The present invention relates to a limb support assembly for use with persons with physical conditions of the limbs, and particularly legs, which do not fully extend or flex due to muscle contraction.

People with certain physical conditions may not have full extension capabilities in their legs to the extent that the legs are permanently bent at the knees. In addition, the legs may naturally orient with the knees directed together or apart to a greater degree than the normal accepted range.

To assist such people, particularly when they are supine position, supports are available and provide support for the legs at the knee. These supports, commonly referred to as T-rolls are used primarily, but not exclusively, to aid posture and position of the body when lying in a supine position.

T-rolls are a T-shaped having three arms at right-angles to each other so that two of the arms are collinear and a third is orthogonal to these other two limbs. A person can lie down with the two collinear arms underneath the respective knees with the orthogonal arm extend between the persons knee. The arms are circular in cross section.

Choosing the correct size of T-roll is important. Size will depend on the height of the person and the available range of movement at hips and knees. The size includes, not only the lengthways dimensions of the arms but also the diameter of the arms.

If, or when, a person's condition changes, then it is necessary to buy another size of T-roll.

This can be expensive.

According to the present invention, there is provided a limb support assembly comprising a T-shaped body portion having first, second and third arms extending orthogonally to each other such that the first and second arms are collinear and the third arm is perpendicular to the first and second collinear arms, each of the first, second and third arms have at least one spacer member configured for concentric arrangement around the respective first, second and third arms.

The at least one spacer member is demountable from the respective first, second and third arms so as to removable and repositioned as required.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spacer member for a limb support assembly, the limb assembly comprising a T-shaped body portion having first, second and third arms extending orthogonally to each other such that the first and second arms are collinear and the third arm is perpendicular to the first and second collinear arms, wherein the spacer member is configured for concentric arrangement around the respective first, second and third arms.

Each of the first, second and third arms may have two or more spacer members arranged around the respective first, second, and third arms, whereby a first spacer member of the two or more spacer members is concentrically arranged around the respective first, second and third arms, and further spacer members of the two or more spacer members are concentrically arranged around the first spacer member.

The spacer members may be hollow cylinders. Alternatively, the spacer members may comprise a sheet of flexible material that can be bent and conformed to a cylindrical shape and held in the cylindrical shape by means of a securing mechanism. This locking mechanism may be a hook and loop fastener, or a press stud arrangement.

The spacer members may be made from a rigid foam material and may be covered in a fabric material. The spacer members and the T-shaped body portion may be made from either a closed cell foam, an open cell high-density foam or a viscoelastic foam. The fabric material may a vapour permeable fabric, a four way stretch water proof wipe clean fabric and/or a polyester/jacquard-based fabric. The fabric may be a natural or a synthetic fabric. In the limb support assembly, the spacer members may be made of different materials.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing support for a limb, the method comprising the steps of: providing a limb support assembly under the knees of a person, the limb support assembly including a T-shaped body portion having first, second and third arms extending orthogonally to each other such that the first and second arms are collinear and the third arm is perpendicular to the first and second collinear arms, and providing a spacer member on at least one of the first, second and third arms, the spacer member being configured for concentric arrangement around the respective first, second and third arms.

The invention has the advantage of being able to change the diameter of each of the first, second and third arms to adapt to requirements. The further advantage is that each diameter can be changed independently of the others. This means that the assembly can be used with different individuals or with the same individual as their requirements change.

The assembly can also be used to assist in the therapeutic management of limb

construction conditions, for example, be helping to increase the limb extension stage by stage.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following figures:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a limb support assembly;

Figure 2 is a cross-section through the limb support assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 a schematic illustration of a body portion of the limb support assembly of Figure l ;

Figure 4A is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a spacer member for the limb support assembly; and Figure 4B is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of a spacer member for the limb support assembly. A limb support assembly 1 includes a T-shaped body portion 2 which comprises a first arm 3, a second arm 4 and a third arm5. The three arms 3, 4, 5 extend orthogonally to each other such that the first arm 3 and the second arm 4 are collinear and have a longitudinal axis X. The third arm 5 is perpendicular to the first and second collinear arms, and to the longitudinal axis X.

Each of the each of the first, second and third arms 3, 4, 5 have spacer members concentrically arranged around the respective first, second and third arms 3, 4, 5.

In an embodiment described herein, each of the first, second and third arms 3, 4, 5 have three spacer members 6a, 6b, 6c arranged around a respective arm - see Figures 1 and 2.

The spacer members 6 are hollow cylinders with an outer diameter di and an inner diameter di, thus having a thickness of t. The values of ch and d are selected so that one spacer 6 can be inserted into another such that they are concentric with one another and in a nested arrangement.

In the embodiment described herein, the thickness, t, will be approximately 2.5 to 3.0 cm, such that the diameter of contiguous spacer members 6 differs by approximately 5cm to 6cm.

The arms 3, 4, 5 have a diameter of around 4cm and the smallest outer diameter di of a spacer member 6 is therefore approximately 9cm.

Each arm 3, 4, 5 is approximately 33cm in length, so the limb support assembly 1 has a length, /, of approximately 66cm and a maximum height, H, of around 45 cm (depending upon the number of spacer members 6 used). Figures 1 and 2 show three spacer members 6a, 6b, 6c in a nested arrangement. There is one arrangement for each arm 3, 4, 5.

The spacer members 6 have a height, h, dimensioned so that they can fit along

substantially the whole length of the first, second and third arms 3, 4, 5.

Each spacer member 6 is demountable from the respective first, second and third arm 3, 4, 5 upon which it is spaced so as to removable and repositioned as required. Not every arm 3, 4, 5 is required to have the same number of spacer members 6 on each arm 3, 4, 5. For example, the collinear arms 3, 4 could have three spacer members 6, while the orthogonal arm 5 could have only one spacer member 6. One or more arms could have no spacer members 6 concentrically arranged around the respective arm 3, 4, 5. The limb support assembly 1 could be used without any spacer members 6.

In an alternative embodiment, the spacer member 6 could be in the form of a sheet of flexible material 7 that can be folded into a cylindrical form, with the free ends 8, 9 coupled together by means of a suitable fastening mechanism 10. The fastening mechanism 10 could be a hook-and-loop fastening mechanism such that sold under the trade mark Velcro ®. Alternative fastening mechanisms could include press studs or hooks and eyes.

The spacer members 6 may be shaped along one end 1 1 so as to have a recess 12 to accommodate an adjacent spacer member when mounted on the body portion 2.

Figure 1 shows outer spacer members 6c, mounted around the collinear arms 3, 4 having a curved recess 12 which enables that spacer member 6c to fit onto the respective collinear arm 3, 4 while accommodating the outer spacer member 6c on the orthogonal arm 5. The spacer members 6, and the T-shaped body portion 2, are made from either a closed cell foam, an open cell high-density foam or a viscoelastic foam (memory foam) and are covered with a fabric material such as a vapour permeable fabric, a four way stretch, waterproof and wipe clean fabric, and/or a polyester/jacquard-based fabric.

In any limb support assembly 1 , the spacer members 6 do not have to be all of the same material but can be formed from spacer members 6 made from different materials.

In use, spacer members 6 are nested around the one or more of the arms 3, 4, 5. The number selected will depend upon the nature of the level of bending in, or orientation of, the limb. For a leg, the greater the bending at the knee, the more spacer members 6 will be required for the collinear arms 3, 4. The legs fit over the collinear arms (with the required number of spacer members 6) with the orthogonal arm 5 extending between the knees. The number of spacer members 6 provided on the orthogonal arm 5 will depend upon the distance between the knees. To assist in therapeutic assistance to increase flexure of the limbs, the number of spacer members 6 on the collinear arms 3, 4 can be decreased over time. To increase knee separation, the number of spacer members 6 on the orthogonal arm 5 can be increased.

Because the number of spacer members 6 can be selected for each arm 3, 4, 5

independently of the other arms, the limb support assembly, differences in limb flexure and orientation can be accommodated.

In the alternative embodiment using the spacer member illustrated in Figure 4A, the sheets 7 would be layered around the respective arm 3, 4, 5 with the free ends 8, 9 fastened together using the fastening arrangement 10.