Prosthesis (i.e. – artificial body members) – parts thereof – or ai – Leg – Adjustable shank or thigh
Patent
1994-12-02
1996-11-05
Willse, David H.
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or ai
Leg
Adjustable shank or thigh
623 53, A61F 262
Patent
active
055712100
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a foot prosthesis comprising a support part and a foot element cooperating with the support part.
Foot prostheses of different types are known. Prostheses are usually designed in such a way that an ordinary shoe can be used on top of the prosthesis. At a defined heel height, for which the setting has been made upon production of the individually adapted prosthesis, the prosthesis is considered easy to walk on and to load, but without a shoe, or at another heel height, the prosthesis is no longer comfortable to use, since the angle of the foot in relation to the ground surface is no longer correct.
The most common solutions to the above problem are either to angle the whole foot prosthesis downwards/forwards or to lower the heel part when, for example, it is desired to walk without a shoe. Angling the prosthesis downwards does not produce an anatomically correct shaping of the foot, i.e. the type of foot setting which is required when using a higher heel is not obtained, and if, alternatively, the heel section is lowered, this results instead in a lengthening of the leg, which will cause discomfort, particularly in the back.
SE-B-8504225-5 describes a foot prosthesis having a central part, which supports the sole, heel and leg part. In this prosthesis the heel is movably arranged in relation to the central part of the prosthesis and to that part of the sole of the foot which is joined in a fixed manner to the central part. Movement of the heel is obtained by virtue of the fact that the latter is coupled together with the rear area of the central part by means of a bar which can be locked in a hole in the said area and is joined to the heel, which bar, in the unlocked position, can be displaced in relation to the central part for the purpose of setting the heel in relation to the sole of the foot. In this arrangement the lengthening of the leg results from the fact that the heel is lowered in relation to a reference point, for example the knee of the user.
WO 91/15171 describes a foot prosthesis having a foot plate and a hollow cylindrical body, which is angled in relation to the foot plate and secured thereon in such a way that mutual relative movement is permitted. The foot also comprises a support which is displaceably and adjustably arranged in the upper part of the cylindrical body and secured on the foot plate at the lower end of the body in such a way that a relative movement can take place between the support and the foot plate. In this case too adjustment of the prosthesis results in lengthening of the leg/shortening of the leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,913 describes a completely different solution to the problem. Here the prosthesis is made up of three rigidly connected parts--leg part, foot part and heel part--made of fibre-reinforced resin, the material and shaping of the parts giving flexibility to the prosthesis.
EP-A-0444883 additionally indicates a method for solving the problem by connecting a foot part to a tibia part by means of a ball joint.
When producing foot prostheses and leg prostheses, a number of factors have to be taken into account. The normal foot can move in all planes, individually or in combination. The lower leg in a person consists of two bones which, by cooperating with one another and with the ankle joint, permit a rotational movement or torsion of the lower leg, which continues in a rotation of the foot, and in addition the calf muscles of the lower leg provide a pushing-off force which can be varied, i.e. adapted suitable for the specific purpose.
There are at the present time technical solutions for solving this problem to some extent, for example in SE-B-8201389-7 where the foot prosthesis consists of a continuous hollow core which is secured directly on the leg prosthesis adapter piece and which, by virtue of its design with rigid and elastic areas, provides mobility in the dorsal-plantar direction. However, the foot does not have any capacity for energy absorption, it has no adjustable heel, and it is made from heavy, not light, composite materia
REFERENCES:
patent: 292800 (1884-02-01), Furrer
patent: 1294632 (1919-02-01), Dickson
patent: 4446580 (1984-05-01), Furuya et al.
patent: 4865611 (1989-09-01), Al-Turaiki
patent: 5458656 (1995-10-01), Phillips
Lehmann et al., "Trends in Lower Extremity Bracing", Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Jun. 1970, p. 350.
Pro-Pel AB
Willse David H.
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