Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Patent
1995-12-22
1998-09-01
Apley, Richard J.
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
602 16, 602 23, 623 39, A61F 500, A61F 264
Patent
active
058003703
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an exoprosthesis for the human knee joint.
The known exoprostheses for the human knee joint are multiple-joint arrangements using ball joints and/or hinge joints. Such joint arrangements, however, are not suitable for approximating the actual function of the human knee joint in an essentially natural manner, so that these exoprostheses cause a considerable walking impediment.
The object of the invention is to create an exoprosthesis for the human knee joint which has a joint function which essentially corresponds to the natural function of the human knee joint.
According to the invention this is achieved in that the exoprosthesis consists of a thigh part which can be connected to the human thigh as well as a lower leg part which can be connected to the human lower leg or can replace it, whereby the lower leg part and the upper leg part are connected by a four-bar arrangement which consists of two parallel arranged partial joints and, specifically, a medial joint and a lateral joint which in each case have the joint geometry of a link chain with two articulated axles (dimer joint chains), whereby the joint geometry of the medial joint is designed as an overlapping, dimer link chain in which the articulated axle of the lower leg part is displaced in the direction towards the thigh part with respect to the articulated axles of the thigh part, and the joint geometry of the lateral joint is designed as an extended dimer chain in which the articulated axle of the lower leg part is displaced with respect to the articulated axis of the thigh part in the direction towards the lower leg and the two articulated axles of the lateral joint and the medial joint each are connected in an articulated manner to one another by means of a coupling link. The medial joint is stable with regard to pressure due to its joint geometry, whereas the lateral joint is labile. By means of the design according to the invention, it is assured that the exoprosthesis has freedom of movement in only one joint plane and at the same time high mechanical stability is achieved whereby a great spectrum of variation is available for adaptation to individual situations.
The invention is explained in more detail on the basis of the embodiment examples presented in the attached drawings. Shown are:
FIG. 1, a frontal view of an exoprosthesis according to the invention in the state fastened to a human leg, cut in section,
FIG. 2, a side view according to arrow II in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3, a side view of another embodiment form of a prosthesis according to the invention in the state fastened to the human leg,
FIG. 4, a cut through another embodiment form of an exoprosthesis according to the invention as a replacement of the human knee joint,
FIG. 5, a side view of the exoprosthesis according to the invention according to FIG. 4 in the direction of arrow V.
FIG. 6, a presentation in principle of the joint geometry in the side view according to FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, a prosthesis according to the invention consists of thigh part 1, which consists, in the presented embodiment example, of two thigh bars 2,2a which in each case run on the medial (inner) and lateral (outer) side of thigh 3 of human leg 4 and are connected to one another through cross bars 5 which encircle thigh 3. Lower leg part 6 is formed from two lower leg bars 7,7a on the medial and lateral side of lower leg 8 of leg 4 which are connected by cross bars 9 whereby cross bars 9 in turn surround lower leg 8. Lateral thigh and lower leg bars 2,7 as well as medial thigh and lower leg bars 2a, 7a are connected in each case through a double joint, specifically lateral joint 10 and medial joint 11, which lie adjacent to one another in two parallel planes, that is, the two parallel arranged double joints form a four-bar arrangement. Lateral joint 10 and medial joint 11 have the joint geometry of a link chain with two articulated axles, a so-called dimer link chain. Here, lateral joint 10 is designed as an extended, dimer link chain with the two articulated axles L.sub
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Kubein-Meesenburg Dietmar
Nagerl Hans
Apley Richard J.
Pothier Denise
Theusner Joachim
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