Back Brace Belt and Apparatus and Method of Belt Length Adjustment Therefore

Abstract

A back brace includes: a back plate; left and right cord plates each slidably mounted to left and right sides of the back plate, respectively, and to which first and second flexible belt members are respectively secured; and a cord guide arrangement for each plate to particularly direct first and second cords. Each of the left and right cord plates include a pair of concentric cord guides, each of which are formed of a circular segment that is 180 degrees or less. The first cord is selectively wound around the pair of concentric cord guides on the upper portions of the left and right cord plates, while the second cord is selectively wound around the pair of concentric cord guides on the lower portion of the cord plates, so pulling on the cords provides a mechanical advantage to buckle the plate to exert a compressive force on the patient's torso.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A handle member, said handle member configured to permit adjustment to a length of cord that would be usable to apply tension to a back brace around a waist of a wearer, said handle member comprising:
 a base, said base comprising: a periphery with a geometric shape;   a leg, said leg configured to protrude away from a center portion of a first side of said base to a distal end;   a cover member; a portion of said cover member fixedly secured to said distal end of said leg; said cover member comprising: a flexible material; said cover member comprising: a geometric shape and being configured to flex between a first position and a second position; wherein when said cover member is flexed into said first position, a perimeter of said geometric shape of said cover member is substantially coterminous with said periphery of said base; wherein when said cover member is flexed into said second position, said perimeter of said cover member is positioned distally from said base to expose said leg, and temporarily form an annular opening between said periphery of said base and said perimeter of said cover member, to permit winding of the cord through said annular opening onto said leg; and   an opening in each of said base, said leg, and said flexible cover; said opening configured to accommodate a finger of the wearer during tensioning of the back brace.   
     
     
         16 . The back brace according to  claim 15 , wherein each said handle member comprises: a post, said post configured to protrude away from said first side of said base at a position being distal from said leg; said post configured to permit securement thereto of the cord of the back brace. 
     
     
         17 . The back brace according to  claim 16 , wherein each said handle member comprises: a hook material, said hook material fixedly secured to a second side of said bas; said hook material configured to releasably secure to a loop material on the back brace. 
     
     
         18 . A back brace comprising:
 a first flexible belt member;   a second flexible belt member;   a back plate, said back positioned between said first flexible belt member and said second flexible belt member; said back plate shaped to support a lower back region of a wearer; said back plate comprising: a plurality of openings, said plurality of openings being oriented in a vertical direction; and   a vertical adjustment plate; said vertical adjustment plate comprising: a plurality of protrusions configured to releasably secure to a portion of said plurality of openings in said back plate at a plurality of different height-adjusted positions.   
     
     
         19 . The back brace according to  claim 18 , wherein said vertical adjustment plate is configured to releasably couple to said back plate by a plurality of protrusions on said vertical adjustment pate being received within a corresponding plurality of openings in said back plate. 
     
     
         20 . The back brace according to  claim 19 , further comprising a front plate secured to one or more of said first flexible belt member, and said second flexible belt member.