Cervical Collar Having Means For Providing A Plurality Of Different Angular Positions

Abstract

A cervical collar for immobilizing a wearer's head while supporting the head and neck in a predetermined angular position such as the neutral position of the cervical vertebrae. The collar comprises a central core of a substantially stiff, porous, resilient foam material with a porous fabric outer covering. A pair of Velcro fasteners are secured at the ends of the collar to retain the collar in a circular arrangement about the wearer's neck. The Velcro fasteners cover a substantial area on the ends of the collar to permit the ends to be engaged in a variety of angular relationships whereby the angular position in which the wearer's head and neck are supported may be varied.

Description

This invention relates to orthopedic appliances and more specifically to a novel cervical collar.

The use of cervical collars in the treatment of various neck injuries and pathological disorders is well-known in the medical art. The collar basically functions to immobilize the wearer's head while supporting the head and neck to relieve strain upon the neck muscles. In performing its intended function, it is often desirable that the collar be adjustable such that the wearer's head may be supported in a variety of positions depending on the nature of the injury. In this regard, it is often desirable that the cervical vertebrae of the spine be supported in a neutral position whereby no strain is placed upon the neck muscles.

It is also desirable that the collar be not only sufficiently stiff or rigid to provide the desired support, but also sufficiently soft and resilient to minimize the discomfort to the wearer. In addition, the collar should be porous or breathable to permit air circulation to the wearer's skin beneath the collar.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a cervical collar having provision for adjustment whereby the wearer's head may be tilted and supported in a variety of angular positions.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a cervical collar having sufficient stiffness or rigidity to be therapeutically effective, together with sufficient softness and resilience to be comfortable. Also, the collar has sufficient porosity to permit ventilation through the collar and to thereby reduce the level of warmth about the wearer's neck and permit the escape of perspiration.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved in the embodiment illustrated herein by the provision of a cervical collar comprising an elongate body member which comprises a substantially stiff, porous, core of resilient foam material and a porous fabric outer covering. Fastening means, such as cooperating Velcro units, are mounted at the ends of the body member to retain the collar in a circular arrangement about the wearer's neck. The Velcro units may be secured together in a plurality of angular relationships such that the wearer's head may be selectively tilted forward or backward by adjustment of the angular relationship of the end portions of the body member.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one side of a cervical collar embodying the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the opposite side of the collar shown in Figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing a cervical collar of the present invention in use about a wearer's neck and illustrating the head and neck being supported in one angular position;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the collar shown in FIG. 3 and illustrating the angular relationship of the end portions of the collar for the head position shown in Figure 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 3 showing a cervical collar of the present invention in use about a wearer's neck and illustrating the head and neck being supported in a different angular position;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the collar shown in FIG. 5 and illustrating the end portions of the collar for the head position shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 7--7 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 8--8 of FIG. 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 broadly indicates a cervical collar made in accordance with the present invention and comprising a body member having a medial portion 12 and opposing end portions 14 and 14a. The medial portion 12 is of sufficient length to at least substantially encircle the neck of a wearer, with the end portions then being overlapped. The body member comprises a core broadly indicated at 16 (FIG. 7), a porous fabric outer covering 18 and securing means 20 and 20a in the form of Velcro fasteners mounted on opposite sides of the collar at the end portions 14 and l4a respectively. To apply the collar, it is merely necessary to wrap the body member about the wearer's neck with the end portions overlapping at the rear of the neck. The collar is secured in this circular arrangement by merely pressing the Velcro fasteners together.

In the preferred embodiment, the core 16 is formed from discrete particles 22 of polyurethane foam bonded together with a suitable binder. The material has a density of about 6 pounds per cubic foot to thereby provide a desirable degree of stiffness or rigidity, and yet be sufficiently soft and resilient to provide adequate comfort to the wearer. Also, the core is porous to permit the passage of ventilating air to the surface of the skin beneath the collar. A material of this nature is further described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,785, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. The outer covering 18 may comprise any conventional fabric material, such as knit cotton fabric, and is preferably stitched directly to the core 16 by stitches 24 which serve to prevent shifting of the covering relative to the core.

The vertical height or width of the body member will be seen to be substantially uniform along the entire longitudinal extent of the collar and generally corresponds to the length of the wearer's neck. In this regard, the upper and lower side edges, 12a and 12b respectively, are substantially parallel and are curved in a conforming sinusoidal manner in the longitudinal direction to provide a serpentine configuration. This permits the collar to more closely conform to the anatomy of a wearer's shoulders and lower chin when positioned about the neck.

The transverse thickness of the core 16 is substantially constant along the medial portion, and will be seen to taper from the thickness of the medial portion to a minimum thickness at the remote outer end of each end portion l4 and l4a, note FIG. 8. Such tapering permits the bulk of the collar at the overlapping end portions to be reduced.

In the illustrated embodiment, two vertically spaced apart pairs of Velcro fastening units are secured, as by stitching, at each end portion of the collar. The units extend longitudinally inwardly for substantially the entire extent of the end portions, and together they cover a substantial portion of the entire area of the end portions. By this arrangement, the collar is circularly adjustable to fit varying neck sizes, and the overlapping end portions may be secured together in a plurality of angular relationships, without significantly reducing the effective gripping area of the fasteners, compare FIGS. 4 and 6.

When the end portions are angularly positioned in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be observed that the upper side edge 12a of the overlapping end portions will tend to press against the upper neck and thus tilt the wearer's head somewhat forward. The overlapping end portions are shown in an aligned configuration in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the wearer's head is supported in a more natural or neutral position. Similarly, if the end portions are positioned in an angular relationship opposite to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (i.e. downwardly), the head will be tilted somewhat backward. By this arrangement, the collar may be easily and quickly adjusted to support the head in the most desirable angular positions.

Velcro fastening units of the type illustrated in the present invention are well-known commercially and are further described in U. S. Pat. No. 3,009,235 issued November 21, 1961. Suffice it to say for present purposes that the two units are adapted to form a secure connection when they are placed in face to face relationship and pressed together. They may be released by peeling the two units apart.

In the drawing and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation:

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A cervical collar for immobilizing a wearer's head while supporting the head and neck in any of several predetermined angular positions such as that corresponding to a neutral position of the cervical vertebrae, said collar comprising

an elongate body member comprising a porous core of bonded discrete particles of polyurethane foam having a density of approximately 6 pounds per cubic foot and a porous knit fabric covering substantially enclosing said core and conforming substantially to the configuration thereof, said body member comprising a medial portion of substantially uniform thickness and end portions at opposite ends of said medial portions of decreasing thickness from said medial portions to the outer ends thereof, said medial portion and said end portions having a substantially uniform width, said body member having substantially parallel upper and lower side edges which are curved in a conforming sinusoidal manner to provide said body portion with a serpentine configuration and being of sufficient length to encircle the wearer's neck with said end portions overlapped, and

fastening means for securing said body member in encircling relation to the wearer's neck and for varying the angular position in which the wearer's head and neck are supported whereby a neutral position of the cervical vertebrae may be achieved, said fastening means comprising vertically spaced apart pairs of Velcro units mounted on said end portions of said body member and extending substantially throughout the length and width thereof for securing said collar about the neck of a wearer with said end portions in overlapping relation, said Velcro units being securable together with said end portions in a plurality of different angular positions.

2. An air permeable cervical collar for immobilizing a wearer's head while supporting the head and neck in a predetermined angular position such as that corresponding to the neutral position of the cervical vertebrae, said collar comprising

an elongate body member comprising a substantially stiff porous core of resilient foam material and a porous fabric covering substantially enclosing said core, said body member comprising a medial portion of sufficient length to at least substantially encircle the neck of a wearer and end portions which are overlapped when said collar is placed about a wearer's neck, said medial portion and said end portions having a substantially uniform width corresponding to the length of a wearer's neck, and

fastening means for securing said body member in encircling relation to a wearer's neck and for varying the angular position in which the wearer's head and neck are supported whereby a neutral position of the cervical vertebrae may be achieved, said fastening means comprising cooperating Velcro fastening units mounted on said end portions and covering a substantial portion of the entire area of said end portions whereby the fastening units are securable in a plurality of angular relationships to vary the angular position in which the wearer's head and neck is supported.

3. A cervical collar for immobilizing a wearer's head while supporting the head and neck in any of several predetermined angular positions, such as that corresponding to a neutral position of the cervical vertebrae, said collar comprising

an elongate body member comprising a substantially stiff porous core of resilient foam material and a porous fabric covering substantially enclosing said core, said body member comprising a medical portion and end portions and being of sufficient length to encircle the neck of a wearer with the end portions overlapped and having a substantially uniform width corresponding to the length of a wearer's neck for supporting a wearer's head and neck from both front, sides and back in any of said several angular positions, and

fastening means for securing said body member in encircling relation to a wearer's neck and for varying the angular position in which the wearer's head neck are supported whereby a neutral position of the cervical vertebrae may be achieved, said fastening means comprising cooperating fastener elements carried by respective end portions of said body member and extending substantially throughout the length and width thereof and being securable together in a plurality of different angular positions.

4. A cervical collar as defined in claim 3 wherein medial portion is of substantially uniform thickness and said end portions are of decreasing thickness from said medial portion to the outer ends thereof.

5. The cervical collar as defined in claim 3 wherein said fastening means comprises vertically spaced apart pairs of cooperating Velcro units.

6. A cervical collar as defined in claim 3 wherein said body member has generally parallel upper and lower side edges and said side edges are curved in a conforming sinusoidal manner to provide a serpentine configuration in said body member.

7. A cervical collar as defined in claim 6 wherein said core of foam material comprises bonded discrete particles of polyurethane foam having a density of approximately 6 pounds per cubic foot.

8. A cervical collar as defined in claim 7 wherein said fastening means comprises pairs of cooperating Velcro units mounted on said end portions of said body member.