Orthopedic leg appliance

• US 4,576,151 A
• Filed: 03/19/1984
• Issued: 03/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoagy C. Carmichael, Miles R. Schooler
• Original Assignee: Hoagy C. Carmichael, Miles R. Schooler
• Inventors: Carmichael, Hoagy C., Schooler, Miles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Curtis R.
• Application Number:
  US06/591,502
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 128/80 R, 128/80 A-80 J
• US Class Current: 602/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0193 Apparatus specially adapted for treating hip dislocation; Abduction splints

Abstract

A orthopedic leg appliance includes opposed pairs of cuff members that may be attached a patient'"'"'s legs and adjusted relative to one another to apply torsional forces to the upper legs. The appliance includes two pairs of cuff members. First cuff members are mountable to the patient'"'"'s upper legs while lower cuff member mount to the lower legs. The cuff members are held by knee hinge mechanisms for a free pivotal movement between selected limits. A cross member extends between the cuff pairs and includes torsional adjustment mechanisms and breakaway hinge mechanisms. The torsional adjustment mechanisms allow for selected torsional settings of the cuff members to apply rotational forces to the patient'"'"'s legs. The breakaway hinge mechanism facilitates relative pivotal motion of the cuff pairs toward and away from one another between operative and inoperative positions without affecting the torsional settings. The inoperative position facilitates mounting and dismounting of the cuff members to the patient'"'"'s legs. In the operative position, the hinge is locked and the cuffs can be turned to apply torsional corrective forces to the legs.

Claims

1. An orthopedic leg appliance mountable to a patient'"'"'s legs adjacent the knees, for applying rotational forces to at least one of the legs, the appliance comprising:

first leg cuffs mountable to the patient'"'"'s upper legs adjacent to the knees;

second leg cuffs mountable to the patients lower legs;

means interconnecting the first and second cuffs to form two cuff pairs with each cuff pair including one first cuff and one second cuff;

a cross member joining the cuff pairs;

breakaway hinge means on the cross member selectively operable for;

(a) releasing the cuffs to pivot relative to one another about a midsagittal pivot axis between inoperative positions wherein the cuff pairs are positioned to facilitate application or removal of the cuffs to or from the patient'"'"'s legs and operative positions wherein the cuffs are positioned to apply corrective torsional forces to at least one of the patient'"'"'s legs; and

(b) locking the cuff pairs in their operative positions; and

adjustable torsion means on the cross member operatively engaging at least one of the cuffs for selectively rotating the one cuff to apply corrective torsion to the patient'"'"'s leg on which the one cuff is mounted.

2. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 1 wherein the breakaway hinge means is comprised of:

a first hinge plate mounted to the first cuff of one cuff pair;

a second hinge plate mounted to the first cuff of the remaining cuff pair;

a hinge pin joining the first and second hinge plates for free pivotal motion about a transverse hinge axis substantially parallel to the patient'"'"'s upper legs; and

detent means between the first and second hinge plates for selectively;

(a) locking the cuff pairs in operative positions set by the torsion adjusting means; and

(b) unlocking the cuff pairs for free pivotal motion about the hinge axis to inoperative mounting positions facilitating mounting of the cuff pairs to a patient'"'"'s legs.

3. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 2 wherein the first and second hinge plates include first and second gear sectors respectively, intermeshing and formed about parallel axes;

a hinge mounting bracket mounted by the hinge pin in the first hinge plate, the hinge pin being coaxial with the axis of the gear sector on the first hinge plate; and

a second hinge pin pivotably interconnecting the second hinge plate to the hinge mounting bracket, the second hinge pin being coaxial with the axis of the second gear sector.

4. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 2 wherein the detent means is comprised of:

a hole formed in one of the hinge plates spaced radially from the hinge axis; and

a spring biased button on the remaining hinge plate receivable in the hole to lock the hinge plates together about the hinge axis and yieldable to release the hinge plates to pivot freely about the hinge axis.

5. The orhtopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 1 wherein the first cuffs are "U" shaped in cross section and wherein the adjustable torsion means is comprised of:

a track mounted to each of the first cuffs, having an arcuate "U" shape similar to the "U" shaped cuff configuration;

a slide on the breakaway hinge means mounted to each track for sliding motion thereon; and

means on the slides for selectively rotating the tracks and associated cuffs relative to the breakaway hinge means.

6. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 5 wherein the tracks include arcuate gear racks thereon and wherein the means on the slides for rotating the tracks are comprised of worms mounted to the slides in meshing engagement with the gear racks and rotatable about worm axes tangential to the arcuate gear racks, to rotate the gear racks and attached cuffs.

7. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 6 further comprising journals on the breakaway hinge means and slides rotatably housing the worms for rotation therein about their worm axes and for allowing pivotal motion of the cuff pairs relative to the breakaway hinge means about the worm axes.

8. The orthopedic leg appliance as claimed by claim 1 wherein the means interconnecting the first and second cuffs of each cuff pair is comprised of:

a pair of knee hinge bars extending toward one another from the first and second cuffs of each cuff pair, the bars of each cuff pair being joined by a pivot pin to allow free pivotal motion of the cuffs about a knee hinge axis; and

stop means for limiting pivotal motion of the cuffs of each pair about the knee hinge axis between full flexed positions wherein the inclusive angle between the hinge bars is approximately 70° and

partially extended positions wherein the inclusive angle between the hinge bars is approximately 150°

.

9. The orthopedic appliance as claimed by claim 8 further comprising:

axis adjusting means on one of the cuffs in each pair for selectively positioning the knee hinge axis substantially coaxially with the knee axis of the patient'"'"'s leg.

10. The orthopedic appliance as claimed by claim 9 wherein at least one of the cuffs of each pair is "U" shaped with free ends spaced apart to straddle the patient'"'"'s leg adjacent the knee and a closed curved end of the "U" shape to be received flush against the leg;

and

wherein the axis adjusting means includes a cutout area along the closed curved surface of the one cuff of each pair, defining side flanges positionable by the one cuff on medial and lateral surfaces of the leg, and

an adjustable length strap mounted to the side flanges and extending across the cutout area.

11. The orthopedic appliance as claimed by claim 10 wherein the cutout area and adjustable strap are on the first leg cuffs.

12. The orthopedic appliance as claimed by claim 10 wherein the cuffs include proximal ends to be situated adjacent the patient'"'"'s knees and distal ends spaced along the legs from the proximal ends, and wherein the cutout area of the one cuff of each pair is located along the proximal cuff end.

13. A knee hinge assembly mountable to the upper and lower leg of a patient, adjacent the patient'"'"'s knee joint, comprising:

a first cuff member of semi-rigid material having a "U" shaped cross section with legs of the "U" shape spaced apart to straddle the upper leg adjacent the knee and a closed curved surface of the "U" shape joining the legs of the "U" shape;

to be received flush against the upper leg;

first means on the first cuff member for securing the first cuff member to the upper leg with the closed curved surface flush against the leg;

a second cuff member of semi-rigid material shaped to be received on the patient'"'"'s lower leg adjacent the knee;

second means on the second cuff member for securing the second cuff mebmer to the lower leg adjacent the knee;

knee hinge means interconnecting the first and second cuff members for pivotal movement about a knee hinge axis through a prescribed angle; and

axis adjusting means on one of the cuff members extending across the closed curved section of the "U" shaped cross section thereof for selectively positioning the hinge axis of the knee hinge means forward or backwardly to approximatey match the knee axis of a patient'"'"'s leg.

14. The knee hinge assembly as claimed by claim 13 wherein the knee hinge means is comprised of:

a pair of knee hinge bars extending toward one another from the first and second cuffs of each cuff pair, the bars of each cuff pair being joined by a pivot pin to allow free pivotal motion of the cuffs about a knee hinge axis; and

stop means for limiting pivotal motion of the cuffs of each pair about the knee hinge axis between full flexed positions wherein the inclusive angle between the hinge bars is approximately 70° and

partially extended positions wherein the inclusive angle between the hinge bars is approximately 150°

.

15. The knee hinge assembly as claimed by claim 13 wherein the axis adjusting means includes:

a cutout area along the closed curved surface of one cuff member, defining opposed side flanges positionable by the one cuff on medial and lateral surfaces of the patient'"'"'s leg; and

an adjustable length strap mounted to the side flanges and extending across the cutout area.

16. The knee hinge assembly as claimed by claim 15 wherein the cutout and adjustable length strap are on the first cuff member at an end thereof adjacent the knee hinge means.

17. The knee hinge assembly as claimed by claim 15 wherein the cutout and adjustable length strap are situated on the one cuff member at an end thereof adjacent the knee hinge means.

18. A torsion adjustment on an orthopedic leg appliance having upper and lower arcuate cuffs mountable to a patient'"'"'s leg and separated by a cross member, the adjustment comprising:

an arched track affixed to one of the arcuate cuffs to extend along a substantially transverse plane in relation to the patient'"'"'s leg at least partially around the one arcuate cuff and having a center axis positionable by the one arcuate cuff approximately coaxial with the patient'"'"'s leg.;

slide means joining the arched track and the cross member of the orthopedic appliance for relative rotational movement about the center axis of the track; and

adjustment means between the slide means and track operable against the arched track to forcibly rotate the arched track and attached cuff about the center axis relative to the cross member, to a selected position and to lock the track and attached cuff in the selected position in relation to the cross member.

19. The torsion adjustment as claimed by claim 18 wherein the arcuate track includes a gear rack extending along the arcuate configuration of the cuff;

and

wherein the adjustment means is comprised of a worm on the cross member rotatable on the cross member about a worm axis tangential to the arcuate track and having worm teeth engaging the gear rack.

20. The torsion adjustment as claimed by claim 19 wherein the cross member and slide are hingedly mounted to the worm for free pivotal motion about the worm axis.