GB2148177A - Adjusting the shape of athermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device - Google Patents

Adjusting the shape of athermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2148177A
GB2148177A GB08425622A GB8425622A GB2148177A GB 2148177 A GB2148177 A GB 2148177A GB 08425622 A GB08425622 A GB 08425622A GB 8425622 A GB8425622 A GB 8425622A GB 2148177 A GB2148177 A GB 2148177A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
socket
shape
region
heated
modified
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08425622A
Other versions
GB2148177B (en
GB8425622D0 (en
Inventor
Victor James Woolnough
John Jeffrey Shorter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Blatchford & Sons Ltd
Original Assignee
Blatchford & Sons Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Blatchford & Sons Ltd filed Critical Blatchford & Sons Ltd
Publication of GB8425622D0 publication Critical patent/GB8425622D0/en
Publication of GB2148177A publication Critical patent/GB2148177A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2148177B publication Critical patent/GB2148177B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

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
    • A61F2/00—Filters implantable into blood vessels; Prostheses, i.e. artificial substitutes or replacements for parts of the body; Appliances for connecting them with the body; Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents
    • A61F2/50—Prostheses not implantable in the body
    • A61F2/5044—Designing or manufacturing processes
    • A61F2/5046—Designing or manufacturing processes for designing or making customized prostheses, e.g. using templates, finite-element analysis or CAD-CAM techniques
    • 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
    • A61F2/00—Filters implantable into blood vessels; Prostheses, i.e. artificial substitutes or replacements for parts of the body; Appliances for connecting them with the body; Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents
    • A61F2/50—Prostheses not implantable in the body
    • A61F2/78—Means for protecting prostheses or for attaching them to the body, e.g. bandages, harnesses, straps, or stockings for the limb stump
    • A61F2/80—Sockets, e.g. of suction type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C57/00—Shaping of tube ends, e.g. flanging, belling or closing; Apparatus therefor, e.g. collapsible mandrels
    • B29C57/02—Belling or enlarging, e.g. combined with forming a groove
    • B29C57/04—Belling or enlarging, e.g. combined with forming a groove using mechanical means
    • 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
    • A61F2/00—Filters implantable into blood vessels; Prostheses, i.e. artificial substitutes or replacements for parts of the body; Appliances for connecting them with the body; Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents
    • A61F2/50—Prostheses not implantable in the body
    • A61F2/5044—Designing or manufacturing processes
    • 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
    • A61F2210/00—Particular material properties of prostheses classified in groups A61F2/00 - A61F2/26 or A61F2/82 or A61F9/00 or A61F11/00 or subgroups thereof
    • A61F2210/0071—Particular material properties of prostheses classified in groups A61F2/00 - A61F2/26 or A61F2/82 or A61F9/00 or A61F11/00 or subgroups thereof thermoplastic
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/753—Medical equipment; Accessories therefor
    • B29L2031/7532—Artificial members, protheses

Description

SPECIFICATION Adjusting an orthotic or prosthetic device This invention relates io the post-shaping or adjustment of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetics device such as an artificial limb socket.
Increasingly, artificial limb sockets are being produced from thermoplastics material. The principal steps in producing a socket are the preparation of a mould typically by the casting of a plaster impression of the patient's stump, the heating of a sheet of thermoplastics material such as a copolymer of ethylene and propylene, and the combined drawing down and vacuum forming of the heated sheet over the mould or the plaster impression.
The socket is then trimmed, and outer limb components attached to it ready for fitting to the patient.
Thermoplastics sockets made in this way are gradually replacing hand-worked metal sockets.
However, an advantage of metal sockets is that it is a comparatively simple operation to modify the shape of the socket at the fitting stage by additional working of the metal to relieve pressure points.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method of altering the shape of a thermoplastics socket at the fitting stage.
According to this invention there is provided a method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device, in which the device is held in contact with a heated surface and in a stream of heated air to reduce the rigidity of the material in a selected region and to allow the shape of the device in that region to be modified, and in which, following modification of the shape, a stream of cooling air is directed at the said region while the device is held against a support to preserve the modified shape.
The invention is particularly applicable to the adjustment of a thermoplastics artificial limb socket.
To assist in modifying the shape of the device in the region to be altered, the device, having been heated to a required temperature, may be applied to and worked against a suitably shaped former, the same former then being used as the support so that the material is held in the modified form while it is being cooled.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of apparatus for heating a portion of a thermoplastics artificial limb socket; Figure 2 is a side view of a part of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing how a localised area of the socket can be heated; Figure 3 is a partly sectioned side view of apparatus for use in working the material of the socket and for cooling the socket; and Figure 4 is a group of views showing formers of different shapes for use in working the material of the socket.
Referring to Figure 1, for heating the material of an artificial limb socket I, a hot air blower 2 is mounted with its nozzle S above and close to an electrically heated mandrel 4. The socket is held with the region to be modified in contact with the mandrel and beneath the nozzle 3 to heat the region to be modified uniformly on both sides.
In the example, the adductor region of an aboveknee artificial leg socket is being adjusted. The mandrel 4 also has a 'button' 5 for use when only a very localised, sharply defined relief adjustment is required, as shown in Figure 2. When the material in the adjust ment region has reached a sufficient state of flexibility the socket 1 is transferred to a wooden former 6 of a suitable shape (as shown in Figure 3) against which it is 'worked' to stretch the material to the required shape. As soon as this point has been reached, a second blower 7 is switched on to cool the socket material and harden it while the modified region is held in position on the former. Operation of the blower 7 from a foot switch allows the user to hold the socket in the required position with both hands.
The former 6 has an outer concave section which is useful for adjustments in the adductor region.
Other wooden formers of different shapes are shown in Figure 4.
The temperature of the mandrel, and that of the air directed onto the socket 1 from the blower 2 are set so as to heat the material of the socket in the adjustment region to approximately 145"C. At this temperature, a material such as an Isotactic Copolymer of 7 ethylene/ propylene (MFI 0.3) is moderately elastic or "flexible". In this state the material, if deflected from its initial shape and then released, will return to approximately the initial shape. Its transparency in this state is also largely unchanged. If the material is overheated, it becomes "rubbery" or "soft". In this latter state, typically at 180"C, the material will not return to its original shape after deflection. It also becomes relatively transparent, oxidation and degradation take place, and it becomes somewhat brittle on cooling.Other materials can be treated in this way, such as LDPE (low density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene homopolymer), HDPE (high density polyethylene), PVC (polyvinylchloride), and others, although the required temperature varies from material to material.
1. A method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device, in which the device is held in contact with a heated surface and in a stream of heated air to reduce the rigidity of the material in a selected region and to allow the shape of the device in that region to be modified, and in which, following modification of the shape, a stream of cooling air is directed at the said region while the device is held against a support to preserve the modified shape.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device is a thermoplastics limb socket.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shape of the device in the said region is modified by working the material of the device against a former or formers until a required shape
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (17)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Adjusting an orthotic or prosthetic device This invention relates io the post-shaping or adjustment of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetics device such as an artificial limb socket. Increasingly, artificial limb sockets are being produced from thermoplastics material. The principal steps in producing a socket are the preparation of a mould typically by the casting of a plaster impression of the patient's stump, the heating of a sheet of thermoplastics material such as a copolymer of ethylene and propylene, and the combined drawing down and vacuum forming of the heated sheet over the mould or the plaster impression. The socket is then trimmed, and outer limb components attached to it ready for fitting to the patient. Thermoplastics sockets made in this way are gradually replacing hand-worked metal sockets. However, an advantage of metal sockets is that it is a comparatively simple operation to modify the shape of the socket at the fitting stage by additional working of the metal to relieve pressure points. It is an object of this invention to provide a method of altering the shape of a thermoplastics socket at the fitting stage. According to this invention there is provided a method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device, in which the device is held in contact with a heated surface and in a stream of heated air to reduce the rigidity of the material in a selected region and to allow the shape of the device in that region to be modified, and in which, following modification of the shape, a stream of cooling air is directed at the said region while the device is held against a support to preserve the modified shape. The invention is particularly applicable to the adjustment of a thermoplastics artificial limb socket. To assist in modifying the shape of the device in the region to be altered, the device, having been heated to a required temperature, may be applied to and worked against a suitably shaped former, the same former then being used as the support so that the material is held in the modified form while it is being cooled. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of apparatus for heating a portion of a thermoplastics artificial limb socket; Figure 2 is a side view of a part of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing how a localised area of the socket can be heated; Figure 3 is a partly sectioned side view of apparatus for use in working the material of the socket and for cooling the socket; and Figure 4 is a group of views showing formers of different shapes for use in working the material of the socket. Referring to Figure 1, for heating the material of an artificial limb socket I, a hot air blower 2 is mounted with its nozzle S above and close to an electrically heated mandrel 4. The socket is held with the region to be modified in contact with the mandrel and beneath the nozzle 3 to heat the region to be modified uniformly on both sides. In the example, the adductor region of an aboveknee artificial leg socket is being adjusted. The mandrel 4 also has a 'button' 5 for use when only a very localised, sharply defined relief adjustment is required, as shown in Figure 2. When the material in the adjust ment region has reached a sufficient state of flexibility the socket 1 is transferred to a wooden former 6 of a suitable shape (as shown in Figure 3) against which it is 'worked' to stretch the material to the required shape. As soon as this point has been reached, a second blower 7 is switched on to cool the socket material and harden it while the modified region is held in position on the former. Operation of the blower 7 from a foot switch allows the user to hold the socket in the required position with both hands. The former 6 has an outer concave section which is useful for adjustments in the adductor region. Other wooden formers of different shapes are shown in Figure 4. The temperature of the mandrel, and that of the air directed onto the socket 1 from the blower 2 are set so as to heat the material of the socket in the adjustment region to approximately 145"C. At this temperature, a material such as an Isotactic Copolymer of 7 ethylene/ propylene (MFI 0.3) is moderately elastic or "flexible". In this state the material, if deflected from its initial shape and then released, will return to approximately the initial shape. Its transparency in this state is also largely unchanged. If the material is overheated, it becomes "rubbery" or "soft". In this latter state, typically at 180"C, the material will not return to its original shape after deflection. It also becomes relatively transparent, oxidation and degradation take place, and it becomes somewhat brittle on cooling.Other materials can be treated in this way, such as LDPE (low density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene homopolymer), HDPE (high density polyethylene), PVC (polyvinylchloride), and others, although the required temperature varies from material to material. CLAIMS
1. A method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device, in which the device is held in contact with a heated surface and in a stream of heated air to reduce the rigidity of the material in a selected region and to allow the shape of the device in that region to be modified, and in which, following modification of the shape, a stream of cooling air is directed at the said region while the device is held against a support to preserve the modified shape.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device is a thermoplastics limb socket.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shape of the device in the said region is modified by working the material of the device against a former or formers until a required shape has been reached, and wherein the device is then held in contact with the former or one of the formers while the modified region is cooled.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the material of the device in the region to be modified is heated to a temperature at which it becomes flexible but not to a temperature at which it becomes soft or rubbery.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the material of the device in the region to be modified is heated to a temperature at which it becomes flexible substantially without an increase in transparency.
6. A method according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the material in the region to be modified is heated to a temperature in ihe range 140cm to 1 6û C.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the heated surface is convex and has a radius of curvature in one plane which is less than the minimum radius of curvature of the socket in the region to be modified.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the heated surface is the outer surface of an electrically heated mandrel.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the mandrel has a projection defining a second heated surface with a smaller radius of curvature than the remaining operative portion of the outer surface of the mandrel.
10. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the stream of heated air is directed onto one surface of the material to be modified whilst the opposite surface of the material is held against the heated surface, the heated air being supplied from a nozzle adjacent the heated surface.
11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the heated material is worked by manually pressing the material against the former and moving the socket to produce the required shape.
12. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the former has a concave outer surface portion.
13. A method according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the former has a convex outer surface portion.
14. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the cooling air is supplied from a nozzle adjacent the former.
15. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the cooling air is provided from a blower operated by a foot control.
16. A method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device, wherein the device is held in contact with a heated surface and in a stream of heated air so that the material of the device in a region to be modified is made flexible, and wherein the device is then urged against a former to modify the shape of the device in the said region, the material being cooled whilst the device is held against the former or other support to preserve the required shape.
17. A method of modifying the shape of a thermoplastics artificial limb socket, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
GB08425622A 1983-10-10 1984-10-10 Adjusting the shape of athermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device Expired GB2148177B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB838327015A GB8327015D0 (en) 1983-10-10 1983-10-10 Adjusting artificial limb socket

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8425622D0 GB8425622D0 (en) 1984-11-14
GB2148177A true GB2148177A (en) 1985-05-30
GB2148177B GB2148177B (en) 1987-10-28

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GB838327015A Pending GB8327015D0 (en) 1983-10-10 1983-10-10 Adjusting artificial limb socket
GB08425622A Expired GB2148177B (en) 1983-10-10 1984-10-10 Adjusting the shape of athermoplastics orthotic or prosthetic device

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB838327015A Pending GB8327015D0 (en) 1983-10-10 1983-10-10 Adjusting artificial limb socket

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1093778A1 (en) * 1999-10-22 2001-04-25 Etablissements Proteor, Société Anonyme dite: Process for manufacturing a flexible sleeve for prosthesis or orthosis, blank used in this process and so obtained flexible sleeve

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB383229A (en) * 1931-07-03 1932-11-10 Charles Harris Davies Improvements in or relating to socket members for artificial limbs
GB1290548A (en) * 1968-11-09 1972-09-27 Dynamit Nobel Ag
GB1419066A (en) * 1971-12-03 1975-12-24 Unilever Ltd Method and apparatus for manufacturing containers of thermo plastic materials

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB383229A (en) * 1931-07-03 1932-11-10 Charles Harris Davies Improvements in or relating to socket members for artificial limbs
GB1290548A (en) * 1968-11-09 1972-09-27 Dynamit Nobel Ag
GB1419066A (en) * 1971-12-03 1975-12-24 Unilever Ltd Method and apparatus for manufacturing containers of thermo plastic materials

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1093778A1 (en) * 1999-10-22 2001-04-25 Etablissements Proteor, Société Anonyme dite: Process for manufacturing a flexible sleeve for prosthesis or orthosis, blank used in this process and so obtained flexible sleeve
FR2799953A1 (en) * 1999-10-22 2001-04-27 Proteor Sa PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A SLEEVE FOR A PROSTHESIS OR ROUGH ORTHESIS USED IN THIS PROCESS AND SLEEVE THUS OBTAINED
US6869560B1 (en) 1999-10-22 2005-03-22 Establissements Proteor Process for manufacturing a flexible sleeve for a prosthesis or orthesis, preform used in this process and flexible sleeve thus obtained

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2148177B (en) 1987-10-28
GB8327015D0 (en) 1983-11-09
GB8425622D0 (en) 1984-11-14

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