Patent ID: 7955333
Filing Date: 2011-06-07
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A method of preparing a patient's one leg, that is in need of treatment, for ambulation, the method comprising the steps of: applying an external fixation assembly comprising at least one external frame component by pinning the at least one external frame component to at least one of the patient's bones in the patient's one leg so as to prepare the patient's one leg for healing; providing a foot assembly comprising a sole assembly for engaging a bottom area of a foot on the patient's one leg and defining a bearing surface with an area to underlie substantially all of the bottom area of the foot and a connecting assembly, the sole assembly made of a material that will maintain shape generally but have sufficient resiliency to compress or re-shape under the patient's weight; and after applying the external fixation assembly so that the patient's one leg is prepared for healing, operatively joining the foot assembly to the patient's one leg whereby the patient can walk in a manner whereupon weight of the patient's body is applied by a patient's one foot, that is part of the user's one leg, to the sole assembly and therethrough to and against an underlying surface during ambulation, whereby the step of providing a foot assembly comprises providing a foot assembly with a connecting assembly that: a) maintains the foot assembly operatively joined to the patient's one leg; and b) strategically applies pressure to the patient's one foot on the patient's one leg thereby to orient the foot in a predetermined manner to permit predictable body weight application to the sole assembly during ambulation in a manner that body weight forces generated during ambulation do not either: i) inhibit healing of the patient's one leg; or ii) disengage or cause a detrimental change of alignment of the external fixation assembly.