EA034116B1 - High energy-saving foot prostheses - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to medical equipment, in particular, to a foot prosthesis with a high degree of energy conservation, and can be used for prosthesis of lower limbs. The technical objective is to reduce the construction height of a prosthetic foot, while maintaining the biomechanical parameters of human walking on the prosthesis with high degree of energy saving. The solution of this problem is achieved by introducing an additional elastic element (4), rigidly fixed to the elastic toe element (7) into the design of the prosthesis. The adjusting and connecting device (1) (hereinafter referred to as the ACD) is rigidly attached to the additional elastic element (4) and, through the damper (9), it rests on the elastic toe element (7). Such a scheme allows the ACD to move in relation to the elastic toe element (7). Due to the fact that the additional elastic element (4) in the support phase is able to additionally store and give off elastic deformation energy, the elastic toe element (7) can be made shortened without losing the value of the stored elastic deformation energy, while maintaining the biomechanical parameters of human walking on the prosthesis and lowering the construction height of prosthetic foot by 20–25 mm in comparison with the known technical solutions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to medical equipment, in particular, to a prosthetic foot with a high degree of energy conservation, and can be used for prosthetics of the lower extremities.

Background of the Related Art

Known prostheses of the foot having an auxiliary ankle construction and described in patents US5181932, 1993; US 5,486,209,199bg; US 5593457, 1997 Separate prosthetic foot designs are also known in accordance with US Pat. No. 5,181,933, 1993; US 5514185, 1996; US 5776205, 1998; US 6071313, 2000

According to the above technical solutions, the prosthesis is made of an elastic composite material and consists of a long J-shaped toe element and a heel element attached to it. This design allows us to accumulate the energy of elastic deformation when resting on the foot. The release of this energy is aimed at simulating the work of the calf muscles, which is required for patients with active walking, running and jumping. The shape of the J-shaped toe element is dictated, in particular, by the need to have a long vertical section for the possibility of accumulation and return of elastic deformation energy in the sagittal plane.

However, this design has its drawbacks. The need to accumulate energy in a long toe element leads to an increase in the construction height of the prosthesis, which excludes the possibility of prosthetics for patients with a long stump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Lowering the building height entails a decrease in the length of the elastic elements, which in turn leads to a deterioration in the biomechanical parameters of a person walking on the prosthesis. The technical problem is to lower the construction height of the prosthetic foot while maintaining a high degree of energy conservation and biomechanical indicators of a person walking on the prosthesis.

The solution of this problem is carried out by introducing an additional elastic element rigidly fixed to the elastic toe element into the prosthesis design. The adjusting-connecting device (hereinafter referred to as the DCS) is rigidly attached to the additional elastic element and, through the damper, rests on the elastic toe element. This scheme allows you to provide the necessary biomechanical indicators of a person walking on the prosthesis. Due to the fact that the additional elastic element in the support phase is capable of additionally storing and giving off elastic deformation energy, the elastic toe element can be shortened without losing the value of the stored energy of elastic deformation while maintaining the biomechanical parameters of a person walking on the prosthesis, reducing the construction height of the prosthesis prosthesis 20-25 mm compared with well-known technical solutions.

The invention is a foot prosthesis with a high degree of energy conservation, containing DCS, mounted on an additional elastic element, which is fixed to the vertical portion of the elastic toe element. An elastic heel element is fixed on the elastic toe element. The elastic toe element is fixed to the DCS by means of a vertically located additional elastic element, the lower part of which is rigidly connected to the DCS, and the upper part is connected to the upper part of the vertical section of the elastic toe element, while in the CSD there is a cavity in which the upper parts connected to each other are placed an elastic toe element and an additional elastic element placed in a damper made of an elastic material.

The elastic toe element, the elastic scarf element and the additional elastic element are made of carbon fiber composite material having a low specific gravity, high strength and the ability to withstand large relative deformations.

The damper is made of elastic polyurethane.

Preferably, the resilient toe member has a longitudinal section designed for independent operation of its left and right parts.

A cutout may be provided in the resilient toe element to provide a separate arrangement of the thumb in the cosmetic sheath of the prosthetic foot.

List of drawings

The invention is illustrated by drawings.

FIG. 1 - General view of the prosthetic foot.

FIG. 2 - section of the prosthetic foot.

FIG. 3 is a view of a cut (11) and a cut (12) in the elastic element (7) of the prosthetic foot.

FIG. 4 is a general view of the elastic elements (15) and (16) of the prosthetic foot.

FIG. 5 - the movement of the prosthesis elements of the foot in the phase of the front push.

FIG. 6 - movement of the prosthetic foot elements in the phase of the posterior shock.

Information confirming the possibility of carrying out the invention

The prosthesis of the foot is as follows. An additional elastic element (4) is rigidly attached to the DCS (1) by means of bolts (2) through the contact plane (3) (Figs. 1 and 2). An elastic elastic toe element (7) is rigidly attached to the additional elastic element (4) by means of bolts (5) through the contact plane (6). DCS (1) has a cavity (8) into which the elastic elements (4) and (7) enter.

The horizontal arrangement of bolts (2) allows to reduce the longitudinal dimension of the plane of the con

- 1,034116 measures (3) and reduce the construction height. The damper (9), made of elastic polyurethane, provides the necessary movement of the DCS (1) relative to the elastic elements (7) and (4). By varying the stiffness of the damper (9), it is possible to additionally change the biomechanical parameters of a person walking on the prosthesis.

The elastic toe element (7) has a bend (10) designed to form a space in the area of the bolts (2).

The elastic toe element (7) has a longitudinal section (11), designed for independent operation of its left and right parts (Fig. 3). This allows you to make the prosthetic foot more stable when resting on an uneven surface.

A cutout (12) is provided in the elastic toe element (7) to provide a separate arrangement of the thumb in the cosmetic shell of the prosthetic foot. This form of the prosthetic foot has a more natural aesthetic appearance, and also allows you to wear beach shoes.

By means of bolts (13) and threaded bushings (14), elastic elements (15) and (16) are connected to the elastic toe element (7), forming an elastic heel element (Figs. 2 and 4). The elastic element (15) is rigidly attached to the right side of the elastic toe element (7), and the elastic element (16) is rigidly attached to the left side of the elastic toe element (7). This design allows the elastic elements (15) and (16) to work independently of each other and ensures the stability of the prosthetic foot when resting on an uneven surface.

The elastic elements (7), (4), (15) and (16) are made of carbon fiber composite material having a low specific gravity, high strength and the ability to withstand large relative deformations. A prosthetic foot corresponds to the basic anthropometric characteristics of a healthy foot.

The prosthesis of the foot works as follows. In the forward push phase, structurally dependent elastic elements (7), (4), (15), (16) and the damper (9) are deformed under the influence of an external load attributable to the patient’s weight, moving the DCS (1) relative to the supporting surface ( see Fig. 5) and storing the energy of elastic deformation.

Released, the stored energy of elastic deformation helps the patient to roll on the prosthetic foot to the beginning of the back push phase, moving the DCS (1) relative to the supporting surface (see Fig. 6), and also re-stores energy in the elastic elements (7), (4 ) and damper (9) the release of which helps the patient to complete the phase of the back push.

Claims (5)

1. A prosthetic foot with a high degree of energy conservation, comprising an adjusting-connecting device (1) with an elastic toe element (7) fixed to it with a vertical portion, while an elastic heel element is fixed to the elastic toe element (7), characterized in that the elastic toe element (7) is fixed to the adjusting and connecting device (I) by means of a vertically located additional elastic element (4), the lower part of which is rigidly connected to the adjusting and connecting device (1), and the upper hour connected to the upper part of the vertical section of the elastic toe element (7), while in the adjusting-connecting device (1) a cavity (8) is made, designed to accommodate the upper parts of the elastic toe element (7) and the additional elastic element (4) connected to each other placed in a damper (9) made of an elastic material. 2. The prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic toe element (7), the elastic heel element and the additional elastic element (4) are made of carbon fiber composite material having a low specific gravity, high strength and the ability to withstand large relative deformations. 3. The prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that the damper (9) is made of elastic polyurethane. 4. The prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic toe element (7) has a longitudinal section (II) designed for independent operation of its left and right parts. 5. The prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that a cutout (12) is provided in the elastic toe element (7) to provide a separate arrangement of the thumb in the cosmetic shell of the prosthetic foot.