The present invention relates to a garment for the upper body. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a garment for the upper body comprising a body portion and first and second sleeves extending from the body portion, the garment further comprising at least one foam member arranged in a sleeve and positioned cover a deltoid muscle of a wearer of the garment.

Shoulder braces which comprise a memory foam pad are known. The memory foam pad is held in place covering the injured shoulder by means of a strap which extends across the upper body, The shoulder brace provides postural support, compression and stability to the injured shoulder. Such known shoulder braces tend to provide a high degree of immobilisation to the shoulder which means that mobility is greatly reduced. Further, the straps of known shoulder braces can cause stress and discomfort to other parts of the body such asthe back, chest and ribs. This can lead to a reduced range of motion in these areas like the back, chest and ribs. These areas will also experience resistance from the straps and material of the brace during movement of these areas.

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a garment for the Upper body, the garment comprising a body portion; first and second sleeves extending from the body portion; and, at least one foam member arranged in a sleeve, the at lea st one foam member being positioned so as to at least partially cover a deltoid muscle of a wearer of the garment.

The garment according to the invention provides compression and stability to the deltoid area of the shoulder without the degree of immobilisation associated with shoulder braces. Also, unlike known shoulder braces, the garment does not cause stress and discomfort to other parts of the body. Preferably the at least one foam member Is a memory foam.

Alternatively, the at least one foam member is a viscoelastic foam.

Preferably, each sleeve comprises a proximal end connected to the body portion and a distal end remote from the proximal end.

Preferably the at least one foam member extends from the proximal end part way to the distal end.

Preferably when looking along the length of a sleeve containing at least one foam member, the at least one foam member extends around at least 50% of the sleeve, more preferably at least 60% of the sleeve, more preferably at least 75% of the sleeve.

Preferably when looking along the sleeve the at least one foam member is arranged remote from the body portion.

Preferably the at least one foam member extends from the sleeve into the body portion.

Preferably the garment comprises first and second foam members being arranged in the first and second sleeves respectively, each foam member being arranged within its respective sleeve such that it at least partially covers a deltoid muscle of a wearer.

Preferably the second foam member is a mirror image of the first foam member.

Preferably the garment is a T shirt. Alternatively, the garment is a shirt, jacket or sweater.

The present invention will now be described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 shows, in schematic form, a garment according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a sleeve of the garment of figure 1 in end view;

Figure 3 shows, In schematic form, a further embodiment of a garment according to the invention; and,

Figure 4 shows, in schematic form, a further embodiment of a garment according to the invention.

Shown in figure 1, in schematic form, is a garment 1 according to the invention:. The garment 1 of this embodiment is a T shirt. The garment 1 comprises a body portion 2, Extending from the body portion 2 are first and second sleeves 3,4. Each sleeve 3,4 comprises a proximal end 5 extending from the body portion 2 and a distal end 6 remote from the proximal end 5.

Arranged in the first sleeve 3 is a first foam member 7. The first foam member 7 extends from the proximal end 5 part way to the distal end 6 of the first sleeve 3 as shown. Arranged in the second sleeve 4 is a second foam member 8. The second foam member 8 extends from the proximal end 5 part way to the distal end 6 of the second sleeve 4. The two foam members 7,8 are arranged in their respective sleeves 2,3 so as to at least partially cover the deltoid muscles of a wearer. Figure 2 shows the first sleeve 3 looking along the sleeve 3 towards the body portion 2. As can be seen, the first foam member 7 extends around a significant portion of the first sleeve 3, preferably at least 50% of the first sleeve 3, more preferably at least 60% of the first sleeve 3, more preferably at least 75% of the first sleeve 3, As can be seen, the first foam member 7 is arranged such that it is remote from the body portion 2 and so does not rub against thejbody portion 2 when the garment 1 is being worn, which would reduce the wearers range of motion. The second foam member s is a mirror image of the first foam member 7 and is arranged in the second sleeve 4 again remote from the body portion 2.

In this embodiment the foam members 7,8 are memory foam. Use of memory foam has a number of advantages. The memory foam moulds accurately to the shape of the wearers deltoids so providing a comfortable and accurate fit. The memory foam retains heat well which improves compression and helps the underlying muscle to warm up. Typically, the memory foam pad is dimensioned so as to avoid overheating. Similarly, the particular type of memory foam is chosen to avoid overheating. Memory foam also helps to evenly distribute weight so reducing pressure and increasing comfort. Memory foam is typically denser than regular foam which helps keep the deltoid in place.

Significantly, the foam members 7,8 of the garment 1 according to the invention are held in place by the sleeves 3,4 se es to at least partially cover the deltoid muscles of the wearer. This arrangement enables the garment I to provide postural support and compression of the deltoid region but still allows relatively free movement by the Wearer. Further, since no straps need to be employed, use of the garment 1 does not cause stress and discomfort to other parts of the body such as back, chest and ribs. The fact that the foam members 7,8 extend around a significant portion of the sleeves 3,4 enables the foam members 7,8 to curve around the deltoid regions so providing support, compression and stability in the deltoid region in a similar way to known shoulder braces.

A further advantage of the garment 1 of figures 1 arid 2 is that one can include foam members 7,8 in both Sleeves 3,4 so Supporting both deltoid regions again without significant restriction in movement. Wearing two shoulder braces can cause a significant restriction in movement. The garment 1 is therefore particularly suitable for use by wearers who have less serious shoulder injuries or wearers with weak shou lders who are trying to prevent shoulder injuries. Further, when compared to shoulder braces use of the garment according to the invention results in increased comfort: and reduced skin irritation. Braces can be thick, heavy and apply a lot of pressure to the skin which can be exacerbated when carrying out movements. Unlike use of a shoulder brace use of the garment according to the invention does not cause a general feeling of tightness and pain. in the above embodiment the foam members 7,8 are made of shape memory material. In an alternative embodiment the foam members 7,8 are made from a viscoelastic foam material.

Shown in figure 3: is a further embodiment of a garment 1 for the upper body according to the invention, in this embodiment the garment 1 is a shirt which buttons at the front as shown. When buttoned the body portion 2 comprises a neck aperture 9 defined by a neck edge 10. In this embodiment first and second foam members 7,8 extend from the sleeves 3,4 into the body portion 2 to proximate to the neck edge 10 as shown. This extension of the foam members 7,8 into the body portion 2 increases the degree of support in the general shoulder area offered by the garment 1 without any significant reduction in mobility.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the garment 1 comprises separate foam members in the body portion 2,

In alternative embodiments of the invention the garment 1 is a jacket or a sweater.

Shown in figure 4 is a further embodiment of a garment 1 the invention. Again, the garment 1 is a t shirt. In this embodiment only one sleeve 3,4 has a foam member 7,8 arranged therein.

The foam members 7,8 may be maintained In place by a number of methods known in the art. The foam members 7,8 can for example be stitched directly to the material of the sleeves 3,4 or body portion 2. Alternatively, the foam members 7,8 can be arranged in pockets. Arranging the foam members 7,8 in pockets is often to be preferred aS one can remove the foam members 7,8 when required, for example to wash the garment 1.