DE3937379A1 - Adjustment for prosthesis for lower leg - provides both lateral and angular adjustment using discs of different thickness - Google Patents

Abstract

The prosthesis for the lower leg is provided with an adjuster consisting of discs (32) of different thicknesses with lateral and angular adjustment. The lateral adjuster consists of an upper part (29) with a groove (28) of circular cross-section in its upper surface. This groove engages a tongue (27) of matching cross-section projecting from the upper surface of the intermediate piece (25). The intermediate piece has a similar tongue (26) projecting from its lower surface which engages a groove (25) in the lower piece (18). This lower piece is mounted on a spherical base (15) to provide angular adjustment. USE - Prosthesis for the lower leg.

Description

The invention relates to an adjustment device for the lower leg prostheses according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a device is already from GOTEB for a long time under the name "Habermann adjustment device" ver driven.

The general task of such a device is in the foot prosthesis in lower leg amputee patients the natural position of the patient before the amputation To adjust foot. The location of the foot is crucial prosthesis to the lower leg stump or lower leg shaft. With the help of the known adjustment device, the location of the Prosthetic foot and lower leg shaft to each other original, natural position. With the known device it is possible on the one hand, a shift Exercise of the prosthetic foot in relation to the lower leg shaft in  lateral / medial as well as in dorsal / versal direction reach and on the other hand also the setting of the so-called ten horizontal angle.

The definition of the individual parameters is usually made by an orthopedic technician, such Adjustment devices serve as aids. By hiring an optimal position of the prosthetic foot and lower leg on the one hand, a positive, subjective Feeling of the patient and secondly an optimal gait pattern can be achieved.

As a rule, an optimal positioning can of the prosthetic foot part with respect to the lower leg shaft can also be achieved when using in a conventional manner a solder works. This solder is on the central axis of the Lower leg shaft hung, the solder tip at correct positioning approximately in the middle of the rear area the heel shows. With this type of adjustment, also the heel height as well as a more or less strong foot external position are taken into account.

In a natural position that deviates from the norm of foot and lower leg to each other, which is relatively common occurs can only by means of the known adjustment device optimal positioning can be achieved. For adjustment a lower leg prosthesis is the one through the Adjustment device connected lower leg prosthesis. Wuh After a short trial run in the Ortho workshop The technician can then use the appropriate parameters adjust and change if possible. The adjustment means of the known device are very complex and felt less user-friendly.  

Unfortunately, it is not possible for the patient to lower leg prosthesis connected by the adjustment device for to provide a longer trial period because the Conception of the known adjustment device only a large and allows heavy construction.

The object of the invention is therefore to an adjustment device create that because of its simple and lightweight design even longer trial periods allowed the subjective feeling better use of the patient during positioning and this is easy due to its simple, clear construction is to be handled.

According to the invention, this object is thereby been solved that the upper, intermediate and lower part in essence Lichen from approximately disc-shaped components with each two wide planes parallel to each other are, each broad surface of the intermediate component Intermediate plate on both sides next to the tongue and groove elements each a sliding surface with the wide surface immediately adjacent of the upper and lower part and the horizontal angle Adjustment in the ankle joint position by a lockable Ball socket connection between the foot plate and the one overlying disc-shaped component is formed.

Due to the construction of the adjustment device according to the invention from disc-shaped components, which on the aforementioned Way are interconnected, this is fiction according adjustment device particularly small and light. This will it is possible for a patient - especially children and Adolescents - one with the adjustment device according to the invention connected lower leg prosthesis for a long time (e.g. a few days) for a longer one  Periodic, subjective feeling in the position the lower leg prosthesis. If so Patient after a few days finds that the cessation of the Adjustment device is not yet optimal, the orthopedic Technicians do the same once per the patient's sensation or change several times, whereby the easy and clear Liche handling of the adjustment device of the invention Advantage is.

In the state of the art, however, after a short Test run in the workshop mostly a fixed position placed and this immediately in a new lower leg prosthesis implemented. If, after a certain time, the patient Acclimatization related to a negative subjective feeling complained to the prosthesis, then had to be laborious Procedure the newly created lower leg prosthesis to be changed.

As a heterogeneous state of the art are from EP 01 02 853 also disc-shaped components with line aren or curved tongue and groove elements known together Act. These move against each other by tongue and groove elements Lichen and partly spatially curved, disc-shaped Components serve entirely outside of the invention according to the context only the alignment of a Unterschen kel and a thigh prosthesis and are in the knee area arranged.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention According to the adjustment device, the intermediate plate is on both sides provided with screwed strips, the undercut have areas. This type of attachment has the advantage that it is very easy to manufacture. In addition, that when the strips engage in the corresponding grooves of Upper and lower part results in a stable connection, because the sliding surfaces of the intermediate plate on the ent speaking wide areas of the upper and lower part.  

An embodiment in which the ball socket connection one in the middle on the foot plate arranged, including convex annular region Has fixing pin which in a cavity of the foot supports protrudes plate overlying component, its edge Cavity boundary bil an annular concave area det, which together with the convex annular region works. This arrangement of the horizontal angle adjustment a very compact design is achieved because the adjustment and locking area in the overlying the foot holding plate Component is placed. Add to that the big planar support of the annular concave region of the Cavity on the annular convex area of the foot supports plate, despite the horizontal angle adjustment between the feet holding plate and overlying component, a stable connection is achieved.

The locking of the described spherical connector manure can also be advantageous through minde at least three clamping screws arranged in the overlying component happen, which are supported on the fixing pin. Through this The fixing pin can hold three screws that act on each other ge in every conceivable position within the cavity be brought and thus the full swivel range of the ball socket connection to be covered.

In an improved embodiment, the fixer has tap on flats, the support surfaces for the clamping screw ben form. This form of the fixing pin improves the us the clamping screw arranged in the superimposed component ben considerably.  

The fact that in a further embodiment Flattening of the fixing pin in the manner of a truncated pyramid converge conically towards the connecting plate, can usually be prevented that the fixing pin during the adjustment of the horizontal angle from the lock area slips out. Furthermore, when tightening the Clamping screws the two main elements of the ball socket connection due to the taper towards the foot support plate converging flats pulled together.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the Adjustment device according to the invention have upper part, intermediate component and lower part, with the exception of shaft holder and foot holding plate, essentially the outer contour of the same cylinder on. Here, a high Kom is advantageously Accuracy of the adjustment device achieved in that the washers shaped components essentially the same cross section have and for horizontal angle adjustment and Directional positioning essential functional parts arranged within the outer contour of the same cylinder are not.

At best, the adjustment device should essentially be shaped as a circular cylinder.

To optimize the on the intermediate plate and on the upper and bottom part arranged tongue and groove elements are these formed essentially circular cylindrical, this ensures the simplest possible manufacture.  

In addition, the further improvement of Adjustment device according to the invention the essentially circle cylindrically shaped strip-like spring elements with a flattened area on the broad areas of the Zwi is attached. This results in a relatively large size flat contact surface between the strip-like spring elements ten and the intermediate plate, the stability of the Justier device.

An advantageous embodiment shows strip-like Spring elements, each on both sides of the outer contour stick out. Through this simple variation of the invention according to the adjustment device, the adjustment range in latera ler / medial and dorsal / versal direction clearly tert without the total weight of the device significantly elevated.

In a further improved embodiment of the inventions The adjustment device according to the invention are the upper part and the shaft holders plate over spacers of different axial Er Extension can be connected using a screw. Through this Arrangement is made without the compactness of the invention Adjustment device suffers, every distance change between Foot holding plate and shaft holding plate enables without the Stability of the device is impaired. By the arrangement one or more spacers of the same or under everyone can imagine different axial extension Distance between foot support and shaft support plate achieved be replaced without the adjustment device as a whole must become.

Further advantageous features of the invention Object result from the other claims and from the following description of the invention based on several embodiments shown in the drawings games. Show it:  

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the complete Justiergerätes,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower part,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the intermediate plate,

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the upper part,

Fig. 5 Adjusted a medial in the lateral / dorsal and / Versaler direction adjustment device without shaft holding plate and

Fig. 6, the existing from the foot support plate and lower horizontal angle adjustment.

A device 10 for adjusting a lower leg prosthesis, consisting of a lower leg shaft 11 and a foot prosthesis 12 , both of which are only partially shown, is connected via the foot holding plate 13 and the shaft holding plate 14 to the foot prosthesis 12 and the lower leg shaft 11 . The foot holding plate 13 has a convex region 15 in the center with a fixing pin 16 , which is seen with four lateral flats 40 ver. The foot holding plate 13 can be connected to the foot prosthesis 12 via a screw, not shown, which engages in a threaded hole 17 . One of the foot support plate 13 partially overlapping lower part 18 has a cavity 19 into which the fixing pin 16 protrudes. A to the foot plate 13 , peripheral edge 20 of the lower part 18 , which is concave, lies in wesent union on the convex region 15 of the foot plate 13 .

In side walls 21 of the lower part 18 are horizontally, each offset by 90 ° clamping screws 22 angeord net, which act in the cavity 19 into the fixing pin 16 .

A circular cylindrical groove 23 is provided on the top 24 of the lower part 18 . It serves for the stable connection of the lower part 18 with an intermediate plate 25 . On the end faces 36 , 37 of the intermediate plate 25 are ver in a 90 ° crossing arrangement with a flattened 42 seen guide rails 26 , 27 attached, the undercut extension surfaces 41 . Since the cross section of the guide bar 26 corresponds to the cross section of the groove 23 and also the cross section of the guide bar 27 of a groove 28 in a lower contact surface 38 of an upper part 23 , the lower part 18 can be connected to the upper part 29 by means of the intermediate plate 25 . A fixation of the connection of lower part 18 and intermediate plate 25 and upper part 29 is achieved because each engages in the grooves 23 , 28 locking screws ben 30 , 31 .

Of course, a reversal of the design is also possible in principle, that the intermediate plate 25 has grooves on both sides, into which guide strips attached to the upper part 29 and lower part 18 engage.

Between the shaft holding plate 14 and the upper part 29 , three spacers 32 of different axial extension are arranged, which have wide surfaces 43 and in which, as in the upper part 29 and in the shaft holding plate 17 , a continuous threaded hole 33 is provided in the center. In the exemplary embodiment, di washers 32 are provided with an axial extent of 5, 10 and 15 mm, although other dimensions are also possible.

After the assembly of the adjusting device 10 , the spacer 32 under ste has a wide area 43 on the abutting contact surface 39 of the upper part 29 over a large area.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show individual components of the Justiergerätes 10, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in a position rotated by 80 ° view.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the lower part 18 , in which one can see the clamping screws 22 arranged offset by the angle α = 80 in the side walls 21 . The wide ren is used to connect the lower part 18 and intermediate plate 25 guide groove 23 in the top 24 bar.

The intermediate plate 25 is shown in FIG. 3. It can be seen that the guide strips 26 , 27 arranged on both sides of it are fastened in an 80 ° -crossing arrangement by means of screws 34 on the end faces 36 , 37 . Based on the diameter of the intermediate plate 25 , the guide strips 26 , 27 each have an excess length 35 on both sides.

FIG. 4 shows a lower contact surface 38 of the upper part 28 , in which the guide groove 28 , the threaded bore 33 and also the clamping screw 31 can be seen. By means of the clamping screw 31 , the guide bar 27 can be clamped in the guide groove 28 in the event of a connection.

By means of the Figs. 5 and 6 in conjunction with FIG. 1, the operation of the Justiergerätes be represented in a simple manner. The Fig. 5 shows the adjustment of the Justiergerätes in the lateral / medial and dorsal / Versaler direction, while FIG. 6 illustrates the horizontal angle adjustment.

In Fig. 5 the complete adjusting device 10 except for the shaft holding plate 14 can be seen. The intermediate plate 25 , which is held with the guide bar 26 in the guide groove 23 , is laterally displaced by approximately half its diameter and fixed by means of the clamping screw 30 . In a 90 ° crossing arrangement, the guide bar 27 engages in the guide groove 28 of the upper part 28 . Compared to the inter mediate plate 25 , the upper part 28 is shifted to the outside by about half the diameter and fixed with the fastening supply screw 31 . The attachment of lower part 18 , intermediate plate 25 and upper part 28 against each other is only possible in the illustrated large lateral displacement of the individual parts to each other only because of the respective excess length 35 of the guide strips 26 and 27 , on which the fastening screws 30 and 31 act in a clamping manner. The stable connection of the lower part 18 , intermediate plate 25 and upper part 28 despite the displacement on all sides is achieved by the large-area superimposition of the opposite surfaces 24 , 36 and 37 , 38 and by the action of the clamping screws 30 , 31 on the excess lengths 35 .

The horizontal angle adjustment is clear from FIG. 6. It can be seen that the lower part 18 rests on the convex region 15 of the foot holding plate 13 . By correspondingly screwing back or screwing in the opposing clamping screws 22 , the lower part 18 is tilted by the angle β. The concave edge 20 of the lower part 18 moves on the dome-shaped convex region 15 of the foot holding plate 13 . Due to the large contact area on the one hand and on the other hand by the all-round clamping of the fixing pin 16 in the cavity 18 by means of the four clamping screws 22 acting on the flats 40, a secure and stable connection of the foot holding plate 13 and the lower part 18 is achieved despite the horizontal angle adjustment.

Claims (18)

1. Adjustment device for lower leg prostheses, with an upper part which is overlaid by a shaft holding plate facing the lower leg shaft, and with a lower part, which is gripped by a foot holding plate facing the foot prosthesis, and with an intermediate component which is used to connect the upper and lower parts - And on the underside each has a lockable, straight, undercut, crossing at right angle, tongue and groove sliding connection and an adjusting device for the horizontal angle is present between the shaft holding plate and foot holding plate, characterized in that the upper, intermediate and lower parts ( 28 ; 25 ; 18 ) are essentially composed of approximately disc-shaped construction elements, each with two plane-parallel wide surfaces, each wide surface ( 37 , 36 ) of the intermediate component ( 25 ) forming the intermediate plate on both sides next to the tongue and groove elements ( 27 , 26 ) one sliding surface each with the broad surface ( 38 , 24 ) of the upper and lower part ( 28 ; 18 ) forms and the horizontal talwinkel-adjustment in the ankle joint position of an arre animal ball socket connection ( 15 , 20 ) between the foot support plate ( 13 ) and the disc-shaped component ( 18 ) overlying it is formed. 2. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate plate ( 25 ) is provided on both sides with screwed strips ( 26 , 27 ) which have undercut surfaces ( 41 ). 3. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ball socket connection ( 15 , 20 ) has a centrally arranged on the foot holding plate ( 13 ), convex annular loading area ( 15 ) including fixing pin ( 16 ) which in a cavity ( 19 ) of the protrudes the foot-holding plate ( 13 ) overlying component ( 18 ), the marginal cavity delimitation of which forms an annular concave region ( 20 ) which interacts with the convex annular region ( 15 ). 4. Adjusting device according to claim 1 and 3, characterized in that at least three in the overlying component ( 18 ) arranged clamping screws ( 22 ) are present as locking means for the Kugelpfannenverbin, which are supported on the fixing pin ( 16 ). 5. Adjusting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing pin ( 16 ) is provided with flats ( 40 ) which form support surfaces for the clamping screws. 6. Adjusting device according to claim 3 and 5, characterized in that the flats ( 40 ) of the fixing pin ( 16 ) in the manner of a truncated pyramid in the direction of the foot support plate ( 13 ) converge conically. 7. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part ( 29 ), intermediate plate ( 25 ) and lower part ( 18 ) with the exception of shaft holding and foot holding plate ( 14 ; 13 ) essentially have the outer contour of the same cylinder. 8. Adjusting device according to claim 1 and 7, characterized records that the outer contour essentially as a circular cylinder that is shaped.   9. Adjusting device according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the undercut tongue / groove elements ( 23 , 28 ; 26 , 27 ) are substantially circular-cylindrical. 10. Adjusting device according to claim 9, characterized in that the substantially circular cylindrical, lei most like spring elements ( 26 , 27 ) are each provided with a flattened portion ( 42 ) which bears against the wide surfaces ( 36 , 37 ) of the intermediate plate ( 25 ) . 11. Adjusting device according to claim 1, 2 and 8, characterized in that the strip-like spring elements ( 26 , 27 ) protrude from both sides of the outer contour (excess length 35 ). 12. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring elements ( 26 , 27 ) can be locked by means of clamping screws ( 30 , 31 ) pointing into the groove space ( 23 , 28 ). 13. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part ( 29 ) and the shaft holding plate ( 14 ) via spacers ( 32 ) of different axial extension can be connected by means of a screw. 14. Adjusting device according to claim 13, characterized in that the wide areas ( 43 ) of the spacers ( 32 ), the wide areas ( 39 , 38 , 37 , 36 , 24 ) of the upper part ( 29 ), intermediate plate ( 25 ) and lower part ( 18th ) are congruent. 15. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part ( 29 ), intermediate plate ( 25 ) and lower part ( 18 ) have a different axial extent. 16. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that its components ( 13 , 14 , 18 , 25 , 29 , 32 ) consist of tough and dimensionally stable, in particular glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. 17. Adjusting device according to claim 16, characterized in that the components ( 13 , 14 , 18 , 25 , 29 , 32 ) are injection molded parts. 18. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that its components ( 13 , 14 , 18 , 25 , 29 , 32 ) consist of aluminum.