Orthopedic brace for arm and shoulder

• US 5,385,536 A
• Filed: 03/01/1993
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wayne Z. Burkhead
• Original Assignee: Wayne Z. Burkhead
• Inventors: McConnell, Thomas E., McConnell, Bernard E., Burkhead, Wayne Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLANAGAN, BEVERLY MEINDL
• Application Number:
  US08/022,689
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 602/4, 602/5, 602/20, 2/44, 2/45, 128/25 R, 128/26, 128/870, 128/874, 128/875
• US Class Current: 602/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/3753 Abduction support

Abstract

An orthopedic brace for rigidly supporting a human arm and shoulder, having a positioning rod for infinitely varying the elevation of the arm through a coarse adjustment and a fine adjustment, and having universal joints on the positioning rod for infinitely varying the orientation of the arm.

Claims

1. An orthopedic brace for supporting a person'"'"'s forearm, elbow and upper arm, comprising:

means for attaching the brace securely to a person'"'"'s torso;

means coupled to the attaching means for immobilizing and supporting a person'"'"'s forearm, elbow and upper arm relative to the person'"'"'s shoulder;

means for selectively positioning and locking said supporting means at a desired elevation and at a desired orientation relative to the attaching means;

the immobilizing means including means for selectively positioning and locking the person'"'"'s forearm, elbow and upper arm at a desired elbow angle; and

,

wherein the elevation of the supporting means can be varied by selectively varying a location at which the positioning means mounts to the supporting means.

2. The orthopedic brace defined in claim 1, wherein the elevation of the supporting means can be varied by selectively varying a longitudinal dimension of the positioning means.

3. The orthopedic brace defined in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elevation of the supporting means can be varied by selectively varying an elevation at which the positioning means mounts to the attaching means.

4. The orthopedic brace defined in claim 1, wherein

the positioning means is adjustably coupled to the torso attachment means at a first orientation angle;

and,

the orientation of the supporting means can be varied by selectively varying the first orientation angle.

5. The orthopedic brace defined in claim 1, wherein

the positioning means is adjustably coupled to the supporting means at a second orientation angle;

and,

the orientation of the supporting means can be varied by selectively varying the second orientation angle.

6. An orthopedic brace for the human arm and shoulder, comprising:

a harness configured to firmly attach said brace to a human torso;

a mounting rack affixed to said harness;

a mounting block configured to selectively attach at a plurality of locations arranged substantially vertically along said mounting rack;

a first universal joint coupled to said mounting block;

a positioning rod of selectively variable length having a first end portion coupled to the first universal joint at a first selected orientation angle and having a second end portions;

a second universal joint coupled to the second end portion of said positioning rod at a second selected orientation angle;

an arm support configured to firmly support a human arm flexed at a desired elbow angle, and coupled to said second universal joint; and

,

the positioning rod including first and second rod portions which are extendable and retractable in telescoping engagement with each other for varying the elevation of the arm support, and wherein the positioning rod has a plurality of mounting locations, selected by movement of the mounting block on the mounting rack, for varying the elevation of the arm support in relatively large increments.