Ankle fracture brace with break-away arm

• US 6,991,613 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Restorative Care Of America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Restorative Care Of America Incorporated
• Inventors: Sensabaugh, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Shumaya B.
• Application Number:
  US10/614,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 602/23, 602/16, 602/27, 602/5, 602/6, 602/28, 602/65, 361/10, 361/40
• US Class Current: 602/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0111 for the feet or ankles

Abstract

An ankle fracture brace has a foot support portion which receives a foot of a patient. A convertible leg support portion receives a leg of the patient. The leg support portion includes a pair of spaced vertical arms connected by arm lower ends to sides of the foot support portion so as to extend upwardly past sides of an ankle of a patient and terminate adjacent sides of a calf of a patient. Upper end and lower end straps secure the leg support portion to the leg of the patient. These upper end and lower end straps are connected to the vertical arms adjacent the calf and ankle, respectively. A horizontal break line is formed in each of the arms between the upper end and lower end straps permitting a user to selectively sever the arms on the break lines to accommodate different patient uses of the ankle brace.

Claims

1. An ankle fracture brace for immobilization and rehabilitation of the foot and ankle, comprising:

a foot support portion adapted to receive a foot of a patient;

a leg support portion adapted to receive a leg of the patient, the leg support portion including a pair of spaced vertical arms connected by arm lower ends to sides of the foot support portion so as to extend upwardly past sides of an ankle of a patient and terminating adjacent sides of a calf of a patient;

upper end and lower end straps for securing the leg support portion to the leg of the patient, being connectable to the vertical arms adjacent the calf and ankle, respectively; and

a horizontal break line in each of the arms between the upper end and lower end straps for selectively severing the arms on the break lines to accommodate different patient uses of the ankle brace.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein laterally spaced horizontal break lines are located in each of the arms on both inner and outer surfaces thereof.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the break lines on each arm dwell in the same horizontal place.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the foot support portion has a main boot body with an upper opening therein for receiving the foot, a pair of strap holders are connected to the main boot body on opposite sides of the upper opening, and a foot strap adapted to secure the foot within the main boot body is removably secured between these strap holders.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein lower ends of the arms have an ankle bend therein providing a greater distance between the vertical arms near the ankle of a patient, as compared to the distance between the vertical arms near the leg of a patient.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the vertical arms include pairs of hook patches formed of male micro hook fabric, one pair of hook patches connects the upper end strap to the vertical arms adjacent the calf and another pair of hook patches connects the lower end strap to the vertical arms adjacent the ankle.