Garment for preventing muscle strain

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a garment, and more specifically to a garment adapted for assisting a person to releasably secure one or both hands to his or her upper body.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the garment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the garment of FIG. 1 during use.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a neck pad adapted for attachment to the upper portion of the garment of FIG. 1 for improved head and neck support.

#Larger individuals are often uncomfortable while seated on vehicles such as airplanes, buses or trains because their arms tend to extend over the armrests and contact adjacent passengers or passersby. As a result, many individuals have found it helpful to place their arms in a folded position across their chest. This position effectively narrows their body width and helps to avoid contact with others. Unfortunately, however, this position can be very difficult to maintain, particularly during longer trips. Therefore, a need exists for a garment system that provides users with the ability to releasably secure their hands or arms at selectable locations along their upper body. Such a device would help prevent muscle strain and thereby significantly increase the user's comfort during travel. Such a device would also be useful in a wide variety of other applications, such as for maintaining a user's hands or arms in a fixed position during rehabilitation after an injury or to help control body tremors resulting from neurological disorders. To be practical, the garment system must be reliable, convenient and easy to transport.

#To address these needs, the present invention provides a new and improved garment adapted for providing users with the ability to releasably secure their hands or arms along their upper body. Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, for purposes of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a garment 10 including, generally, an upper portion 12 and a pair of hand portions 14. The upper portion 12 is worn over the torso and can take a variety of different forms, such as, for example, a shirt, a vest or a sweater. The upper portion 12 is preferably made of a material that provides a first attachment means, such as, for example, a loop material. Alternatively, patches of material can be sewn or otherwise attached to the upper portion of the garment to provide first attachment means in specific locations.

#The hand portions 14 preferably comprise a pair of gloves with open fingers for comfort and convenience. However, it will be appreciated that the hand portions may take a variety of different forms. Furthermore, the hand portions may be worn on the wrists or forearms and therefore the term “hand portions” should not be construed as limited to articles adapted for wear only on the hands. The hand portions 14 include at least a region of material, such as, for example, a hook material, that provides a second attachment means. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the hand portions 14 is provided with a region of material 16 along the palm. The second attachment means releasably adheres to the first attachment means for providing the user with the ability to affix at least one hand to his or her upper body at a selectable location.