Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-18
2001-02-13
Apley, Richard J. (Department: 3733)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
C602S027000, C128S882000, C005S648000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186967
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an elevation support for elevating a human limb to a desired elevation as part of the recuperative process following an injury to or surgery on the limb or for other therapeutic purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The technique of elevating a limb to reduce the swelling and pain resulting from an injury to that limb is widely recognized and accepted. For example, it is recommended that a person recovering from an ankle sprain apply the four R.I.C.E. modalities to speed recovery; i.e. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Also, elevation of a foot, hand or wrist is often recommended after surgery. Elevation of a limb is therefore an important step in the recuperative process following injury to or surgery on the limb, as well as a wide variety of other therapeutic purposes.
The use of a support to elevate an injured limb is generally known. Prior art elevation supports are generally made of a rectangular or triangular block with a flat base which rests on a support surface, and may also be equipped with a channel cut into its top within which the limb lies. In the case of an injured ankle, for example, a patient lying on their back places the lower portion of his or her limb in the channel, which causes the ankle to be elevated to a desired height or that height recommended by a treating physician, therapists or other healthcare professional, as dictated by the geometry of the block. Elevation of the ankle aids in the recovery from an ankle injury by preventing the buildup of blood and fluids which can often result in painful swelling.
While the prior art elevation supports work for their intended purposes, a significant drawback to these prior art devices is that they prohibit movement, thus making them uncomfortable for long-term use. For the same reason, prior art devices are also quite difficult for the patient to use while sleeping. Additionally, because the patient's limb is not secured to the elevation support, but merely lies in an open channel, the limb can easily fall out of the channel should the patient attempt to change positions. This results in the patient's limb no longer being elevated, and possibly causing painful jarring of the limb. The present invention is directed at overcoming inadequacies in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an elevation support for elevating a human limb to a desired therapeutic elevation. The support is intended to rest upon a support surface, e.g. a bed, sofa, mat, or any other generally horizontal surface capable of supporting the user, while the user of the device lies supine on the same or an adjacent support surface. The support consists of a body with a longitudinally extending aperture therethrough and an opening so that the limb may be easily inserted into, yet comfortably retained, in the aperture. The aperture comprises a portion that is predeterminately sized and shaped so as to resiliently grip at least a portion of the inserted limb, in typical use the ankle, calf, foot, wrist, hand and/or forearm; depending on the application to which it is applied. The body of the support is so shaped and sized as to permit the outer surface of the body to concomitantly assume a rolling motion along the support surface when the user exerts a rotational force on said body via said gripped limb portion, as when the user attempts to roll over into different positions while supine. In this way, the patient is not restricted to a single supine position while using the support, but rather the device permits the user to move into a variety of positions, while the desired elevation is maintained throughout the range of motion.
The body is preferably constructed of a resilient material, predeterminately sized and shaped so as to accommodate different limb sizes and to firmly grip the limb while the person using the support changes positions. The body has a front end, referring to that portion of the support where the limb extends into the device, and a back end, referring to that portion where the hand or foot extends out from the support. The body is preferably frustroconically shaped from a point offset from the back end of the body to the front end of the body, and preferably cylindrically shaped from the back end to the point offset from the back end. The difference between the largest outside diameter of the body and the diameter of the aperture at that portion of the aperture where the limb is retained can be readily designed, depending on the needs and physical characteristics of the user, such that the limb is elevated to a desired therapeutic elevation. Moreover, because both a frustroconical solid and a cylinder are readily rolled along their outer circumference when an axial rotational force is applied, the user's limb may be rotated with minimal force and discomfort. Indeed, the desired elevation is maintained even while the user moves through a variety of supine positions. Also, the cylindrically shaped body portion reduces the tendency of the elevation support to tilt forward toward the user, reducing pressure on the limb and discomfort to the user. Thus, the body's shape and size provides the body with the ability to roll concomitantly with the inserted limb as the person's limb rotates during movement or a change in position by the user, while elevation is maintained throughout the user's range of motion.
Alternatively, as a matter of design choice, the body may be frustroconically shaped from the back end of the body to the front end, or the body may be cylindrically shaped from the back end to the front end.
Preferably, the longitudinal aperture or bore formed in the body is cylindrical or tube-shaped from the back end of the body to a point offset from the back, and conical or outwardly sloped from the point offset from the back end to the front end of the body. The advantage of the aperture being so shaped is that the tube-shaped section increases the amount of surface area of the aperture wall that is in contact with the limb, thereby providing a firm grip on the limb, while the sloped section of the aperture enables the limb to lie in a more natural, sloped position thereby increasing the comfort to the patient.
Alternatively, the aperture may be entirely tube shaped to maximize the surface area of the aperture wall that is in contact with the limb so that the limb is more firmly gripped. Or, the bore can be sloped from the back end to the front end of the body, thereby minimizing pressure on the limb so that patient comfort is maximized.
Also, the elevation support may be constructed using an inflatable shell, or multiple shell portions, having the same size and shape characteristics described above. Or, the inflatable shell may comprise a supportive frame bearing inflatable sections that when inflated assume shapes and sizes that provide the features described above. The supportive frame may be configured with a hollow portion having an insertion slit extending along its outer surface in the longitudinal direction. An inflatable insert may be located in the hollow portion of the frame and inflated so that the elevation support firmly and comfortably grips the limb. The inflatable insert may also be comprised of multiple sections, each inflatable to a different shape.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide an improved limb support for a user desiring to elevate a limb while retaining the ability to move.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings, which are not to scale, are designed solely for the purpose of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3548819 (1970-12-01), Davis
patent: 4157713 (1979-06-01), Clarey
patent: 4364135 (1982-12-01), Emmerich nee Giesche
patent: 4936804 (1990-06-01), Dowdeswell
pa
Apley Richard J.
Pothier Denise
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
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