Patent ID: 11963897
Assignee: ORTHOTIC CARE SERVICES, LLP
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. An articulated Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) for providing dorsi-flexion support fora user, comprising:
a boot configured to surround an ankle portion of a foot of the user, the boot having an upper boot member and a lower boot member and a hinge structure rotatably coupling the upper boot member and the lower boot member thus being configured to allow dorsi-flexion and plantar-flexion of the user's ankle in a sagittal plane about a hinge axis; and
a dorsi-flexion control member removably coupleable to a rear portion of the boot, the dorsi-flexion control member having a planar elongated plate-shaped main body formed of an elastic material having a predetermined elastic characteristic, the main body of the dorsi-flexion control member having an upper portion coupleable to the upper boot member at a first upper connection point and a second upper connection point and having a lower portion coupleable to the lower boot member at a first lower connection point and a second lower connection point, wherein the plate-shaped main body conforms to adjacent portions of the upper boot member and the lower boot member and bridges a gap between the upper boot member and the lower boot member;
wherein the dorsi-flexion control member is positioned along and across a rear vertical centerline of the boot with the first upper connection point and the second upper connection point being located on either side of the centerline, and the first lower connection point and the second lower connection point being located on either side of the centerline;
wherein the first upper connection point and the first lower connection point are equidistant from the centerline, and the second upper connection point and the second lower connection point are equidistant from the centerline, to thereby provide balanced resistance to motion within the sagittal plane, wherein forward dorsi-flexion movement is configured to create shear forces along the main body of the dorsi-flexion control member thereby providing resistance to the dorsi-flexion movement of the user's ankle, wherein an amount of resistance is dependent upon a thickness and the predetermined elastic characteristic of the material forming the dorsi-flexion control member; and
wherein the dorsi-flexion control member has a central hole therein through which a stop member protrudes from a rear portion of the upper boot member or the lower boot member, wherein the hole extends between points above and below the gap between the upper boot member and lower boot member.