Circular hinge for orthotic braces

• US 4,665,904 A
• Filed: 06/19/1985
• Issued: 05/19/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Max Lerman
• Original Assignee: Max Lerman
• Inventors: Lerman, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cohen, Moshe I.
• Application Number:
  US06/747,161
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 128/80 H, 128/80 R, 128/80 C, 128/80 F, 128/80 D, 128/80 E, 128/80 S, 2/22, 16/221, 16/225, 16/DIG. 13, 16/2, 403/163, 403/162, 403/161, 403/152
• US Class Current: 602/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0127 for the feet A61F5/0111 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32967 Attached to or integral with one member

Abstract

A preventive brace for supporting anatomical joints, such as the ankle joint, includes a semi-rigid leg-supporting shell conforming to the shape of the lower leg above the ankle joint, a semi-rigid foot-supporting shell conforming to the shape of the foot, and lateral and medial circular hinges rotatably securing the lateral and medial sides of the leg-supporting shell to the foot-supporting shell. The circular hinges are formed by relatively large area wall portions of the shells which overlie one another in the vicinity of the ankle bones (lateral and medial melleoli) projecting from the lateral and medial sides of the ankle. The overlying faces of the walls are rotatably interconnected along a circularly curved axis spaced outwardly from the ankle bone. In one embodiment, the circular hinge is centered generally on the ankle bone and traverses a circular path spaced a substantial distance outwardly from the ankle bone. The circular hinge allows the leg-supporting shell to rotate freely about the foot-supporting shell. A large open central region within each circular hinge prevents the supportive portions of the shell walls from applying pressure to the ankle bones. When the brace is secured to the ankle region, the large supportive walls of the shell provide substantial orthopedic support to the regions entirely around the lateral and medial melleoli. The circular hinge allows good freedom of movement of the brace while maintaining comfort by avoiding application of pressure to the ankle bones.

Claims

1. A brace for supporting an anatomical joint about which a first anatomical member rotates relative to a second anatomical member, the anatomical joint having an outwardly projecting bone on the lateral or medial side of the joint, the brace comprising:

a first support member for orthopedically supporting the first anatomical member adjacent the anatomical joint;

a second support member for orthopedically supporting the second anatomical member on an opposite side of the anatomical joint;

the first and second support members having confronting faces overlying one another adjacent the joint;

a large substantially circular first opening in the confronting face of the first member; and

circular hinge means having a tubular extension affixed to the confronting face of the second support member and extending laterally through the first opening in the first support member, the tubular extension having a large second opening through it aligned with the first opening, the tubular extension having an annular outer lip overlapping an outer face of the first support member around said first opening for rotatably interconnecting the confronting faces of the first and second support members for causing free relative rotation of the support members about a transverse axis through the first and second openings while joining the support members in a side-by-side relation substantially limiting relative lateral motion and relative longitudinal motion of the support members;

the first and second openings being sufficiently large to allow the bone projecting from the side of the anatomical joint to project into said openings to avoid pressure contact between the projecting portion of the bone and the orthopedically supportive interconnected faces of the first and second support members when the brace is worn so that said support members provide orthopedic support for the anatomical joint.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the brace comprises an ankle brace;

and in which the first support member is a foot support, the second support member is a leg support, and the openings in the circular hinge means encircle the melleolus bone of the ankle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a layer of resilient padding on an inside face of the support member closest to the anatomical joint and overlying the first and second openings.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the brace cmprises a pair of said circular hinge means rotatably interconnecting lateral and medial sides of the first and second support members, so the axes of rotation of the circular hinge means are aligned with one another and so that portions of the bones on the lateral and medial sides of the anatomical joint project into the large first and second openings in the circular hinge means on the lateral and medial sides of the joint.

5. A brace for supporting an anatomical joint about which a first anatomical member rotates relative to a second anatomical member, the anatomical joint having an outwardly projecting bone adjacent one side of the joint, the brace comprising:

a first limb-supporting member for orthopedically supporting the first anatomical member;

a second limb-supporting member for orthopedically supporting the second anatomical member;

the first and second limb-supporting members having confronting faces overlying one another adjacent the joint;

a large substantially circular first opening in the confronting face of the first limb-supporting member; and

circular hinge means joined to the confronting face of the second limb-supporting member and having an annular outer lip overlapping the outer face of the first limb-supporting member to rotatably interconnect the confronting faces of the first and second members to allow free relative rotation of the members about a transverse axis through the first and second openings while joining the first and second members in a side-by-side relation to substantially prevent relative lateral motion and relative longitudinal motion of the two members,

the first and second openings being sufficiently large to allow the bone adjacent the side of the anatomical joint to project into the openings so that when the first and second limb-supporting members are secured to the first and second anatomical members to provide orthopedic support for the anatomical joint, the bone projects into said openings to avoid pressure contact on the bone from the orthopedically supportive interconnected faces of the first and second limb-supporting members.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the brace comprises an ankle brace;

and in which the first support member is a foot support, the second support member is a leg support, and the openings in the circular hinge means encircle the melleolus bone of the ankle.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a layer of resilient padding on an inside face of the first support member and overlying the openings in the first and second support members.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the brace comprises a pair of said circular hinge means rotatably interconnecting lateral and medial sides of the first and second members so the axes of rotation of the circular hinge means are aligned with one another and so that portions of the bones on the lateral and medial sides of the anatomical joint project into the large openings of the circular hinge means on the lateral and medial sides of the joint, respectively.

9. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the hinge means join the limb-supporting members along a circular arc formed in a sidewall of the first support member rotatably interlocking with a narrow annular groove formed by the tubular extension carried on the second limb-supporting member.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 in which the tubular extension comprises a thin wall of the second limb-supporting member integrally formed with the second limb-supporting member and extending as a tubular member through the first opening in the first limb-supporting member for forming said annular groove, said annular lip on the tubular extension of the second limb-supporting member rotatably interlocking the first limb-supporting member in said annular groove.

11. An ankle brace for supporting the ankle joint, wherein the lateral and medial melleoli bones project outwardly from lateral and medial sides of the ankle joint, respectively, the brace comprising:

a leg-supporting member for supporting the lower leg above the ankle joint;

a foot-supporting member for supporting the foot below the ankle joint;

the leg- and foot-supporting members having corresponding pairs of confronting faces overlying one another adjacent the ankle joint on the lateral side and on the medial side of the ankle joint;

large substantially circular first lateral opening in a first of said confronting faces adjacent the lateral side of the ankle joint;

a large substantially circular first medial opening in a first of said confronting faces on the medial side of the ankle joint; and

lateral and medial circular hinge means for rotatably interconnecting the confronting faces of the leg- and foot-supporting members for relative rotation about a common transverse axis through the ankle joint, each circular hinge means having a corresponding tubular extension affixed to a second of said confronting faces and extending through the first opening in the adjacent first confronting face, each tubular extension having a large second opening through it aligned with the adjacent first opening, each tubular extension having a corresponding outer lip overlapping the adjacent first confronting face for rotatably interconnecting the confronting faces of the leg- and foot-supporting members on the lateral and medial sides of the brace,

the first and second openings in the hinge means on the lateral and medial sides of the brace being aligned to rotate about said transverse axis through the ankle joint, the first and second openings in the circular hinge means on the lateral and medial sides of the ankle brace also being sufficiently large to allow the lateral and medial melleoli bones to project into the first and second openings on the lateral and medial sides of the brace, respectively, so that when the leg- and foot-supporting members are secured to the leg and foot to provide orthopedic support for the ankle joint, the interconnected orthopedically supportive confronting faces of the leg- and foot-supporting members substantially avoid applying pressure to the lateral and medial melleoli bones of the ankle joint.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 in which the leg- and foot-supporting members are joined along a corresponding circular arc formed by a sidewall of the first of the confronting face rotatably interlocking with a narrow annular groove formed by the tubular extension on the second confronting face.