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Shock absorbing medical shoe

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

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