Abstract:
A support structure for an amputee that has lost his foot is shown. The support structure is adjustable vertically and may be removably attached to the residual limb to support the residual limb when the amputee is in a wheelchair or is sitting upright in a seat or chair. The vertical height is adjusted by a spring-loaded pin and telescopic members. Pads provide cushions for the residual limb.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to support for a residual limb of an amputee and, more particularly, to an adjustable leg support for the residual limb of a leg member of an amputee. 
         [0003]    2. Background of the Invention. 
         [0004]    The last several decades has resulted in a tremendous increase in knowledge on how to treat amputees. Many advances have been made in prosthetic devices to accommodate amputees. The prosthetic devices are adjustable in many different ways to accommodate people of all different sizes and structure. 
         [0005]    Applicant himself is an amputee that had his right leg and foot removed below the knee due to diabetes. During the period of recovery, Applicant was in a wheelchair until he was fitted with a foot prosthesis. While riding in the wheelchair or sitting upright in a chair, the residual limb would hang down because there was no foot on the end of the residual limb to provide support. This causes the hamstrings, quadriceps and muscles in the hip to undergo atrophy and flexion contracture due to the limited use of these muscles. 
         [0006]    Flexion contracture is the shrinking and stiffening of the muscle as the muscle fibers contract across each other due to the non-use or limited use of these muscles. Contracture of the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip muscles is very painful to the amputee. Providing support for the residual limbs helps to fight against the flexion contractures to reduce or prevent the shrinking of the muscles, and thus alleviating or reducing the pain to the amputee. 
         [0007]    Various exercises are often recommended by doctors or physical therapists to amputees to fight against flexion contracture. It may be advisable to perform various knee extension and flexion exercises as well as hip, quadriceps and hamstring extension and flexion exercises. Such exercises stretch the contracting muscles to combat the shrinking and stiffening. Another way amputees have combated flexion contractures is to lie prone on their front side. However, many amputees do not like to lie in the prone position to combat the flexion contractures. Moreover, it is not always possible to perform the exercises necessary to combat flexion contractures. 
         [0008]    Applicant noticed during his rehabilitation after surgery when his foot was removed, if he provided support for the residual limb so that it did not dangle when he was in a seated position, his muscles did not get contractures which caused the muscles of his residual limb to hurt. As a result, Applicant designed a structure that was adjustable in height to support his residual limb to avoid flexion contractures. The present invention is directed toward such a support structure. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of the present invention to provide support for a residual limb, especially a residual leg. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable support for a residual limb that has been amputated below the knee. 
         [0011]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a support for a residual limb, which support has an adjustable structure, a supporting plate and padding for the residual limb. 
         [0012]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a support structure for a residual limb that can be quickly attached to or disconnected from the residual limb. 
         [0013]    A curved plate is attached to the top of a telescopic member that has a downwardly extending leg. The leg may be extended or retracted by a spring-loaded pin contained therein. The plate has foam on the top thereof, which foam has a soft, felt-covered top foam and a harder lower foam bonded thereto, both of which provide elastic support for the residual limb. 
         [0014]    Elastic straps extend up through slots in the sides of the plate and around the residual limb, which straps have Velcro® on the ends thereof. By use of the straps, the straps can be wrapped around the residual limb so the entire supporting device can be held in place. The leg on the supporting device can be extended or retracted as necessary to adjust the height. Therefore, the amputee can be sitting in a wheelchair, a regular chair or some other type of sitting structure, where one foot supports the good leg and the support structure supports the residual limb. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a support structure for a residual limb after a foot has been amputated. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front elevated view of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side elevated view of  FIG. 1   
           [0018]      FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3  along section lines  3 A- 3 A. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an amputee using the present invention in a wheelchair to support a residual limb after amputation of a foot. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an amputee using the present invention in a chair to support a residual limb after amputation of a foot. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the support structure of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a front view of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a side view of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the support structure of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the plate of the support pad of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3  and  3 A in combination, a support structure  10  for someone that has had a foot amputated is shown. A support structure  10  has a plate  12  made from suitable material such as aluminum, which plate  12  is slightly curved as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 3A . The curvature of plate  12  is of approximately the appropriate curvature to comfortably receive the posterior portion of the residual limb  46  (see  FIG. 4 ) of the person. The plate  12  may be made from a non-corrosive material such as aluminum and has sufficient thickness to support someone putting their leg weight thereon. However, plate  12  may also be made of any other material suitable to support the weight of a person&#39;s leg thereon. 
         [0027]    Attached to the plate  12  by welding or any other suitable attaching device or attaching method is a downwardly extending telescopic member  14 . To give sufficient rigidity to the downwardly extending telescopic member  14 , it has an enlarged central tubular member  16  reinforced by side tubular members  18  and  20 . All three of the tubular members  16 ,  18 , and  20  are attached to the plate  12  by any suitable device such as a screw or other attaching device, or by any suitable attaching method such as welding. The lower ends of the side tubular members  18  and  20  are connected to the enlarged central tubular member  16  by a specially designed tubular bracket  22 . The tubular bracket  22  has a pin  24  extending into tubular members  18  and  20 , but not enlarged central tubular member  16 . Also as additional support, an upper pin  26  (see  FIG. 3 ) goes through the top of the tubular members  16 ,  18  and  20 . 
         [0028]    Extending downward from the enlarged central tubular member  16  is a tubular leg  28  that is designed to snuggly fit therein. The tubular leg  28  has a spring-loaded pin  30  that extends out of the front and the back of the enlarged central tubular member  16  through adjustment holes  32  located therein. By pressing the spring-loaded pin  30 , the tubular leg  28  can be adjusted up or down. On the lower end of the tubular leg  28  is located a rubber foot  34 . The rubber foot  34  may be similar to the rubber foot located on the lower end of many hand crutches. 
         [0029]    Referring now to the plate  12 , located there above is a fairly firm foam pad  36  that is flexible, yet is fairly firm. Because the weight of the residual limb  46  is supported by the foam pad  36 , it is important that foam pad  36  have some elasticity without being either too firm or too soft. 
         [0030]    Attached to the top of the fairly firm foam pad  36  is a felt-covered, soft foam layer  38 . See  FIG. 3A . The felt-covered soft foam layer  38  contacts the residual limb  46  when the support structure  10  is being used. The felt-covered soft foam layer  38  is normally bonded to the fairly firm foam pad  36 . 
         [0031]    It is important that the fairly firm foam pad  36  remain on top of the plate  12 . It is also important that when the residual limb is moved, the support structure  10  move with the residual limb  46 . Therefore, elastic straps  40  with Velcro® thereon are provided that extend upward through slots  42  in the plate  12 , fairly foam pad  36  and the felt-covered soft foam layer  38 . The slots  42  provided in the plate  12 , fairly foam pad  36  and felt-covered foam layer  38 , all match up to receive the elastic straps there through. 
         [0032]    In one embodiment, the fairly firm foam pad  36  is bonded to the plate  12  using any suitable adhesive (not shown). However, with the elastic straps  40  running through the slots  42 , bonding is not absolutely necessary. Therefore, in another embodiment, the fairly firm foam pad  36  is not bonded to plate  12   
         [0033]    Referring to the environmental view shown in  FIG. 4 , an individual that has lost a foot is riding in a motorized wheelchair  44 . Supporting the residual limb  46  of the individual is the support structure  10 . The elastic straps  40  hold the support structure  10  to the residual limb  46 . The rubber foot  34  rests on the foot rest  48  of the motorized wheelchair  44 . The height of the support structure  10  can be adjusted by adjusting the tubular leg  28 . In this manner the residual limb  46  is supported to the same height as the other leg of the individual. If it is desired to stretch the hamstrings, the height of the support structure  10  can be raised by adjusting tubular leg  28 . Moreover, if the amputation occurred below the knee of the person, and it is desired to stretch the quadriceps, lowering the support structure  10  by adjusting the tubular leg  28  allows the person to partially retract the lower portion of the residual limb  46  toward the hamstrings to stretch the quadriceps. In this manner, extension is exerted on the hamstrings or quadriceps. This keeps flexion contractures from occurring in the amputee. 
         [0034]    If the amputee is setting in a chair  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , again the support structure  10  supports the residual limb  46 . Again, the elastic straps  40  hold the support structure  10  to the residual limb  46 . Also, the height of the support structure  10  can be adjusted by adjusting tubular leg  28  so that when the rubber foot  34  rests on the floor, the residual limb  46  will be maintained at approximately the same elevation as the other leg of the person. Again, operation of the tubular leg  28  to raise or lower the support structure  10  allows for extension or stretching of the muscles as previously described, which will prevent flexion contractures or flexion contractures in the amputee. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9  and  10 , the preferred embodiment of the support structure  10  is shown. In the preferred embodiment as shown in  FIG. 6 , downwardly extending telescoping member  14  has been replaced with a single tubular member  52  that is attached to the plate  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , plate  12  has a predefined slot  62  for receiving top end  64  of single tubular member  52  therein. Top end  64  is slightly smaller in diameter than the rest of tubular member  52 , defining a shoulder for resting along the periphery of predefined slot  62  of plate  12 . Once top end  64  is inserted within slot  62 , tubular member  52  is secured to plate  12  by any suitable method such as welding, or any suitable attaching device such as screws (not shown) or other suitable attaching device. Telescopically received in the lower end of a single tubular member  52  is tubular leg  54 . Tubular leg  54  has spring-loaded pins  56  therein. Spring loaded pin  56  is disposed within pin housing  66 , and is biased through the hole in pin housing by a spring (not shown). Pin housing is telescopically disposed within tubular leg  54 . Spring loaded pin  56  is biased outward, through the hole in tubular leg  54  to keep pin housing  66  from sliding within tubular leg  54 . Spring-loaded pin  56  can adjust the height of the tubular leg  54  by adjustment holes  58  in the same manner previously described. The lower end of the tubular leg  54  has a rubber foot  60  thereon. Adjusting the height of the support structure  10  by adjusting the height of the tubular leg  54  allows for the extension and stretching of the residual limb  46  muscles in the same manner described with regard to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         [0036]    The fairly firm foam pad  36 , felt-covered soft foam layer  38 , elastic straps  40  and slots  42  are assembled on plate  12  in the same manner as shown and described in embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and hence bear the same numbers. 
         [0037]    Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.