BODY WRAP WITH SODIUM CARBONATE DOSAGE PACK

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a body wrap, for example, a knee wrap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Anecdotally, it has been suggested that topical application of soda crystals (also known as sodium carbonate decahydrate and hydrated sodium carbonate) to the human knee reduces swelling and relieves pain of injury, surgery, or disease. Commonly, a stocking, pillowcase or sock is filled with soda crystals and wrapped around the knee. However, such makeshift arrangements are inconvenient to use on a regular and extended basis because skin temperature melts the soda crystals, and the resulting sodium carbonate solution leaks away from the knee to where it can have no swelling reduction and/or pain relief benefit.

What is needed is a knee wrap which provides controlled and sustained topical release of sodium carbonate solution around the knee, and which retains the sodium carbonate solution on the skin of the knee where it can have a swelling reduction and/or pain relief benefit. It would be of further benefit to provide a knee wrap which provides compression to help stabilise the soft tissues about the knee during the controlled and sustained topical release of sodium carbonate solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a body wrap including at least one dosage pack retained on one side of absorbent sheet material having a length sufficient to wrap around a body part, wherein the at least one dosage pack contains a liquefiable and/or liquefied topical dosage form of sodium carbonate, and wherein wrapping the absorbent

sheet material around the body part with the at least one dosage pack against the body part generates a sustained-release topical dosage of sodium carbonate solution which is retained in position around the body part by the absorbent sheet material.

The liquefiable and/or liquefied topical dosage form of sodium carbonate can be selected from sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals, aqueous solutions of sodium carbonate, flowable compositions of sodium carbonate, and combinations thereof.

The at least one dosage pack can have at least one liquid permeable surface or at least one opening through which the sustained-release topical dosage of sodium carbonate solution is released.

The at least one liquid permeable surface or at least one opening can be selectively liquidly sealed by at least one removable seal.

At least one end of the absorbent sheet material can have at least one elasticised strap to compressively wrap the absorbent sheet material around the body part.

The at least one elasticised strap can be releasably fastenable to itself.

The absorbent sheet material can be rectangular with a length sufficient to wrap around a knee.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a body wrap of one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a partial side section through the body wrap; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the body wrap wrapped around a knee; and

Figure 4 is a section through the body wrap in position around the knee.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates a body wrap 10 of one embodiment of the invention configured as a knee wrap. It will be appreciated that other embodiments of the invention may also be configured to wrap other parts and/or joints of a body, for example, ankles, elbows, wrists, etc. The knee wrap 10 includes dosage packs 12 retained on one side of a rectangular, absorbent sheet material 14 having a length sufficient to wrap around a knee. The dosage packs 12 are provided as an integral array. The dosage packs 12 may also be provided on the absorbent sheet material 14 as individually separate and distinct elements. Two elasticised straps 16 are attached to one end of the absorbent sheet material 14. Releasable fastening tabs 18 are provided on the free ends of the elasticised straps 16. The elasticised straps 16 also have visual compression indicators (not shown) distributed over their length to indicate the compressive force applied when they are stretched around a knee. For example, the compression indicators are rectangles that transform into squares when a predetermined compressive force is applied by stretching the elasticised straps 16.

The absorbent sheet material 14 is made, for example, of a nonwoven fabric containing super absorbent fibres and cellulose fibres. The elasticised straps 16 are made, for example, of elasticised nonwoven fabric. The tabs 18 are, for example, hook fasteners that releasably fasten to the elasticised straps 16. The components of the wrap 10 are attached by, for example, fusing, sewing and/or gluing. The knee wrap 10 is provided as a disposable product and is packaged, for example, in a sealed polyethylene laminate barrier bag (not shown). Other equivalent materials and constructions may also be used for the knee wrap 10.

The dosage packs 12 contain a liquefiable and/or liquefied topical dosage form of sodium carbonate, for example, sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24. The sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 are alkaline crystals that endothermically melt at a melting point between around 32 and 33 degrees Centigrade. However, sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 often have poor flow properties since the crystals 24 may form larger aggregates during storage, handling and manufacturing of the dosage packs 12. Based on

these considerations, the topical dosage form of sodium carbonate is selected from sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 alone, sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 distributed in a viscous carrier gel or cream, sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 in an aqueous solution with water additional to the water of crystallisation, sodium carbonate solution, and combinations thereof.

The dosage packs 12 are each constituted by a skin facing layer 20 and a liquid impermeable layer 22 adjacent to the absorbent sheet material 14. The skin facing layer 20 is selectively liquidly sealed before use by a removable seal (not shown). In one embodiment, the skin facing layer 20 is a liquid permeable material, for example, a liquid permeable nonwoven fabric. In this embodiment, the removable seal is, for example, a removable liquid impermeable plastic film that sealingly covers the liquid permeable surface area of the skin facing layer 20. In an alternative embodiment, the skin facing layer 20 is a liquid impermeable material, for example, a liquid impermeable plastic. In this alternative embodiment, the skin facing layer 20 has one or more openings or perforations (not shown) that are sealingly covered before use by the removable seal. The openings or perforations are configured to provide controlled and sustained release of sodium carbonate solution from the dosage packs 12. For example, microperforations and/or a low perforation filter (not shown) are provided to control the rate of sustained- release of sodium carbonate solution from the dosage packs 12, as well as filtering impurities and/or particulates from the sodium carbonate solution.

To use the knee wrap 10, the removable seals (not shown) are first removed from the skin facing layer 20 of the dosage packs 12. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the absorbent sheet material 14 is then conformably wrapped around the knee with the dosage packs 12 against the skin of the knee. The absorbent sheet material 14 and the dosage packs 12 are compressively fastened around the knee by wrapping the elasticised straps 16 around the absorbent sheet material 14 and fastening the tabs 18 to the elasticised straps 16 themselves. The elasticised straps 16 are stretched until the rectangular compression indicators are transformed into squares so as to indicate that an appropriate predetermined compressive force has been applied to the soft tissues of the knee. The dosage packs 12

compressively positioned over the soft tissues of the knee then generate a sustained-release topical dosage of sodium carbonate solution which is retained in position around the knee by the absorbent sheet material. For example, when the dosage packs 12 contain sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24, the skin temperature at the knee is typically at, or soon reaches, around the melting point of the crystals 24 so that they begin to at least partially melt and liquefy. For example, the local skin temperature ranges between around 27 and 37 degrees Centigrade.

The dosage packs 12 therefore bathe the skin and soft tissues of the knee with alkaline sodium carbonate solution, whereupon the absorbent sheet material 14 retains the sodium carbonate solution in position to create an alkaline environment around the skin and soft tissues of the knee. The elastic straps 16 provide compression to help stabilise the soft tissues about the knee while the skin of the knee is bathed with the sodium carbonate solution.

Whilst it is not intended to be bound to any particular theory, it is believed that the alkalinity of the sodium carbonate solution may have a swelling reduction and/or pain relief benefit. It is also believed that cooling of the soft tissues about the knee resulting from endothermic melting of sodium carbonate decahydrate crystals 24 may contribute to the swelling reduction and/or pain relief benefit. When combined with RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) treatment, it is believed that the controlled and sustained topical release of sodium carbonate solution over and about the skin and soft tissues of the knee may reduce swelling and relieve pain of injury, surgery, or disease.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims which follow.