JPH01190417A - Bag for manufacturing artificial limb socket - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve a mold releasability by making a seamless tubular body of silicone rubber, which covers the positive model of an amputated part and of which upper and lower openings are different in size, and sealing a stretchable tubular fiber in said seamless tubular body. CONSTITUTION:A bag 1 for manufacturing the artificial limb socket is a seamless-structured tubular body having upper and lower openings 2, 3 different in size. Silicone rubber is used as material and the sealing of a tubular fiber 5 of excellent stretchability increases its mechanical strength. Due to such construction the mold releasability is excellent and the surface of product is smooth and beautiful. It can be repeatedly used because of its excellent heat resistance, oxidation resistance and chemical resistance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a bag used as a casting shell when manufacturing a prosthetic limb socket.

[Prior art] The socket of a so-called adsorption prosthesis, which covers the cut end with a socket and enables independent walking, is an important part of supporting the body weight and suspending the prosthesis itself, and the inside shape of the socket is not suitable. If weight-bearing is not carried out through the stump, it will cause pain when walking, and it can also cause abnormal gait such as lordosis of the lumbar vertebrae and lateral bending of the trunk. Caution is required.

Plastic is usually used as the material for this socket. There are other materials such as wood and porous plastic, but their popularity is extremely low due to issues such as cost and manufacturing technology.

The method for manufacturing sockets using plastic is usually: (1) The cut end is kept in shape and a positive model is created using plaster.

■ Cover this positive model with a separately prepared soft insert, and then cover with stocking net and PVA film (or PvC film).

■ Pour plastic between the soft insert and PVA film (or PvC film), shape it, and harden it.

■ Remove the outermost PVA film (or PvC film) and perform after-cure if necessary.

■ Remove positive models.

It is done in that order. (Of course, the steps from ■ to ■ above are very schematic, and steps such as further providing a release film or agent, and adding carbon fiber between the stocking nets for reinforcement may be carried out as appropriate.) This manufacturing method is generally the same not only for prosthetic legs but also for artificial hands.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the outermost film (bag) used in this case has a drawback that, if left as is, the mold release property is poor and the product surface tends to become uneven. Furthermore, due to poor mold releasability, the bags cannot be used again, and are therefore disposable.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention were concerned about the current situation in which ordinary sockets pose various problems such as stuffiness and obstruction of skin breathing, and decided to develop a method that is similar to the conventional socket manufacturing method. We have developed a novel socket manufacturing method that solves this problem. It is made by mixing plastic (polyester) and water and creating an emulsion.
The method involves curing the product as it is and then drying it to obtain an open-celled foam.By simply adding the step of stirring the water-containing plastic, it becomes a lightweight, wood-like product with excellent moisture absorption and air permeability.

When this method is adopted, the bag is required to have higher mold releasability because of the presence of fine bubble pores on the surface. Furthermore, since it contains water, water-soluble plastics such as PVA bags cannot be used.

[Means to solve the problem]

Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has finally completed the present invention as a result of many years of intensive research in view of the above points.The main feature of the present invention is that it is a seamless model with different sizes for the upper and lower openings that are placed over the positive residual margin model. It has a cylindrical shape and uses silicone rubber as its material, and even more preferably, seamless cylindrical fibers having elasticity are encapsulated within the silicone rubber.

Here, the term "prosthetic limb socket" refers to a socket used for suction-type prosthetic limbs, and can be any type of socket that can be obtained by placing a bag over a positive model and casting resin into the gap. Invention bags can be adopted. Of course, this includes both prosthetic legs and prosthetic hands. (It is a so-called megaphone-shaped model with different sizes for the upper and lower openings, and it can accommodate differences in the outer diameters of the prosthetic leg and prosthetic hand sockets, so it does not require multiple types of bags.) Although this is a model obtained using plaster or the like after preserving the shape of the residual limb of the wearer, the present invention is not limited in any way to the manufacturing method, material, etc.

The shape of the bag, which has ``top and bottom openings'' and ``cylindrical shape,'' is the same as conventional bags. The difference is that the present invention is a seamless cylindrical body, whereas the sheet was pasted in a cylindrical shape.

"Silicon rubber" may be of any type as long as it has sufficient elasticity and strength, and
As a manufacturing method for the product of the present invention, the present inventor adopted a hand lay-up method using a plaster mold, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods such as dip molding method, slush molding method, etc. It seems possible to adopt this method as well. Note that silicone rubber alone may have somewhat poor mechanical strength, so it may be preferable to encapsulate highly elastic fibers such as stockkinette in the silicone rubber, but this book also describes the manufacturing method in that case. The invention is not limited thereto in any way.

[Examples] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a bag 1 for producing a prosthetic limb socket according to the present invention. As is clear from the figure, the bag 1 for producing a prosthetic limb socket has two pieces of different sizes at the top and bottom, similar to the conventional bag. It has a cylindrical shape with openings (an upper opening 2 and a lower opening 3). However, unlike traditional bags, there are no seams, and the structure is completely seamless.

In addition, the bag 1 for making a prosthetic limb socket uses silicone rubber 4 as its material, and in this example, has inside it a cylindrical fiber 5 with excellent elasticity obtained by cutting the top and bottom of women's nylon stockings. It is sealed to provide high mechanical strength. However, this cylindrical fiber 5 is not essential to the present invention (it may not be used).

The method of using the bag of the present invention itself is not much different from the conventional method, so I will not explain it, but 5. Among these, steps such as wetting with a steamed towel or applying or spraying a release agent, which are required in conventional bags due to their poor mold release properties, can be omitted, and workability is improved.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained in detail above, the prosthetic limb socket production bag according to the present invention is a seamless cylindrical bag with different sizes for the upper and lower openings to be placed on a positive residual limb model, and is made of silicone. The material is rubber, and it is an extremely useful invention having various advantages as described below.

■ Since silicone rubber is used, the mold release property is very good, and the surface of the product (socket) can be made smooth and beautiful.

■ Since it is seamless, there are no seam marks on the surface of the product (socket).

■ Since silicone rubber is used, it does not melt in water like PVA bangs, and can be used even when the socket material is an emulsion type.

■ It has excellent heat resistance, oxidation resistance, chemical resistance, and mold releasability, so it can be used repeatedly.

■ Enclosing cylindrical fibers inside silicone rubber improves mechanical strength, making the bag even more suitable.

■ Since no technique is required to improve mold releasability, the level of skill required for socket production can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a bag for manufacturing a prosthetic limb socket according to the present invention. 1...Bag for producing prosthetic limb sockets

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The device is characterized by having a seamless cylindrical shape with different sizes in the upper and lower openings (2, 3) to be placed over the positive residual limb model, and made of silicone rubber. 2. A bag for producing a prosthetic limb socket according to claim 1, wherein a stretchable seamless cylindrical fiber (5) is encapsulated within a silicone rubber (4).