US20070232973A1 - Sacroiliac belt and composite structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A sacroiliac belt with a non-elastic inner belt to wrap around the user's hips and an elastic outer belt to wrap from the back to opposite sides of the inner belt. Non-cinchable hook and loop fastener construction is used to secure the inner and outer belts in position. The inner belt includes an inside urethane foam layer with open-cell frictional gripping surface, a non-elastic outside layer of loop material, and a hook tab for engaging the loop material to close the belt. The inner belt may be established with a non-elastic composite foam-fabric structure comprising a bi-laminate of the foam and elastic fabric, and a strip of loop material secured lengthwise onto the fabric side of the bi-laminate. The outer belt includes an elastic strip and hook tabs for connecting to the strip of loop material. The non-elastic composite foam-fabric may be used in other orthopedic braces and supports.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• None.
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC
• Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
• Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of Invention
• The present invention relates to a sacroiliac belt having a lengthwise non-elastic inner belt for snugly encircling the user's hips and a lengthwise elastic outer belt secured between the back and sides of the inner belt to establish elastic compression on the sacroiliac joint. The invention also relates to a lengthwise non-elastic foam-fabric composite structure for use in sacroiliac belts and other non-elastic orthopedic braces and supports for wrapping around a part of the body.
• 2. Background Art
• A sacroiliac belt is worn around the upper hips, to exert a compressive force around the pelvic girdle, and stabilize and reduce strain in the sacroiliac joint. The technical literature provides details on the placement of sacroiliac belts, and medical, physiological, anatomical and other considerations concerning sacroiliac belts. Therefore, although these considerations are discussed briefly as background information concerning the invention, it will be understood that the practitioner will have or readily obtain a more complete understanding of such aspects and considerations concerning sacroiliac belts from the literature.
• One type of sacroiliac belt disclosed in the art includes an elastic inner part that wraps around the user's hips and a non-elastic outer part that encircles the inner part to establish an overall non-elastic sacroiliac belt. Brunswick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,167 discloses a sacroiliac belt of this type, with elastic panels and a non-elastic cinch strap encircling the panels. Another sacroiliac belt of this type includes elastic Neoprene to wrap around the user's hips and non-elastic Nylon to wrap around the Neoprene. This sacroiliac belt is not recommended for wearing directly against the skin because the closed-cell structure of Neoprene causes heat build-up which can lead to skin irritation. The overall non-elastic nature of such sacroiliac belts is also not preferred by many practitioners because the outer encircling part typically includes a cinchable fastener arrangement, such as a buckle or cinch, that allows a person additional leverage so that it is possible to pull the sacroiliac belt tighter than it should be. As a result, the overall non-elastic sacroiliac belt of this type can reduce available motion in the sacroiliac joint below its normal range of motion. With reduced motion, the inflow of nutrients and oxygen is reduced and the outflow of cellular waste products is reduced. These waste products are acidic, which lowers the pH within the joint. The body then shunts in calcium to neutralize the acid and arthrosis can develop. Buckles and other fastener arrangements used in such belts can also pinch and be otherwise inconvenient or irritating to the user.
• Variations on the overall non-elastic sacroiliac belt with an encircling outer belt are also known in the art. For example, Hyman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,154 discloses a sacroiliac belt with an inner non-elastic woven belt and small cinch straps securable between the ends of the inner belt. Tyo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,291 provides a sacroiliac belt with string lacing to secure rigid plastic support members in position. Sacroiliac belts of this type can also be overtightened by the user, and providing optimum support for pelvic girdle considerations that vary from one individual to another in belts using non-flexible elements (such as in Tyo) presents additional difficulties.
• Another type of prior sacroiliac belt is generally elastic, which allows good compression of the sacroiliac joint. The elastic sacroiliac belt will not typically compress too much, to the point of limiting motion of the sacroiliac joint below normal. However, an overall elastic sacroiliac belt gives a false sense of security to the user because the actions that open the sacroiliac joint, i.e., bending, lifting, and twisting, can force the joint open beyond its normal range of motion even with the sacroiliac belt in place. In other words, sacroiliac elastic belts do not create a stop point at the end of the normal range of motion of the sacroiliac joint. As ligaments are essentially non-elastic, movement of the sacroiliac joint beyond its normal range will stress the ligaments and potentially re-injure the joint.
• Another sacroiliac belt includes an inner belt of non-elastic woven cotton and an outer elastic belt. The inner belt is secured around the user's hips with a hook and loop fastener or other non-cinchable fastener to establish a non-elastic belt that mimics the function of the sacroiliac ligaments in the sense that non-elastic belt allows the sacroiliac joint to open to the end of its normal range of motion and stop further opening of the joint. The outer belt is elastically secured between the back and sides of the inner belt, partially encircling inner belt, to provide the user with a sense of elasticity within the normal range of motion of the sacroiliac joint. Hand tightening this sacroiliac belt creates sufficient tension to compress the soft tissues so that the sacroiliac belt can create the correct stop point at the normal end of range of sacroiliac joint motion, but this sacroiliac belt cannot be tightened too much as to restrict sacroiliac joint motion below its normal range of motion.
• A problem with all prior sacroiliac belts is that there is no convenient or comfortable way to attach it to conventional clothing, and due to the inward curvature of the upper part of the hips, the sacroiliac belt can slide up as the user moves around. It is possible to mechanically secure the sacroiliac belt, such as looping a cord or other material from the sacroiliac belt, under the hips, between the legs, and then back up to the sacroiliac belt on the other side of the body; but such arrangements are uncomfortable and inconvenient for the user. Some sacroiliac belts use side patches of open-weave material with rubberized or soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composition coating (such as sold under the trademark “GRIPTEX”) on the inside of the belt for the suggested purpose of assisting in holding the belt in position. Such patches rely on development of a tackiness or rubber-type surface friction component for gripping purposes with the belt snug around the user. However, in practice, such patches do not exhibit sufficient gripping to hold the sacroiliac belt in position under many conditions or over many materials of clothing. Coating of the weave material results in a relatively smooth surface characteristic which, although somewhat tacky when dry, becomes slippery when wet. Consequently, such patches contribute virtually no gripping when the belt is worn directly against the skin due to likely presence of small amounts of sweat. The composition of the coating can also be irritating to some people if the sacroiliac belt is worn against the skin.
• Thus, there is a need for a sacroiliac belt that addresses the above-identified disadvantages and drawbacks of prior sacroiliac belts. In particular, there is a need for a sacroiliac belt that provides controlled support with limited elasticity within the normal range of motion of the sacroiliac joint, but that can be worn directly against the skin without causing irritation to the user and that remains in place while the user moves around regardless of whether worn against the skin or over clothing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• An important objective of the invention is to provide a new and improved sacroiliac belt configured to establish controlled support with limited elasticity, wherein, the sacroiliac belt comprises a non-elastic inner belt to be wrapped snugly around the user's hips and an elastic outer belt to be secured between the back and sides of the inner belt.
• A detailed objective of the invention is to achieve the foregoing in a sacroiliac belt having an inner belt comprising a bi-laminate with an inside layer of open cell urethane-based composition, hypoallergenic foam having an open cell frictional surface characteristic for gripping engagement encircling the user's hips, and loop material (of a hook and loop fastener arrangement) along the outside length for securing the inner belt around the user's hips and securing the outer belt to the inner belt utilizing hook tabs (of a hook and loop fastener arrangement) secured to applicable ends thereof.
• A more detailed objective of the invention is to achieve the foregoing in a sacroiliac belt having an inner belt comprising an elastic bi-laminate with said layer of foam laminated to elastic fabric, and a non-elastic strip of loop material secured to the fabric side of the bi-laminate along the length thereof.
• Another more detailed objective of the invention is to achieve the foregoing in a sacroiliac belt having an inner belt comprising a bi-laminate with said layer of foam laminated to non-elastic fabric, preferably loop-material fabric (i.e., fabric with loops of a hook and loop fastener arrangement).
• Another important objective of the invention is to provide a new and improved non-elastic foam-fabric composite comprising an elastic bi-laminate with a layer of open cell urethane-based composition, hypoallergenic foam having an open cell frictional surface characteristic laminated to elastic fabric, and a non-elastic strip of loop material secured to the fabric side of the bi-laminate along the length thereof.
• These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
• A sacroiliac belt in accordance with the invention includes a non-elastic inner belt and an elastic outer belt. The inner belt is sized in length to wrap around the user's hips. The outer belt is sized in length to wrap from the back and engage opposite sides of the inner belt. The preferred sacroiliac belt utilizes hook and loop fasteners in a non-cinchable arrangement (or other non-cinchable fasteners), to secure the inner belt snugly around the user and the outer belt in elastic compression partially encircling the inner belt.
• The inner belt includes an inside layer of elastomeric foam and an outside layer or strip of lengthwise non-elastic loop material. The loop material provides the “loop” surface of a hook and loop fastener arrangement. A hook tab, providing the “hook” surface of a hook and loop fastener arrangement, is secured at one end of the inner belt for engaging the loop material proximate the other end of the inner belt when the inner belt is wrapped around the user's hips. Hook tabs are also provided for securing the elastic outer belt to the inner belt.
• The foam is an elastomeric, open-cell, urethane based composition foam. The open-cell nature of the foam results in many tiny, soft “edges” at the boundaries of the open cells that develop a relatively high coefficient of friction, or frictional surface characteristic, that maintains the sacroiliac belt in position when wrapped snugly around the user's hips. Advantageously, this surface frictional component is substantially unaffected by the presence of limited sweat and other moisture as may develop if the belt is worn directly against the skin. The foam is also breathable and hypoallergenic, and provides positive moisture wicking characteristics, to carry moisture away from the skin, so the sacroiliac belt can be worn directly against the skin, if desired, without heat or moisture buildup or causing skin irritation.
• In one preferred embodiment, the inner belt is a lengthwise non-elastic foam-fabric composite established with an elastic bi-laminate comprising the foam layer coated onto or bonded, adhered or otherwise laminated to stretchable or elasticized fabric. In this embodiment, the inner belt further includes a strip of loop material comprising loops secured to a thin non-elastic nylon or similar backing that is sewn, bonded, adhered or otherwise firmly secured onto the fabric side of the bi-laminate extending along the length thereof. The full-length non-elastic strip of loop material transforms the elastic bi-laminate into the lengthwise non-elastic inner belt of the sacroiliac belt. The inner belt may further include a strip or width of cushion extending over the upper and lower edges of the strip of loop material, to cushion against the edges of the backing strip from digging into the wearer, particularly when the sacroiliac belt is worn directly against the skin. These strips or widths of cushion may be provided by extending the width of the elastic bi-laminate past the edges of the strip of loop material.
• In an alternate embodiment, the inner belt is established with a non-elastic bi-laminate comprising the foam layer laminated to lengthwise non-elastic loop fabric that provides the outside loop element of the hook and loop fastener arrangement in the sacroiliac belt.
• The invention also contemplates use of the lengthwise non-elastic foam-fabric composite described above in other types of orthopedic braces and supports of the type that include a non-elastic belt, band, body portion or other non-elastic layer for wrapping around a part of the body for compression, protection, support or other orthopedic purposes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sacroiliac belt in accordance with the invention, the sacroiliac belt being shown in a closed condition as would be worn by a user; the sacroiliac belt having a non-elastic inner belt and an elastic outer belt, the inner belt comprising an inside foam-fabric bi-laminate secured to an outside strip of loop material.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1, but showing the inner belt open and the ends of the outer belt detached from the inner belt.
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1.
• FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line4-4 ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar toFIG. 4A, but with the outer belt not shown, and with the upper and lower widths of the foam-fabric bi-laminate curved over (as may naturally occur when the sacroiliac belt is worn) to establish a lengthwise cushion over and under the upper and lower edges, respectively, of the strip of loop material.
• FIG. 5 is a view of the inside of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1 as laid flat.
• FIG. 6 is a view of the outside of the inner belt shown inFIG. 1 as laid flat (i.e., the outside of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1 as laid flat with the outer belt not shown).
• FIG. 7 is a view of the outside of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1 as laid flat, with one end of the outer belt peeled away from the inner belt and turned up for viewing the inside details thereof.
• FIG. 8 is a top view of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1 as laid flat, the bottom view being a mirror image thereof.
• FIG. 9 is perspective view of the sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 1 as positioned on the hips (shown in dashed lines) of a user.
• FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate sacroiliac belt in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the alternate sacroiliac belt shown inFIG. 10.
• FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a second alternate sacroiliac belt in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an orthopedic band utilizing a lengthwise non-elastic foam-fabric composite in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternate orthopedic band utilizing a lengthwise non-elastic foam-fabric composite in accordance with the invention.
• While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Referring now toFIGS. 1-9, there is shown a preferred embodimentsacroiliac belt10 in accordance with the invention. Thesacroiliac belt10 comprises two independently operable belt elements: a lengthwise elasticouter belt12 and a lengthwise non-elasticinner belt14. Theinner belt14 is sized in length to wrap around the user's hips (FIG. 9). Theouter belt12 is sized in length to wrap from the back of the user and engage opposite sides of the inner belt. Hook and loop fasteners in non-cinchable arrangements secure the inner and outer belts in position.
• Theinner belt14 includes an insideelastic bi-laminate16 and an outsidenon-elastic strip22 of loop material (of hook and loop fastener construction). A hook tab24 (of hook and loop fastener construction) is secured at one end of theinner belt14, with the hooks facing inwardly for connecting to the outwardly facing loops of thestrip22 when the inner belt is wrapped around the user or otherwise in a closed condition (FIG. 1). In the embodiment shown, anoptional cloth cap16A is sewn over one end of the bi-laminate and strip of loop material. Stitching is indicated by dashed lines andreference numeral30.
• Theelastic bi-laminate16 is comprised of anelastic foam layer18 bonded, adhered or otherwise laminated to anelastic fabric20 that extends the length and width of the foam layer. The foam is an elastomeric, open cell urethane-based hypoallergenic composition foam. The open-cell nature of the foam establishes a large number of soft tiny edges at the boundaries of the cells, resulting in a relatively high coefficient of friction or frictional surface characteristic on thesurface18A along the inside length of theinner belt14, thereby resulting in frictional encircling engagement around the user's hips, and maintaining the inner belt in position during normal use. The open-cell foam is also breathable and provides positive moisture wicking to carry moisture away from the skin so that the sacroiliac belt can be comfortably worn against the skin. The elastic fabric is preferably unbroken loop fabric having loop construction of a hook and loop fastener arrangement on its exposed side, but the fabric may be of alternate construction.
• Thestrip22 of loop material includes anouter layer22A (FIG. 4A) of loops (of hook and loop fastener construction) on a thin nylon or othernon-elastic backing22B that extends to establish the loop element of a hook and loop fastener along the outside length of theinner belt14. The non-elastic strip of loop material runs the length of the bi-laminate16, with thebacking22B sewn, adhered or otherwise secured lengthwise to the exposed fabric side of the bi-laminate, thereby establishing the overall lengthwise non-elastic characteristic ofinner belt14. In this instance, thehook tab24 is sewn to the inside of thestrip22 at an end that extends past the bi-laminate.
• In the preferred embodiment shown, theelastic bi-laminate16 extends widthwise beyond thebacking strip22B. As shown inFIG. 4B, this additional bi-laminate width is capable of stretching, folding, rolling, etc. over the lengthwise edges of thebacking22B to establish lengthwise cushions over the edges of the loop material backing strip while the sacroiliac belt is worn. Thepreferred loops22A in thestrip22 of loop material are substantially larger than the size of loop in the unbroken loop fabric of the bi-laminate for enhanced holding strength while thesacroiliac belt10 is in position on the user. Advantageously, the additional width of unbroken loop fabric provides additional connection width for thehook tab24 if not precisely aligned with thestrip22 of loop material.
• The outerelastic belt12 comprises astrip26 of elastic fabric and a pair ofhook tabs28 at the ends of the elastic strip. The elastic strip is approximately one-half the length of theinner belt14, and is sewn or otherwise secured (or securable) at the back of the inner belt to establish two outer elastic halves each of which terminate proximate the sides of the inner belt. Thehook tabs28 are sewn or otherwise secured to the ends of the elastic strip, facing inwardly towards the inner belt and thestrip22 of loop material. Alternately, for example, athird hook tab28 may be sewn to the center of theelastic strip26 for releasable connection to thestrip22 of loop material at the back of the inner belt.
• With this arrangement, thesacroiliac belt10 is put on by wrapping the non-elasticinner belt14 snugly around the user's hips, as indicated by arrow “A” inFIG. 9, and securing thehook tab24 into engagement with thestrip22 of loop material on the other side of the belt. The elastic halves of theouter belt12 are then drawn firmly from the back around to the sides of the wearer's hips, as indicated by arrows “B” inFIG. 9, until comfortable compression is established in the sacroiliac joint, and secured with thehook tabs28 engaging theloop material22 at the sides of theinner belt14.
• Referring toFIGS. 10-11, an alternate embodimentsacroiliac belt110 in accordance with the invention is shown, wherein the same reference numbers identify identical elements shown inFIGS. 1-9 and described above, and reference numbers for similar elements are incremented by 100. Thesacroiliac belt110 comprises two independently operable belt elements: the non-elasticinner belt14 described above, and an outer belt comprising two elastic outer-belt segments112A and112B. Each outer-belt segment112A,112B includes astrip126 of elastic fabric and a pair ofhook tabs128. Eachelastic strip126 is approximately one-fourth the length of theinner belt14, with ahook tabs128 sewn or otherwise secured to each end of the elastic strip positionable facing inwardly towards theinner belt14 and thestrip22 of loop material. The outer-belt segments112A,112B are, together, structurally and operatively similar toouter belt12 described above. Thus, thesacroiliac belt110 is put on and worn similar tosacroiliac belt10 described above, except that the outer-belt segments112A and112B are independently securable to the strip of loop material on the outside of the inner belt, for independent connection between the back and sides of the inner belt, or as otherwise desired to draw the inner belt into elastic limited compression around the user's hips.
• A second alternate embodimentsacroiliac belt210, in accordance with the invention, is shown inFIG. 12, wherein the same reference numbers identify identical elements shown inFIGS. 1-9 and described above, and reference numbers for similar elements are incremented by 200. Thesacroiliac belt210 comprises two independently operable belt elements: a non-elasticinner belt214 sized in length to wrap around the wearer's hips, and the elasticouter belt12 discussed above. Theinner belt214 includes a non-elastic bi-laminate comprised of anelastic foam layer218 bonded, adhered or otherwise laminated to non-elasticunbroken loop fabric220 that extends the length and width of the foam layer, theloop fabric220A providing the loop element of hook and loop fastener construction along the outside length of theinner belt214. The foam is urethane-based composition as described above to establish an open cell frictional grippingsurface218A with positive moisture wicking along the inside length of theinner belt214 for encircling engagement around the user's hips. Ahook tab224 is secured at one end of theinner belt214 for connecting with theoutside loop surface220A of the bi-laminate when the inner belt is wrapped around the user.
• In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the non-elastic foam-fabric composite described above can be used in other types of orthopedic braces and supports that require a non-elastic belt, band, strip, body portion or other non-elastic layer for wrapping around a part of the body, such as, for example, elbow braces and knee braces. Referring toFIG. 13, there is shown anorthopedic band40 comprising a non-elastic foam-fabric composite with an inside elastic bi-laminate42 sized in length to wrap around a part of a user's body, and anon-elastic strip48 of loop material sewn or otherwise secured lengthwise onto the fabric side of the bi-laminate. The elastic bi-laminate is comprised of anelastic foam layer44 bonded, adhered or otherwise laminated toelastic fabric46 that extends the length and width of the foam layer. The foam is of open cell urethane-based composition as described above to establish a frictional gripping, breathable insidesurface42A with positive moisture wicking for encircling engagement around the user. The elastic fabric is preferably unbroken loop fabric.
• Thestrip48 of loop material includes anouter layer48A of loops on a thin nylon or othernon-elastic backing48B (as shown in detail inFIG. 4A in connection with belt10) that extends to establish the loop element of a hook and loop fastener along the outside length of the bi-laminate42. The non-elastic strip of loop material runs the length of the bi-laminate, with thebacking48B sewn, adhered or otherwise secured lengthwise to the exposed fabric side of the bi-laminate, thereby establishing the overall lengthwise non-elastic characteristic ofband40. The bi-laminate42 shown is wider than thestrip48 of loop material to establish a cushion over the edges thereof. Ahook tab52 is secured at one end of the strip of loop material, facing oppositely of the exposedloop fabric48A. With this arrangement, the compositenon-elastic band40 is used by wrapping snugly around a part of the user's body, and securing thehook tab52 at one end of band into engagement with theloop material48A on the opposite end of the band.
• Alternately, for example, a non-elastic foam-fabric composite in accordance with the invention may be used in anorthopedic band60 such as shown inFIG. 14 with a cinchable fastener arrangement. Theband60 comprises an inside elastic bi-laminate62 sized in length to wrap around a part of a user's body, and anon-elastic strip68 of loop material sewn or otherwise secured lengthwise onto the fabric side of the bi-laminate. The elastic bi-laminate is comprised of anelastic foam layer64 bonded, adhered or otherwise laminated toelastic fabric66 that extends the length and width of the foam layer. The foam is of urethane-based composition as described above to establish a breathable, open cell frictional inside grippingsurface62A with positive moisture wicking for encircling engagement around the user. The strip of loop material includes anouter layer68A of loops on a thin nylon or othernon-elastic backing68B (as shown in detail inFIG. 4A in connection with belt10) that extends to establish the loop element of a hook and loop fastener along the outside length of the bi-laminate. The non-elastic strip of loop material runs the length of the bi-laminate, with thebacking48B sewn, adhered or otherwise secured lengthwise to the exposed fabric side of the bi-laminate, thereby establishing the overall lengthwise non-elastic characteristic ofband60. In this embodiment, ahook tab72 is secured at one end of the band facing the same direction as the loop material, and aring74 is secured to the opposite end of the band such that the hook tab and a length of the band can slip through the ring and fold back for connecting the hook tab to the loop material proximate that end of the band as shown inFIG. 14.
• From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings to the art a unique sacroiliac belt and orthopedic non-elastic foam-fabric composite with a bi-laminate having a urethane-based composition foam with open-cell frictional gripping and positive moisture wicking characteristic that can be placed directly on the skin, if desired, and that remains in place while the user moves around.

Claims (21)

1. A non-elastic foam-fabric composite band for use in orthopedic braces and supports comprising:

a) a first layer of elastomeric, urethane based composition foam with an open-cell frictional gripping surface and positive moisture wicking characteristic;

b) a second layer of stretchable fabric secured to the foam layer and extending the length and width thereof;

c) a strip of lengthwise non-stretchable loop material of hook and loop fastener construction secured to the second layer, opposite the first layer, along the length thereof; and

d) a hook tab of hook and loop fastener construction secured proximate one end of the strip of loop material.

2. The composite band as defined inclaim 1 in which the second layer is stretchable unbroken loop fabric.

3. The composite band as defined inclaim 1 in which the hook tabs are positioned for connecting to the strip of loop material in a non-cinchable fastening arrangement.

4. The composite band as defined inclaim 1 in which the first and second layers extends widthwise beyond the strip of loop material to establish a lengthwise cushion over the edges of the strip of loop material.

5. The composite band as defined inclaim 1 further comprising a ring secured proximate the end of the strip of loop material opposite the hook tab, and in which the hook tab is sized to be slipped through the ring and secured to the strip of loop material.

6. A method for manufacturing a non-elastic foam-fabric composite band for use in orthopedic braces and supports comprising:

a) providing

i) a bi-laminate comprising:

a) a first layer of elastomeric, urethane based composition foam with an open-cell frictional gripping surface and positive moisture wicking characteristic, and

b) a second layer of stretchable fabric secured to and extending the length and width of the foam layer;

ii) a strip of lengthwise non-stretchable loop material; and

iii) a hook tab;

b) securing:

i) the strip of loop material to the fabric side of the bi-laminate along the length thereof, and

ii) the hook tab proximate one end of the strip of loop material.

7. The method as defined inclaim 6 in which the second layer is stretchable unbroken loop fabric.

8. The method as defined inclaim 6 further comprising providing and securing a ring proximate the end of the strip of loop material opposite the hook tab, the hook tab being sized to be slipped through the ring and secured to the strip of loop material.

9. A sacroiliac belt comprising:

a) a non-elastic inner belt configured for encircling placement around a user's hips, the inner belt having

i) an inside layer of elastomeric, urethane based composition foam with an open-cell frictional gripping surface and positive moisture wicking characteristic, the foam extending for encircling engagement around a user's hips;

ii) an outer layer of loop material extending in secured relation with the inside layer for encircling placement around the user's hips, and

iii) a hook tab at one end thereof in fastening engageable relation with the loop material with the inner belt encircling the user's hips; and

b) an elastic outer belt sized to extend forwardly from the back of the inner belt to the sides thereof, the outer belt having hook tabs for connecting to the loop material of the inner belt.

10. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 9 in which the outer layer of loop material is lengthwise non-elastic loop fabric secured to and extending the length and width of the inside layer of foam.

11. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 9 in which the hook tabs are positioned for connecting to the strip of loop material in a non-cinchable fastening arrangement.

12. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 9 further comprising stretchable fabric secured to and extending the length and width of the foam layer, the outer layer of loop material being lengthwise non-elastic and secured to the stretchable fabric along the length thereof, the stretchable fabric and foam layer extending widthwise beyond the edges of the outer layer of loop material.

13. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 12 in which the stretchable fabric is unbroken loop fabric having loop size substantially smaller than the loop of the outer layer of loop material.

14. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 9 in which the hook tabs are positioned for connecting to the outer layer of loop material in a non-cinchable fastening arrangement.

15. A sacroiliac belt comprising:

a) a non-elastic inner belt configured for encircling placement around a user's hips, the inner belt having

i) an elastic bi-laminate with:

a) a layer of elastomeric, urethane based composition foam with an open-cell frictional gripping surface and positive moisture wicking characteristic, the foam extending for encircling engagement around a user's hips,

b) a layer of stretchable fabric secured to and extending the length and width of the foam layer;

ii) a strip of lengthwise outwardly facing non-elastic loop material secured to the fabric side of the bi-laminate along the length thereof, and

iii) a hook tab secured proximate one end of the strip of loop material; and

b) an elastic outer belt sized to extend forwardly from proximate the back of the inner belt to both sides thereof, the outer belt having hook tabs for connecting to the loop material of the inner belt.

16. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 in which the hook tabs are positioned for connecting to the strip of loop material in a non-cinchable fastening arrangement.

17. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 further comprising a lengthwise cushion over the edges of the strip of loop material.

18. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 in which the elastic bi-laminate extends widthwise beyond the strip of loop material to establish said lengthwise cushion.

19. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 in which the layer of stretchable fabric of the elastic bi-laminate is comprised of a layer of stretchable unbroken loop fabric having loop size substantially smaller than the loop size of the strip of loop material.

20. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 in which the outer layer comprises an elastic strip extending from side to side around the back of the inner belt.

21. The sacroiliac belt as defined inclaim 15 in which the outer belt comprises a pair of elastic strips each independently connectable to the inner belt and sized to extend from proximate the back of the inner belt to respective sides of the inner belt.

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