankle brace  10  is ambidextrous and can be used on either a left or right foot.  
         [0029]    The leg portion  11  is formed of a sheet of flexible material and in the illustrated embodiments has the shape of a cuff, defining a top edge  17  and a pair of opposing front edges  18 . The top edge  17  extends around the lower leg  50  of the wearer, preferably roughly at the midpoint of the lower leg, thereby encircling a large part of the wearer&#39;s calf. The pair of opposing front edges  18  extend downwards along the front of the wearer&#39;s shin and ankle. In combination, the top and front edges  17 ,  18  of the leg portion  11  define an opening for receiving the lower leg  50  therein in an embracing fit. The geometry of the leg portion  11  and its opening preferably allows it to fit a large number of persons, such as 20% of the female population and 95% of the male population. At a fit of 20% of the female population, the brace  10  forms about an 8 inch circle around the lower leg above the malleoli. At a fit of 95% of the male population, the brace forms about a 10 inch circle around the lower leg above the malleoli.  
         [0030]    Preferably, the leg portion  11  is constructed of a laminate having multiple plies, including a soft, moisture-wicking material as its inner, skin-adjacent ply  20  and an outer ply  21 , as shown in FIG. 7. The laminate of the leg portion  11  may also include a foam core  22  sandwiched between the skin-adjacent ply  20  and the outer ply  21 . Preferable materials for the outer ply  21 , core ply  22  and inner ply  20  are VELCRO laminates of ORTHOWICK (a lightly-napped tricot), 0.125 inch G45 and ORTHOWICK, respectively, or ORTHOWICK, 0.125 inch G45L (a urethane foam), tricot with zero stretch, respectively. Advantageously, the ORTHOWICK or tricot inner ply of the laminate is worn against the skin and has a low skin irritant, soft feel and moisture-wicking properties.  
         [0031]    The ankle brace  10  may include a leg strap  14  that encircles the top of the leg portion  11 , holding the front edges  18  together so that the leg portion  11  firmly embraces the lower leg  50  of the wearer. The leg strap  14  includes an elongate strip of material attached at one end to one of the front edges  18  and having a hook material pad or patch  16  on its other end. Optionally, on the opposite one of the front edges, across from the attachment of the leg strap  14 , a buckle  33  can be attached having an opening therethrough sized to receive the free end of the leg strap  14 , as shown in FIGS.  9 - 11 . Once passed through the buckle  33 , the strap  14  is reversed back on itself and pulled tight to draw the front edges  18  together. The strap  14  is wrapped around the leg  50  and its free end is secured via the hook material patch  16  to the loop material on a stay cover  19 , which is in turn attached to the outer ply  21  of the leg portion  11 .  
         [0032]    The stay cover  19  is supported on the medial and lateral sides of the leg portion  11  and forms pockets therewith, as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 10. The stay cover  19  is formed of a separate sheet attached via stitches  23  extending through the sheet and the material of the leg portion  11 . Preferably, the pockets formed by the stay cover  19  each have a shape congruent with the shape of one of a pair of stays  15 , as will be described hereinafter. More particularly, each of the pockets formed by the stay cover  19  extends downwards along the medial or lateral side of the lower leg  50  and curves forward along a portion of the foot  52  after passing over the ankle. Other shapes are possible for the pockets formed by the stay cover  19  depending upon the desired size and shape of the stays  15 . The stay cover is preferably constructed of an outer unbroken-loop material (UBL) that is VELCRO hook  88  compatible, a urethane backing and an inner, elastic liner preferably of DARLINGTON (MOORE) CG25530-1090 162 Black 62 elastic, as shown in FIG. 8. Although use of the stay cover  19  is preferred, the stays  15  can also be fastened, or secured, against the leg portion  11  using other devices, such as additional straps, pads of hook material on the stays or an overlying elastic sleeve.  
         [0033]    In the illustrated embodiment, each of the stays  15  has an “L-shape” (as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) and is configured to extend along a portion of the lower leg  50 , over the ankle and a portion of the foot  52  (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10) within a respective one of the pockets formed by the stay cover  19 , as shown in FIG. 8. In this manner, the stays  15  are rendered relatively immobile on the medial and lateral sides of the brace  10  and provide rigid reinforcement for the ankle. In addition, the stays  15  act as a supplement to the wearer&#39;s proprioception, allowing the wearer to sense and react to excessive inversion or eversion of the foot  52 . Preferably, the stays  15  are injection molded from a low density polyethylene, although other materials could also be used, such as lightweight metals, plastics or wood. The stays can also be stamped from a synthetic sheet material and can have other shapes depending upon the amount and location of needed support. Preferably, each of the stays has a thickness of about 0.090 inches.  
         [0034]    Optionally, each of the stays  15  may be shaped to accommodate the shape of the wearer&#39;s leg, ankle and foot anatomy. For instance, the stay may be curved at its upper end to follow the curve of the lower leg  50 , or may define a notch  24  at its rear (posterior) edge sized and shaped to correspond to the malleolus of the wearer. As another option, each of the stays  15  may include a rib  25  (or ribs) that further stiffen the stay against bending loads, as shown in FIG. 5. The rib or ribs may have different geometries and configurations, but preferably the rib is a single ridge extending along the portion of the stay adjacent to the lower leg  50  and ends at the portion of the stay over the ankle. Other configurations could include several parallel ribs extending along the leg-adjacent portion of the stay, and along the foot-adjacent portion. Preferably, the rib  25  or ribs have a relatively low profile that minimizes the bulkiness of the stays  15  and the stay cover  19 , thereby providing strength while still allowing use of the brace  10  with conventional footwear. For instance, the rib could be an additional 0.090 inches of thickness over the preferred 0.090 inches of thickness of the base stay material, for a total of 0.180 inches.  
         [0035]    The foot portion  12  and cross-straps  13  are preferably constructed from a single piece of laminate material and together form a strapping unit. Preferably, the single piece of laminate material is a two-axis stretch urethane laminate with an inner ply  34  of lightweight sueded polyester stretch French terry, a lightweight polyester outer jersey ply  35 , and a core polyurethane foam  36  sandwiched between the inner and outer plies, as shown in FIG. 6. The preferred thickness of the single piece laminate material is about 0.05 to 0.11 inches at 0.5 psi. Other laminate materials could also be used, provided that material is thin enough to allow the wearer to also wear a conventional shoe over the foot portion  12 , and strong enough to provide support, along with the leg portion  11  and the stays  15 , against inversion and eversion of the foot. Preferably, however, the laminate also includes the moisture-wicking, padding and elastic qualities of the above-described terry/foam/jersey laminate. The foot portion  12  and cross-straps  13  may also be constructed of separate pieces of laminate material joined together; although not as preferred as the single-piece strapping unit due to the need for stitching and/or overlap, the multi-piece strapping unit would still have moisture wicking properties.  
         [0036]    Similar to the leg portion  11 , the foot portion  12  of the illustrated embodiments has the shape of a cuff formed of a sheet material (the aforementioned laminate), except that the cuff extends under the foot  52  and upwards on both the medial and lateral sides of the foot to become the cross-straps  13  as shown in FIGS.  1 - 3  and  9 - 11 . A rearmost end of the foot portion attaches near the ankle to the medial and lateral sides of the leg portion  11  via lines of stitching  26 . Optionally, the leg portion  11  and foot portion  12  together define a heel opening  27  that receives a heel  54  of the wearer&#39;s foot  52 . In addition, the forward or anterior end of the foot portion  12  defines a toe opening  28  through which extends the toes  55  of the wearer&#39;s foot  52 . Advantageously, the heel and toe openings  27 ,  28  facilitate use of the brace  10  with most conventional footwear, which typically is not adjustable in the front-to-back direction. Optionally, the ankle brace  10  may include a tongue  31  constructed of a flexible material, such as LYCRA, that extends between the medial and lateral sides of the foot portion  12  and over the instep  56  of the foot  52 , as shown in FIG. 3. The tongue  31  serves to hold the opposing medial and lateral sides of the foot portion together and can protect the instep  56  of the foot somewhat from chafing by the cross-straps  13 . In addition, the tongue could also extend over the upper ankle or leg  50 .  
         [0037]    Each of the pair of cross-straps  13  extends at one end from, and as part of the same piece of material as, a respective medial or lateral side of the foot portion  12 . The other end of each of the pair of cross-straps  13  includes a hook material pad  29 . When the ankle brace  10  is being worn, the cross-straps  13  extend upwards over the respective medial and lateral top surfaces of the foot  52  and cross over each other at the instep and/or anterior ankle.  
         [0038]    After crossing, each of the cross-straps  13  wraps around, and attaches to, an opposite side of the leg portion  11  via the hook material pad  29 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. Each hook material pad  29  attaches to the loop material on the outside of the stay cover  19 . The lateral one of the cross-straps  13  extends upwards from the lateral side of the foot  52  and attaches to the medial side of the leg portion  11 , while the medial one of the cross-straps  13  does the opposite. Either one of the straps  13  may be on the outside and the strapping unit will still be equally effective at securing the ankle brace  10 .  
         [0039]    During use, the wearer pulls apart the opposing front edges  18  of the leg portion  11  to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 or  11 , and slides the foot  52  into the foot portion  12 , under the flexible tongue  31  (if present such as in the embodiment in FIG. 3), until the toes  55  extend through the toe opening  28  and the heel  54  extends through the heel opening  27 . Meanwhile the leg portion  11  is pulled up onto about the mid-point of the lower leg  50 . The cross-straps  13  are crossed over each other at the instep  56  and anterior portion of the ankle. The cross-straps are pulled tight and the hook material pad  29  at the end of each of the cross-straps is attached to the hook-engageable stay cover  19  on the medial or lateral side of the leg portion  11  opposite from the side of the foot portion  12  on which the respective strap originated. At the top of the leg portion  11 , the free end of the lower leg strap  14  is threaded outwards through the buckle  33  on the opposite one of the opposing edges  18  and wrapped back on itself. The leg strap  14  is extended around the leg portion  11 , pulled tight to hold the edges  18  together, and the hook material  16  on its free end is secured to the adjacent loop material on the hook engageable stay cover  19 . The wearer is then free to insert the foot  52  and ankle brace  10  into a running shoe, or other athletic footwear for support during activities.  
         [0040]    Among other advantages, the ankle brace  10  of the present invention supports the wearer&#39;s ankle while having minimal bulk and therefore being useable with conventional footwear. Further, the use of a single piece of laminate material for the strapping system eliminates the need for overlapping material or fasteners to attach the cross-straps  13  to the foot portion  12 . Elimination of the overlap and fasteners further reduces bulk and facilitates use of the ankle brace  10  with footwear. Use of a laminate material with wicking properties keeps the ankle, foot  52  and lower leg  50  of the wearer dry during athletic activities. The optional rib  25  on each of the stays  15  improves the stiffness of the stay without adding appreciable weight or bulk to the ankle brace  10 .  
         [0041]    Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.