Shock absorbing medical shoe

• US 5,491,909 A
• Filed: 08/18/1993
• Issued: 02/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Darco
• Original Assignee: Darco
• Inventors: Darby, H. Darrel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilliard, Thomas P.
• Application Number:
  US08/107,577
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 36/73, 36/88, 36/89, 36/92, 36/106-108, 36/110, 36/11.5, 36/25 R, 36/28, 36/30 R, 36/7.5, 36/68, 36/69, 36/76 R, 36/76 C, 36/140, 36/174-177 , 36/180, 36/182, 36/96, 36/108, 602/10, 602/3, 602/23, 602/27
• US Class Current: 36/28
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 11/00 Footwear with arrangements to facilitate putting-on or removing, e.g. with straps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/143 provided with wedged, concave or convex end portions, e.g. for improving roll-off of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/145 Convex portions, e.g. with a bump or projection, e.g. 'Masai' type shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/08 Heel stiffeners; Toe stiffeners
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0195 Shoe-like orthopaedic devices for protecting the feet against injuries after operations

Abstract

A shoe for use on a post-operative, traumatized, diabetic or insensitive foot includes a shock absorbing sole material, with an insole of shock absorbing foam that contours to and supports the sole of the foot, and being regulated in flexibility by a metatarsal shank that limits the amount of flexibility under the metatarsophalangeal joint to provide controlled support to that area. This sole is of a special rocker design that allows the wearer to roll through the gait cycle without placing undue pressure on the heel and forefoot. The upper material consists of an outer wall of breathable, nylon mesh material lined with a soft, conforming material, reinforced at the heel by a heel cup that provides lateral stability. The heel cup is lined from the top by a full-length heel collar that conforms to the Achilles Triangle of the user, providing padding to the achilles tendon and under the malleoli, while at the same time making it impossible for the heel to slip out of the shoe during ambulation. The forward position of the upper is designed with two flaps that extend up either side of the front of the foot and fasten onto each other by means of hook and loop fastening material strips, eliminating the need for exterior straps, rings and buckles, which can cause pressure sores on the dorsum of the foot in many cases. The flaps provide a complete cover for the dorsal aspect of the foot.

Claims

1. In a surgical shoe adapted for use on a post-operative foot comprising:

a sole assembly including an outer sole having a greater thickness in a heel region and tapering in a direction towards a toe region, said outer sole having a degree of flexibility similar to that of a conventional running shoe sole assembly;

an inner sole conforming generally to the plantar aspect of the foot; and

an upper assembly secured to the sole assembly and adapted to surround the heel, sides and dorsal portions of the foot, having an open toe region, and having a forward portion of said upper assembly divided into left and right flaps adapted to cover the dorsal region of the foot;

the improvement comprising a low flexibility elastomer metatarsal shank between the inner and outer sole, underlying the metatarsal-phalange joints of the foot and being of a length sufficient to support the metatarsal-phalange joints and to help reduce pressure to the plantar aspect of the foot, and wherein said metatarsal shank is of a width generally on the order of the width of said outer sole and being of an elastomer having greater rigidity than that of the outer sole, thereby limiting the flexibility of the outer sole under the metatarsal-phalange joint, the outer sole having a bottom surface consisting of a flat intermediate section, a front, forwardly and upwardly curved section, and a rear upwardly and rearwardly curved section, allowing a wearer of the shoe to roll through the gait cycle without placing undue pressure on the heel and forefoot, and wherein the length of the intermediate section is approximately twice that of either the front section or the rear section, and the front and rear sections are of approximately the same length, and said medical shoe further comprises a heel cup of relatively rigid material within the upper assembly, being of generally arcuate form and extending upwardly from the upper surface of the outer sole to provide lateral stability to the upper assembly and being lined at the top of the upper, across the heel cup of the shoe and downwardly with an arched full length heel collar terminating in laterally opposite leg portions integral with a central portion extending across the heel cup, and wherein said heel collar comprises a relatively thick foam core member conforming to the achilles triangle of the user'"'"'s foot and reducing any tendency of the heel of the foot to slip within the heel cup, thereby rendering it virtually impossible for the user to experience heel slippage during ambulation of the foot.

2. The medical shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said relatively thick foam core member is covered with a breathable, non-irritating sheet material on the surface of the core member facing the skin of the user to further minimize the tendency for the heel to slip within the heel cup during ambulation.