Extensible Dressings

A dressing comprising a layer of resilient material, the layer of resilient material having a length direction (LD) and a width direction (WD), which together define a horizontal plane (HP), the horizontal plane HP having a first surface and a second opposed surface, a longitudinal centerline (LC) and a transverse centerline (TC),

• the layer of resilient material further including one or more pleats formed in at least a portion thereof, each pleat comprising two or more folds, at least one of which folds each pleat shares in common with a neighboring pleat when there are two or more pleats, each pleat further has a length extending in a direction taken along the pleat length, a pleat width, and a lengthwise centerline (PC) bisecting the pleat width,
• each pleat includes two or more folds incorporated so as to form an open end and a closed end, with a pair of side walls of the pleat, each side wall extending between a fold contributing to formation of the open end and the closed end, wherein one or more pleats has a pair of adjacent closed ends, spaced apart by a substantially fold-free segment of the layer of resilient material, and
• wherein the direction of each pleat length independently makes an angle φ with the longitudinal centerline LC in the horizontal plane HP, and wherein the angle φ has a value that falls within a range specified by the equation:
• 0°<φ<180°.