Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces
  • A61F5/0102—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations
  • A61F5/0104—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation
  • A61F5/0111—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation for the feet or ankles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/18—Joint supports, e.g. instep supports
  • A43B7/20—Ankle-joint supports or holders
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces
  • A61F5/0102—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations
  • A61F5/0104—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation
  • A61F5/0111—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation for the feet or ankles
  • A61F5/0113—Drop-foot appliances

Definitions

• This invention pertains in general to the field of footwear and more particularly to orthotic footwear and even more particularly to ankle supporting orthotic footwear .
• Foot-drop results in what is called a steppage gait in which the advancing foot is lifted high in order that the toes may clear the ground. Foot drop can be due to a number of conditions including injury to the muscles that dorsiflex the foot or to the nerves to those muscles, a neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, a stroke, drug toxicity, and diabetes.
• AFO ankle-foot orthosis
• An ankle-foot orthosis is a brace, usually of plastic, worn on the lower leg and foot to support the ankle, hold the foot and ankle in the correct position, and correct foot-drop.
• AFOs are also known as a foot-drop braces or drop-foot braces. Using an AFO prevents the wearer from dragging the foot and enables the wearer to walk: extended intervals without any symptoms of fatigue or of being tired. When walking, the wearer does not have to worry about tripping or falling because of the dropped foot.
• AFOs usually comprise a foot plate custom-made and specially adapted to the form of trie user's foot, and a supporting strut for fixing the ankle, foot and lower limb of the user in a desired position. For use an AFO is usually placed in a rather heavy and stable shoe , like an athletic shoe or a walking boot supporting the o-rthosis. Then the shoe is don with the orthosis in place.
• the present invention overcomes the above- identified deficiencies in the art and solves at least the above identified problems by providing an orthotic footwear device according to the appended patent claims .
• the general solution according to the invention is an orthotic footwear device comprising in integral combination a sole element, a foot support element for recei ving a foot, and an ankle-foot orthosis element.
• a self- contained orthotic footwear is provided.
• the ankle-foot orthosis element is made of a lightweight material and comprises a base plate supporting two lateral strut elements extending to a tibia abutment member having a releasable fastener configured to fasten said ankle-foot orthosis element at said tibia abutment member below the knee to a lower limb in use of said orthotic footwear device.
• the base plate is interposed between said sole element and said foot support element, and the lateral strut elements have an inherent flexi-bility such that propulsion of the limb at toe off is assist ed by said flexibility.
• the foot of a wearer of the orthotic footwear device is also supported for ground-clearanc e during the gait swing phase when walking with said or thotic footwear device put on.
• the present invention has also the advantage over the prior art that it avoids a custom-made footwear.
• the foot support element may have a footbed in a variety of st andard sizes fitting most user's feet comfortably.
• the orthotic footwear device is of a simple construction that is e asily manufactured. Still, the orthotic footwear device offer full support to a drop-foot patient and is not just s imply a guard in the side of the shoe.
• the lateral design of support struts providing inherent flexibility offers a dynamic energy return when walking.
• a sim-ple Velcro® strapping system facilitates donning and dof ing of the orthotic footwear device.
• the ankle-foot orthosis element of the orthotic footwear device is preferably made of a lightweight material having high structural strength. This ensure s a dynamic motion and energy return, as already mentione d, as well as high durability, high strength, light weight, and long time of comfortable use.
• the orthotic footwear device is simple to use and no separate AFO is needed.
• the orthotic footwear device is easy to don and doff.
• FIGS. 1A and IB are perspective views of an AFO device that is part of the orthotic footwear according to an embodiment of the invention
• Fig 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the integration of the AFO device shown in Figs 1A and IB into an orthotic footwear according to an embodiment of the invention
• Figs 3A and 3B are perspective views showing the sample orthotic footwear device according to an embodiment of the invention
• Fig 4 shows a step of putting on the orthotic footwear of Figs 3A and 3B with a Velcro® fastening strap opened
• Figs 5A and 5B are perspective views illustrating the orthotic footwear of the two previous figures, wherein the footwear is shown put on a foot of a wearer, ready for use.
• Figs 1A and IB are perspective views illustrating an orthotic device in the form of an ankle foot brace, which is part of an embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the following figures .
• the brace comprises an upper portion 10, an intermediate portion 20 and a lower portion 30.
• Fig 1A illustrates the brace upside-down for an easy understanding of the construction of the brace.
• Fig IB shows the brace in the opposite position with the top portion 10 upside.
• the lower part 30 of the brace comprises a front portion 31, which is oriented in the direction of the toes of a wearer of the orthotic footwear into which the brace is to be integrated.
• the intermediate portion 32 of the lower portion 30 of the brace is in use oriented approximately at the middle of the wearer's foot sole, and the rear portion 33 of the lower portion 30 of the brace is oriented towards the heel of the wearer.
• the intermediate portion 20 of the brace comprises to substantially vertically oriented arms 21, 22.
• the arms 21, 22 are interconnecting the lower portion 30 and the upper portion 10 of the brace.
• the right arm 21 comprises a lower portion 23, and intermediate portion 24 and an upper portion 25.
• the left arm 22 of the brace comprises a lower portion 26, an intermediate portion 27 and an upper portion 28.
• the arms 21, 22 have a characteristic shape fulfilling a plurality of functions, which will be explained below.
• the upper portion 10 of the brace comprises an interconnecting part 11 that interconnects the two arms 21, 22 at the end of their upper portions 25, 28, respectively.
• the interconnecting part 11 is oriented towards the front of the wearer's lower limb, i.e. towards the tibia at the lower leg of the wearer.
• a damping pad 12 is oriented and attached to the inside of the interconnecting part 11. Damping pad 12 fulfils the function of providing comfort to the wearer and is made of an elastic material, such as a soft fabric or a foam rubber. Damping pad 12 may be attached to the inside of interconnecting part 11 by means of an adhesive or other suitable fastening means such as a Velcro® tape for easy removal and cleaning of the pad 12.
• a strap 13 having a fold back strap portion 14 is fastened to the right side of interconnecting part 11 by means of a rivet 16, as can be seen in Fig 1A.
• the strap 13 is inserted into a substantially rectangular loop 15, preferably of metal or a rigid plastic.
• a performed fold back portion 18 of strap 13 is illustrated fold back onto the outside of strap 13.
• Both the inside of a fold back strap portion 14 and the outside of the strap 13 comprise hook and loop fasteners of Velcro® tape sections, such that the fold back portion 14 conveniently can be fastened and loosened to and from the strap 13 in order to giving the wearer access to the opening of strap 13 and damping pad 12.
• Fig 2 illustrates how the brace shown in Figs 1A and IB is integrated with a footwear.
• the lower portion 30 of the brace is enclosed between a foot bed or upper portion of a footwear and a sole or lower portion of a footwear.
• Portions 40 and 41 are formed in a suitable manner so that the lower portion 30 of the brace is situated between the two portions 40 and 41 of the footwear.
• the left and right arms of the brace extend substantially vertically upwards from the footwear.
• a manufacturing method for an orthotic footwear comprises providing a sole element (41); providing a foot support element (40) for receiving a foot; and providing an ankle- foot orthosis element (10, 20, 30).
• the ankle-foot orthosis element (10, 20, 30) comprises a base plate element (30) , at least one lateral strut element (21, 22) supported by said base plate element (30) , and a limb fastening member (13, 14, 15) arranged on said strut element (13, 14, 15) for fastening said ankle-foot orthosis element (10, 20, 30) to a lower limb of a wearer in use of said orthotic footwear device, wherein said at least one lateral strut element (21, 22) extends from said base plate (30) to said fastening member (13, 14, 15) .
• the manufacturing method comprises interposing said base plate (30) between said sole element (41) and said foot support element (40) forming an integral self-contained orthotic footwear.
• Fig 3A shows a slightly elevated perspective front view of a footwear device of an embodiment according to the invention.
• Fig 3 B is an elevated rear perspective view of the orthotic footwear device according to the embodiment of the invention.
• the orthotic footwear device comprises the intermediate portion 20 and the upper portion 10 of the brace extending above the footwear portions 40 and 41.
• the footwear furthermore comprises a first buckle 42 and a second buckle 44 extending across and above the foot bed 40.
• the buckles 43, 45 are attached to a buckle counter element 46, which is also fastened to the foot bed 40, by means of a first buckle fastener 43 and a second buckle fastener 45, respectively.
• the two arms 21, 22 of the brace are fastened to the footwear portions 40, 41 by integrating the lower portion of orthotic device 30 into the space intermediate of portions 40 and 41. This is achieved by forming the portions 40, 41 appropriately, e.g. by providing a recess with the lower portion 40 of the brace.
• the lower portion 30 of the brace may be attached between the foot bed 40 and the sole 41 by means of an adhesive, by suitable fastening means, such as screws, or a combination thereof. Arms 20, 21 unite in the interconnecting part 11.
• the orthotic footwear device is now ready for use, wherein the step of putting on the shoe is best understood with reference to Fig 3B.
• the wearer of the shoe will draw the fold back strap portion 14 from the strap 13 and slide it through the rectangular loop 15 to the right in Fig 3B.
• the passage between the strap 13 and the damping pad 12 is open to insert the lower limb of the wearer.
• the foot When sliding the foot into the foot bed 40, the foot will rest with its foot sole on the foot bed of the orthotic footwear device and the upper part of the wearer' s foot will rest against the insides of the buckles 42, 44 and the buckle counter element 46. This step is illustrated in Fig 4.
• the strap 13 with the fold back strap portion 14 is opened and still attached to the interconnecting part 11 of the upper brace portion by means of the rivet 16.
• the lower limb of the wearer rest against the inside of damping pad 12.
• Fig 3B the first attachment point 50 and the second attachment 51 of arms 21 and 22, respectively, are illustrated, and the second attachment point is also shown in Fig 4.
• the arms enter into the footwear device for fastening and integrating the brace.
• the fold back strap portion 14 is introduced with its end into the substantially rectangular loop 15 and fold back with its inside onto the outside of strap 13. Now the orthotic footwear device according to this embodiment is ready for use by the wearer, wherein this is illustrated in Figs 5A and 5B.
• the foot 60 of the wearer is now firmly attached to the orthotic footwear device. This is achieved by a simple operation of opening and closing the strap 13, as described above. Therefore the orthotic footwear device is put on very easily and in a short time. Still, the footwear device is offering an enormous amount of comfort and support for the wearer.
• the footwear device according to the embodiment as illustrated in the figures is preferably used by persons having foot ankle instabilities or difficulties to control the motion of the foot when walking.
• the footwear device with the integrated brace offers a plurality of advantages. Firstly the device offers support to the foot ankle region of the wearer. This support is offered both in the lateral and in the frontal direction.
• the arms 21, 22 of the brace are preferably manufacturer of a material offering a low weight in combination with a high structural strength.
• the brace may advantageously be made of one integral part.
• the brace is made of a lightweight material, such as a suitable plastics material that may be fiber-reinforced, e.g. with carbon or glass fibres.
• suitable materials comprise lightweight metals, such as titanium, magnesium, aluminium, or steel.
• the lightweight materials may also be used in several layers or sections to provide favourable characteristics to the brace, including suitable combinations of the above-mentioned materials or alloy thereof. This is to ensure that the footwear-device is as lightweight as possible in order to not hinder the wearer thereof, and at the same time to ensure sufficient structural strength for supporting the ankle/foot/lower limb of the wearer and to ensure the mentioned inherent flexibility of certain brace sections, as described above.
• the described c-like shape of the struts may be oriented in the opposite direction for both struts of an embodiment with two struts, or into opposing directions for each strut, or in the opposite direction as shown in the Figures, i.e. bent towards the front part of the orthotic device.
• the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, other embodiments than the preferred above are equally possible within the scope of the appended claims. Examples are different number of struts, different fastening means other than Velcro®, materials of the brace, etc. Also the dimensions of the orthotic footwear device according to the invention are not to be regarded as limited by the exemplary embodiments given in the description with reference to the appended drawings.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
• Nursing (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

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• 2004
  • 2004-04-08 SE SE0400953A patent/SE528818C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2005
  • 2005-04-07 EP EP05729478A patent/EP1742600A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-04-07 WO PCT/SE2005/000513 patent/WO2005097014A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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