Orthopedic device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation

In an orthopedic device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation, a pelvis-supporting portion is provided with two angular projections extending in the region of natural hip joints of a patient and each carrying a pivot joint including rotation discs to which a curved guide is connected. The curved guide of each pivot joint has a longitudinal slot in which an end of an upper shank guide bar is displaceable and arrestable in any desired position. Two upper shank guide bars carrying the respective upper shank supports are pivotally connected to the lower shank guide bars carrying the respective lower shank supports.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to orthopedic devices for treating hip 
dysplasia and hip dislocation. 
Normally the treatment of patients having hip dysplasia or hip dislocation 
has been carried out in two phases. The first phase includes a reposition 
of a hip joint head in a seat. The second phase must be a retention or 
securing of the aligned hip joint head in the most favorable position. 
Orthopedic device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation of the 
type under consideration have been known in the art. One of such devices 
is disclosed in the German Pat. No. DE 31 13 981 C1. The known device 
comprises a pelvis-supporting portion and two upper shank supports held on 
upper shank guide bars. The ends of the upper shank guide bars are, in the 
regions of natural hip joints, pivotally connected to the 
pelvis-supporting portion. The pivoting movement is effected by a pivot 
mounted between the upper shank bar and the pelvis-supporting portion and 
formed of a ball-and-socket joint, the movable pivot part of which is 
arrestable in any angular position. Another pivotable member is arranged 
between the movable pivot part and the upper shank guide bar. The upper 
shank guide bar is pivotable about the pivot axis of this pivotable member 
independently from the position of the ball pivot and can be locked or 
arrested in any desired position. The movable socket portion, which 
receives the ball pivot, includes a rotation-symmetrical sleeve or bush 
which has a sloped surface which is connected to the pelvis-supporting 
portion so that the axes of the bushes of both joints include with each 
other an angle of approximately 90.degree.. 
The utilization and the mode of operation of the known orthopedic device 
are described in the aforementioned patent. 
Each of the two joints in the conventional orthopedic device lies in the 
region of the natural hip joint; therefore the device is defined by the 
height of the ball sockets, by the location of the components of the 
device outside the pelvis-supporting portion and depending on how far 
extends the above mentioned rotation-symmetrical bush from the natural hip 
joint. All the above limitations have caused certain adjustment 
difficulties of the orthopedic device; for example, before releasing the 
upper shank supports it has been necessary, during the pivoting of the 
upper shank guide bar, to cause by the above pivoting a necessary 
displacement of the upper shank of a patient with respect to the upper 
shank support. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved orthopedic 
device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation. 
It is another object of the invention to provide an orthopedic device which 
is easy to handle. 
These and other objects of the invention are attained by an orthopedic 
device for treating hip dysplasia and hip dislocation, comprising a 
pelvis-supporting portion; two upper shank guide bars laterally extended 
from said pelvis-supporting portion and carrying two upper shank supports, 
respectively, said upper shank guide bars having ends pivotally connected 
to said pelvis-supporting portion in the regions of natural hip joints of 
a patient by joint means and being adjustable with respect to the 
pelvis-supporting portion in any desired angular position; and two lower 
shank guide bars connected respectively to said upper shank guide bars and 
carrying two respective lower shank supports, the pelvis-supporting 
portion including two angularly extending projections extending in the 
regions of the natural hip joints, said joint means each including 
rotative means abutting against the respective projection, said rotative 
means being rotatable about an axis extended perpendicularly to said 
respective projection and being arrestable in any desired rotation 
position, and a curved guide connected to said rotative means and spaced 
therefrom at a distance which varies over the length of the guide, the end 
of the respective upper shank guide bar being displaceably guided in said 
curved guide and adapted to be arrested in any desired position with 
respect thereto. 
The curved guide may be formed with a guide slot in which the end of the 
respective upper shank guide bar is displaceable. 
Each of the upper shank supports may be pivotable about a longitudinal axis 
of the respective upper shank guide bar and arrestable thereon in any 
desired position. 
The substantial distinction between the orthopedic device suggested herein 
and the conventional devices of this type resides in that the rotation of 
the upper shank guide bar in the present invention takes place immediately 
within the plane of the respective projection of the pelvis-supporting 
portion near the anatomic hip joint centre and not at the distance 
therefrom. The rotation of the artificial joint is better adjusted to the 
rotation of the natural hip joint. This possibility of rotation has, in 
connection with the adjustment of the upper shank guide bar in respect to 
the curved guide, a lower degree of freedom as compared to the 
construction having the ball-and-socket joint; this freedom can now be 
realized without a specific joint, merely by pivoting the upper shank 
support about the longitudinal axis of the respective upper shank guide 
bar. It is also possible that the upper shank support could be pivoted 
together with the respective guide bar about the axis of elongation of the 
bar. It is also expedient that the upper shank support should be pivotally 
positioned on the upper shank guide bar so that a relative pivoting 
movement would be possible between these two components. 
The above mentioned rotative means may include two circular discs spaced 
from each other to receive the respective projection of the 
pelvis-supporting portion therebetween and clamping screws for arresting 
the discs to each other in and desired rotation position. 
According to a further concept of the invention the axes of both rotative 
means may include with each other an angle .beta. of about 90.degree.. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood 
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, an orthopedic device for treating a hip 
dysplasia and hip dislocation comprises a pelvis-supporting portion 1 and 
two upper shank supports 2 which are respectively connected to two lateral 
upper shank guide bars 3. The ends of guide bars 3 are pivotally mounted 
to the pelvis or basin-supporting portion 1 in the regions of two natural 
hip joints. The pivoting is effected by means of pivot joints 4. The ends 
of the guide bars may be pivoted about joints 4 and adjusted in any 
desired angular position. 
Each upper shank guide bar 3 is, at its end opposite to the respective 
joint 4, releasably and pivotally connected to a lower shank guide bar 5 
via a connecting member 14. Each guide bar 5 is in turn connected to a 
respective lower shank support 6. The basin portion as well as the upper 
shank supports 2 and lower shank supports 6 have each a half-shell 
configuration. The pelvis-supporting portion 1 is fitted to an abdomen 
plate 7 and hingedly mounted thereto. 
Each pivot joint 4 includes a rotation portion which flatly lies on a 
respective flat laterally-extended projection 1a formed on the rear side 
of the pelvis portion (FIG. 2) of the orthopedic device. This rotation 
portion of the joint 4 is formed of two circular discs 8a and 8b spaced 
from each other to receive therebetween the above mentioned projection 1a. 
It is, of course, understood that the right-hand and the left-hand joints 
4 corresponding to the right and left legs of a patient, are constructed 
identically to each other. The circular discs 8a and 8b of the rotation 
portion of each joint with the respective projection 1a included 
therebetween are clamped to each other by means of two clamping screws 11. 
Both circular discs 8a, 8b can be mutually rotated one with respect to the 
other about a rotation axis 9 which extends perpendicularly to the 
respective projection 1a of the pelvis-supporting portion. Each axis 9 can 
be formed by a pin or a screw extending through the center of the 
respective disc. Upon tightening of both clamping screws 11 the circular 
discs 8a, 8b are rigidly clamped to the projection 1a of the 
pelvis-supporting portion 1 and are therefore adjusted in a desired 
position. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a curved guide 10 is provided at each joint 4. 
The curved guide 10 is connected to the disc 8a lying against the outer 
side of the projection 1a of the pelvis portion. This curved guide is 
spaced from the disc 8a over the entire length of the guide 10 at a 
variable distance designated by reference "a" as seen in FIG. 2. This 
curved guide 10 is guided in a bridge-like fashion over the middle 
diameter of disc 8a. A guide slot 10' is formed in the guide 10, in which 
a clamping member 12 secured to the end of the upper shank guide bar 3 is 
displaceable, whereby the latter can be adjustably guided in slot 10' and 
fixed to the guide 10 in any desired position. 
The upper shank support 2 is pivotably supported on the respective upper 
shank bar 3 and is able to be adjusted in a desired pivotable position 
with respect to the upper shank bar by means of tightening of a clamping 
device 13. 
FIG. 2 illustrates that an angle .beta. included between two rotation axes 
9 of both pivot joints 4 is about 90.degree.. 
The lower shank guide bars 5 are displaceable on the respective upper shank 
guide bars 3 by means of tubular clamping elements 14 and can be secured 
at any desired position on the bars 3 by any suitable conventional means. 
In addition, each lower shank guide bar 5 carrying the lower shank support 
6 is pivotable in respect to the clamping element 14 on a pivot connected 
to the clamping element 14 and is adjustable in any desired pivotable 
position by tightening of a clamping screw inserted into a curved slot 14' 
formed in the respective clamping element 14. 
Connecting devices 13, 13' for connecting the upper shank and lower shank 
supports to the respective guide bars are further provided in the 
orthopedic device. Due to sleeve 13a the upper shank support 2 is 
pivotable about the longitudinal axis of bar 3. Support 2 can be also 
adjusted on bar 3 in any desired angular position by tightening respective 
screws. 
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or 
more together, may also find a useful application in other types of 
orthopedic devices differing from the types described above. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an 
orthopedic device, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, 
since various modifications and structural changes may be made without 
departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.