JPS5817619B2 - prosthetic leg support - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a pylon shank for an endoskeletal prosthesis in which a plurality of thin elastic steel wires are arranged in a cylindrical shape. This invention relates to a prosthetic leg support that utilizes its rigidity and elasticity against torsional moments to protect the body's physiology and expand daily activities.

Conventionally, endoskeletal prosthetic legs have used struts made of metal pipes, regardless of whether they are in the thigh or lower leg.

Such a pipe is a rigid support without elasticity, and when kicking off, the moment applied from the foot in the axial direction of the support applies twist to the cut end through the socket, causing injury to the cut end due to friction and twisting. It also had a negative impact on the knee joints and hip joints.

In view of the above-mentioned situation, a structure has been proposed in which an elastic body made of rubber or synthetic resin is always interposed in the joint between the lower end of the pipe support and the foot to absorb the torque applied to the support from the foot. .

However, with this configuration, if the elasticity of the elastic body is weakened, the foot will not be held perpendicular to the pipe support when kicking off, and the entire sole of the foot will be in contact with the floor, so there will be no kicking force. It became difficult to kick and walk, and there was even a risk of falling.

If the elasticity of the elastic body is increased, the torque generated in the foot forcefully twists the cut ends and joints, resulting in the drawbacks mentioned above.

The prosthetic leg support according to the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned defects, and its gist is that a plurality of steel wires are arranged parallel to each other at equal intervals in a cylindrical shape, and the upper and lower ends It is fixed and held with a clasp, and the entire steel wire is interposed with a plurality of rings at equal intervals through holes, which not only has rigidity against bending moments but also has kicking assist force. The purpose of this invention is to propose a new strut that elastically absorbs the torsional moment generated in the foot.One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an endoskeletal type lower leg prosthesis using a strut 2 of the present invention.The prosthesis 1 has a cylindrical joint 4 fixedly provided on the upper surface of the foot 3, and the joint 4 has a strut. The lower end of the lower leg 2 is fitted and fixed, and the upper end thereof is fitted and fixed into the joint 8 at the lower end of the socket 7 into which the cut end 6 of the lower leg is attached.

The pillar 2 has a planar shape in which elongated steel wires 9 are arranged at regular intervals and parallel to each other along a circumference having a predetermined diameter, and are arranged in a cylindrical shape as a whole.

In order to arrange the steel wires in this manner, clasps 11 made of a light metal material are attached to the upper and lower ends of the support column 2 as shown in FIG. 3A, and are fastened and fixed.

The clasp 11 is formed of a cylindrical inner metal 12 and an outer ring 13 made by aligning a pair of split pieces into a cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner metal 12 has a number of steel wires 9 corresponding to the number of steel wires 9. A number of vertical grooves 14 having a half-moon shape in cross section are carved in parallel at equal intervals.

A vertical groove 15 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the external sound 13 so as to substantially face and align with the vertical groove 14 .

When attaching the strut 2 to the joint, as shown in FIG. 5, fit the clasp 11 into the joint 4 in advance, insert the steel wire 9, and then screw the screw 18 into the ear 17 of the joint 4. Urgent.

and secure the strut 2 to the joint.

The ring 20 inserted into the steel wire 9 of the strut 2 is made of a light metal material, and the same number of through holes 21 as the number of steel wires are bored at equal intervals in the axial direction, and the diameter of the through holes 21 is equal to the number of the steel wires. The diameter is approximately the same as the diameter,
Do not move it by sliding it by hand.

This is done so that the position will not shift inadvertently while walking.

The operation and embodiment of the strut 2 of the present invention constructed as above will be explained.

The diameter of the steel wire 9 is approximately 1.0 to 1.8 mm, taking into consideration the body position, the mounting position 2 on the lower leg or thigh, the wearer's gait, and the elastic stress caused by twisting.

The number of steel wires to be installed varies depending on their diameter and length, but is approximately 6 to 2.
By having about 4 pieces and having a cylindrical shape, it is strong against bending moments and has great elasticity against torsional moments.
What's more, the whole thing is twisted evenly.

The torsional moment generated in the foot portion deforms the support column 2 without the ring 20 inserted therein as shown in FIG. 6a.

In other words, the upper and lower ends of the fixed steel wire remain slightly erect.

However, the steel wire as a whole is curved in a spiral shape.

The entire strut is then twisted so that the central part of the steel wire is converged.

When the ring 20 is inserted into the steel wire of the support and a torsion moment is applied, the ring 20 focuses the steel wire group.

It has the effect of resisting damage, increases the elastic force of the column as a whole, and when the twist angle exceeds a certain range, the elastic force becomes weak against sudden attacks.

This elastic force can be adjusted by moving the ring 20 toward the upper and lower ends.

As shown in Figure 6, when the diameter of the ring 20 is made smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support 2, the ring portion of the steel wire of the support is focused, and although the steel wire itself has tension, it remains constant against the bending moment. It can be easily twisted to a torsion angle and also bends slightly in response to bending moments in the axial direction of the column.

As shown in FIG. 6C, when a ring 20 with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the support is inserted, the steel wire of the support is stretched in a drum shape.
It also has strong elasticity against torsional moments.

The clasp 11 attached to the upper and lower ends of the support post 2 has a structure in which the steel wire 9 is clamped and fixed between the inner metal 12 and the outer ring 13, but the steel wire and ring have been used for many years to suit the individuality of the prosthetic leg user. If it is determined that the clasp can be used for a long period of time, it is not necessary to make the clasp removable. Therefore, instead of the clasp, holes are bored at equal intervals in the circular end face of the cylinder in the axial direction, and the end of the steel wire is inserted into the holes. If the support is fixed, the support can be used for a long period of time with a degree of elastic curvature suitable for the user.

The strut of the present invention having the above-mentioned effect is constructed by arranging thin steel wires at equal intervals and in parallel, forming the whole into a cylindrical shape, and having a plurality of rings movably inserted into the steel wires. Since it has rigidity against the bending moment caused by the load in the axial direction of the prosthetic leg, the foot can always be placed in front of the support at right angles, allowing the user to walk without disrupting their rhythmic gait. At the same time, during kick-off walking, the kick-off force is assisted by a slight curved elasticity, and the forward swinging motion of the foot can be made extremely easy.

Furthermore, the torsional moment that occurs during the stance phase (ground contact) of the foot is not applied to the cut end or joint through the socket, and the support can absorb the moment by elastically twisting in the circumferential direction. .

When sitting seiza in a Japanese-style room, by twisting your legs to the side, you can sit in a seiza posture that looks natural.

Furthermore, the strut of the present invention can be manufactured to be lighter in weight than the conventionally used pipe struts, so it feels very comfortable to wear on the prosthetic leg.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an endoskeletal crural prosthesis using the strut of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the strut, and Fig. 3a is a plan view of the clasp. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the external ring that makes up the clasp, Figure C is a perspective view of the inner ring, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the ring, and Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the strut attached to the foot joint. Fig. 6A is a side view showing the strut in a twisted state, Fig. 6A is a side view showing a state in which a ring with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the strut is inserted, and Fig. 6C is a side view showing the strut with a ring having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the strut. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which a diameter ring is attached. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoskeleton type lower leg prosthesis, 2... Support, 3... Foot, 4.8... Joint, 9... Steel wire, 11... Clasp, 12... Inside Gold, 13... external sound, 20... ring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A steel wire formed by arranging a plurality of thin elastic steel wires at equal intervals and parallel to each other along a circular line to form a cylindrical overall shape. A prosthetic leg support, characterized in that the upper and lower ends of the prosthesis are fixed with cylindrical members. 2. The prosthetic leg support according to claim 1, wherein a ring having a through hole is movably inserted into the steel wire of the cylindrical support. 3. The cylindrical member that fixes the upper and lower ends of the column has a cylindrical inner metal member with axially longitudinal grooves carved at equal intervals on the outer periphery, and vertical grooves aligned with the longitudinal grooves cut on the inner periphery, and The prosthetic leg support according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists of a single cylindrical outer metal member assembled from two split members.