Lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace with uniform, adjustable compression
First Claim
1. A lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace preventing torsion of the leg, ankle and foot of the user while preventing dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of an ankle joint comprising:
- a generally rigid walking sole of minimal thickness provided with a rocker bottom surface having an extensive flat central bottom surface portion to permit the user to stand at about the same thickness as a conventional shoe sole and a contoured footbed,a semi-flexible boot portion fixedly attached to the top of the walker sole having a rounded heel counter for achieving a good fit of the limb of the user with increased stability and comfort,a shock absorbing foam insole constituting a pad for the plantar surface of the user'"'"'s foot mounted to said foot portions and overlying the same, a semi-flexible molded plastic boot upper extending vertically from the boot portion having a rear wall and a pair of integral opposite sidewalls, being open at the front, merging with sidewalls of the boot portion and forming an open toed structure above the foam insole,a plurality of ventilation ports within the boot portion and at least one ventilation port within the boot upper,an open toed, open pore breathable foam liner surrounding the lower foot, ankle and dorsum of the user and terminating at the forefoot in the area of the metatarso-phalangeal joint, andleverage closure means spanning said open front of said molded plastic boot for applying general and focal compression to said foam liner encased limb of the user over the lower leg, ankle and dorsum thereby minimizing edema induced swelling over the full extent of the boot.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A semi-flexible molded polyurethane boot closed at the rear and sides and open at the front surrounds a breathable open pore foam inner liner which covers the lower leg, ankle and foot and which forms a principal element of an improved immobilization brace. The boot is fixed to a walking sole having a minimal rocker effect, and is of minimal thickness. A boot portion of the boot has a rounded heel counter and a contoured footbed. A shock absorbing foam insole within a boot portion recess pads the plantar surface of the sole. The dorsum of the boot and the boot upper are provided with ventilation ports to ventilate the leg, ankle and foot of the user through the porous open foam liner. The dorsum of the boot portion of the boot and the boot upper are provided with spaced adjustable, leverage type closures to provide adjustable general compression and focal compression to assure a proper fit of the brace and to reduce edema induced swelling throughout the leg, ankle and foot. The boot upper and boot portion may be formed of two parts hinged together, but locked to prevent fore and aft rotation of the boot upper relative to the boot portion fixed to the sole.
145 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace preventing torsion of the leg, ankle and foot of the user while preventing dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of an ankle joint comprising:
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a generally rigid walking sole of minimal thickness provided with a rocker bottom surface having an extensive flat central bottom surface portion to permit the user to stand at about the same thickness as a conventional shoe sole and a contoured footbed, a semi-flexible boot portion fixedly attached to the top of the walker sole having a rounded heel counter for achieving a good fit of the limb of the user with increased stability and comfort, a shock absorbing foam insole constituting a pad for the plantar surface of the user'"'"'s foot mounted to said foot portions and overlying the same, a semi-flexible molded plastic boot upper extending vertically from the boot portion having a rear wall and a pair of integral opposite sidewalls, being open at the front, merging with sidewalls of the boot portion and forming an open toed structure above the foam insole, a plurality of ventilation ports within the boot portion and at least one ventilation port within the boot upper, an open toed, open pore breathable foam liner surrounding the lower foot, ankle and dorsum of the user and terminating at the forefoot in the area of the metatarso-phalangeal joint, and leverage closure means spanning said open front of said molded plastic boot for applying general and focal compression to said foam liner encased limb of the user over the lower leg, ankle and dorsum thereby minimizing edema induced swelling over the full extent of the boot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification