Footgear with pressure relief zones

• US 5,761,834 A
• Filed: 01/06/1995
• Issued: 06/09/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1993
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ossur hf
• Original Assignee: Royce Medical Company (Ossur hf)
• Inventors: Montag, Eric Gerard, O'Donnell, Kevin Richard, Grim, Tracy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patterson, M. D.
• Application Number:
  US08/360,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 36/43, 36/44, 36/71, 36/88, 36/95, 36/93, 36/110, 36/140, 36/155, 602/23
• US Class Current: 36/88
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0009 made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/40 with cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/02 wedge-like or resilient
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/026 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/035 provided with a pump or valve
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1463 with removable pads to allow custom fit
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1464 with adjustable pads to allow custom fit
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/20 Ankle-joint supports or holders
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0111 for the feet or ankles
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/012 inflatable

Abstract

Footgear with an inner sole (66) having a grid of removable resilient elements to permit removal of selected elements (68) to provide relief to ulcerated or injured areas of the foot. An air bladder (64) may underlie sole (66), preferably with additional cushioning material (40) within the air bladder. A walker (12) with a soft support (20) may be provided with the inner sole within the support. Some of the removal resilient elements may have a higher density or height than others. The footgear may include an adhesively-backed resilient pad (212) to provide additional support to a region. The footgear may include means for reducing shear stress on a bottom surface of the foot. An edema patch (240) may be provided for covering an open space (248) left after a user has removed a removable section from the grid. The edema patch applies pressure to the afflicted zone of the foot (250) preventing fluids from building up.

Claims

1. A walker with pressure relief areas for the foot of a user, said walker having a sole area extending substantially for the entire area underlying the foot of a user, comprising:

a walker frame including an outer sole and struts extending from said sole upward;

a soft goods support for enclosing the ankle, lower leg and at least a portion of the foot, said support being secured to said frame;

an inner sole mounted in said soft good support, said inner sole including an underlying flexible sheet extending substantially over the entire sole area; and

an upper resilient inner sole member extending over and being removably secured to said underlying flexible sheet, said upper resilient inner sole member having a substantially uniform thickness and extending substantially over the entire sole area;

said upper resilient inner sole portion being composed of a plurality of at least 50 separate resilient sections arranged in a grid pattern, said sections being removably secured on their lower surfaces to said underlying flexible sheet and said sections together forming a substantially smooth surface for engagement by the foot, said sections being individually removable to provide localized pressure relief to selected areas of the foot; and

aid sections being directly adjacent one another to form said grid;

said grid pattern extending over substantially all of said upper inner sole member;

whereby one or a plurality of said sections may be removed at any desired area of the inner sole member to provide a relief zone corresponding to an afflicted zone of a foot.

2. A walker with pressure relief areas for the foot of a user, as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper resilient sole member includes at least 80 separate resilient sections.

3. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein the inner sole portion has a central longitudinal axis, and wherein the inner sole portion is substantially symmetrical about said axis so that the walker may be used for either the left or the right foot and ankle of the user.

4. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said resilient sections are removably secured to said flexible sheet by hook and loop material;

whereby said resilient sections may be easily removed and replaced.

5. A walker as defined in claim 4 wherein some of said separate resilient sections are taller than other of said sections so that a user may arrange said taller sections to custom fit a foot.

6. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said underlying flexible sheet is substantially indentation-free.

7. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein some of said separate resilient sections are lower density sections and some are higher density sections so that a user may arrange said higher density sections to create at least one zone of additional support for a foot.

8. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said walker further comprises an additional resilient pad having an aperture and an adhesively-backed lower surface for attaching said additional pad to the upper surface of a plurality of said removable sections, said additional pad providing a region of additional support for a foot.

9. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said walker further includes an edema patch comprising a patch of stretch material having an adhesive layer on a lower surface thereof for adhering the edema patch to a top surface of removable sections surrounding a relief zone from which a user has removed other sections, such that the edema patch covers the relief zone.

10. A walker as defined in claim 9 wherein said edema patch further includes a fluid-impermeable film layer overlying said stretch material for preventing transmission of fluids through said edema patch.

11. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said walker further includes an edema patch comprising a patch of fluid-impermeable film having an adhesive layer on a lower surface thereof for adhering the edema patch to a top surface of sections surrounding a relief zone from which a user has removed other sections, such that the edema patch covers the relief zone.

12. A walker as defined in claim 11 wherein said edema patch further includes a layer of stretch material overlying said film patch.

13. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said separate resilient sections are hexagonal.

14. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner sole includes a plurality of layers, with the layer closest to the foot being substantially softer and more resilient than other layers.

15. A walker as defined in claim 1 further comprising means connected to said support for extending around the instep to hold the foot back into said support and in engagement with said inner sole.

16. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner sole extends to the rear beyond the heel of a patient and upward along and to the rear of the foot of the user.

17. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein hook and loop type fabric holds the support to the walker frame.

18. A walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said walker further comprises a bladder for containing air which is mounted in said walker above said outer sole, and wherein said inner sole is mounted above said bladder.

19. Footgear with pressure relief areas for the foot, said footgear having a sole area extending substantially for the entire area underlying the foot of a user comprising:

an outer sole;

an inner sole extending substantially over the entire sole area mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, said inner sole having a plurality of independently vertically movable sections arranged in a grid pattern, said independently vertically movable sections having lower surfaces which are mounted within said footgear and said sections together form a substantially smooth surface for engagement by the foot;

means for independently modifying support of the foot provided at each section location;

said resilient sections being directly adjacent one another to form said grid; and

said grid of resilient sections comprising substantially all of said inner sole and extending over substantially all of said sole area;

wherein said resilient sections have a height, a width and a depth, said height being greater than said width and depth.

20. Footgear as defined in claim 19 wherein said means for independently modifying the support of the foot comprises independent mechanical retention elements.

21. Footgear with pressure relief areas for the foot, comprising:

an outer sole;

an inner sole mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, said inner having a plurality of independently vertically movable sections arranged in a grid pattern, said independently vertically movable sections having lower surfaces which are mounted within said footgear and together form a substantially smooth surface for engagement by the foot;

means for independently modifying the support of the foot provided at each section location;

said resilient sections being directly adjacent one another to form said grid; and

said grid of resilient sections comprising substantially all of said inner sole;

wherein said resilient sections have a height, a width and a depth, said height being greater than said width and depth; and

said means for independently modifying the support of the foot comprising independent pneumatic sections which a user may puncture to deflate.

22. Footgear with pressure relief areas for the foot, said footgear having a sole area extending substantially for the entire area underlying the foot of a user, comprising:

an outer sole,

an inner sole extending substantially over the entire sole area mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, said inner sole having a plurality of removable sections that are removable mounted in said footgear and that are arranged in a grid pattern said removable sections having lower surfaces which are removable secured within said footgear and said sections together forming a substantially smooth surface for engagement by the foot said sections being individually removable from said footgear to provide localized relief to selected areas of the foot;

said resilient sections being directly adjacent to one another to form said grid, with substantially no space in between said sections except when at least one of said sections has been removed; and

said grid of resilient sections comprising substantially all of said inner sole and extending substantially over the entire sole area;

wherein said footgear further comprises a bladder for containing fluid, mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, and said removable sections are mounted in said footgear above said bladder.

23. Footgear with pressure relief zones for the foot, said footgear having a sole area extending substantially for the entire area underlying the foot of a user, comprising:

an outer sole;

an inner sole extending substantially over the entire sole area mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, said inner sole having a plurality of separate individually mobile resilient sections arranged in a grid pattern, said sections being removable secured on each of their lower surfaces to an underlying flexible sheet such that a user may disengage a lower surface of one or more of said sections from said flexible sheet for removal from said footgear, said resilient sections forming a surface for engagement by a foot;

said resilient sections being directly adjacent one another to form said grid and extending over substantially all of said sole area; and

an edema patch for covering an open space left after a user has removed at least one mobile section from said grid, said edema patch comprising an upper patch body having a lower surface and an adhesive layer on said lower surface for adhering said patch to mobile resilient sections surrounding the open space;

wherein said footgear further comprises a bladder for containing fluid, mounted in said footgear above said outer sole, and said resilient sections are mounted in said footgear above said bladder;

whereby one or a plurality of said adjacent sections may be removed at any desired area of the inner sole to provide relief corresponding to an afflicted zone of the foot, said edema patch being placed over the removed sections to apply pressure to the afflicted zone of the foot, thereby preventing fluids from building up therein.