Wearable tubular textile article

A method for manufacturing a wearable textile article to support muscle function comprising:

• a tubular element comprising a lower opening and an upper opening, an internal side for contact with a part of a human or animal body, and an external side opposite the internal side,
• wherein a first reinforcement band and a second reinforcement band are applied to said external side and/or to said internal side, each one of said first and second reinforcement bands being placed along a path that lies primarily along a direction extending from the lower opening to the upper opening,
• said tubular element further comprising a first fabric portion and a second fabric portion, said first fabric portion and second fabric portion each being made of a fabric obtained by weaving weft threads and warp threads of polymeric material, and a first fusing area and a second fusing area along which the first fabric portion is fused to the second fabric portion, so that the tubular element is completely free of stitching,
• wherein the first reinforcement band at least partially overlaps the first fusing area and the second reinforcement band at least partially overlaps the second fusing area, and
• wherein the first second reinforcement band comprises a curved area having a U or V shape so that when the wearable textile article is being worn on a thigh up to and including a knee, said curved area sits around a kneecap,
• said tubular element further comprising a third fabric portion made of a fabric obtained by weaving weft threads and warp threads of polymeric material, and a third fusing area and a fourth fusing area along which the first fabric portion is fused to the third fabric portion,
• wherein the third fabric portion comprises a first flap and a second flap placed side by side and at least partially fused together along said fourth fusing area in such a way that the first flap is joined to the second flap and the first fabric portion along said fourth fusing area,
• wherein the first and second flaps are on opposing sides of the curved area of the second reinforcement band, and the curved area intersects the fourth fusing area,
• said method comprising:
• a) providing the first fabric portion made of a fabric obtained by weaving weft threads and warp threads of polymeric material;
• b) providing the second fabric portion made of a fabric obtained by weaving weft threads and warp threads of polymeric material;
• c) fusing the first fabric portion to the second fabric portion along the first fusing area and the second fusing area to obtain the tubular element, so as to obtain a tubular shape completely free of stitching;
• d) joining the first reinforcement band in an at least partially overlapping way to the first fusing area on the external side or the internal side;
• and
• e) applying the second reinforcement band in an at least partially overlapping way to the second fusing area on the external side or the internal side.