A DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING THE FOOT WHEN PUTTING A LOWER EXTREMITY IN PLASTER

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for supporting the foot when putting a lower extremity in plaster. To provide a steady device holding the foot of the patient in the right position, the device of the invention comprises a plate (1) to be positioned against the sole of the patient and to be fastened to a holder, the breadth (A) of which plate mainly corresponds to the breadth of the foot to be plastered at the ball of the foot and the lower edge (B) of which plate is oblique in such a way that the ball (C) of the foot to be plastered is supported upwards from the oblique lower edge of the plate. The plate (1) has an axle (2) essentially perpendicular to the level thereof, which axle is arranged to run between two toes, preferably between the big toe (10) and the second toe, the foot being in a position for plastering.

Description: A device for supporting the foot when putting a lower extremity in plaster This invention relates to a device for suppor - ing the foot when putting a lower extremity in plas¬ ter. When preparing a plaster for a leg, especially a so-called boot plaster extending from knee to toes, the ankle of the patient shall be brought into a per- feet position. Since the leg generally is 4 to 8 weeks in plaster, an absolute demand for a successful treatment is that the ankle has correct angles. When walking with a boot plaster, the centre of gravity should always be on a straight axle so as not to cause twisting within the area of the injury. A repeated problem at the preparation of a boot plaster has proved to be how to get the foot into a good position. The foot often remains extended, which makes it impossible to walk naturally with the plas- ter. A rotational error also prevents the patient from walking naturally with the plaster. The reason for the foot remaining extended has been that the foot has not stayed in the right posi¬ tion during plastering in spite of the efforts of the patient and the assistance of the plasterer. An as¬ sistant has been necessary for holding the foot, and not even then has it always been possible to keep the right position, but it has been rather accidental, if a good final result has been achieved by means of the methods of the prior art. A wrong position causes chafes and depressions on the leg in plaster. A wrong position and a wrong stepping angle break the plaster, when its strength suffers and the plaster must be repaired or replaced. When the ankle remains extended, the peroneal muscle becomes shorter during plastering treatment, and con¬ sequently, walking is unnatural after the plaster has been removed, and a rehabilitation is necessary. The object of the present invention is to pro- vide a device for supporting the foot when putting a lower extremity in plaster, by means of which device the above problems can be solved. The invention is characterized in that the de¬ vice comprises a plate to be positioned agains't the sole of a patient and to be fastened to a holder, the breadth of which plate mainly corresponds to the breadth of the foot to be plastered at the ball of the foot and the lower edge of which plate is oblique in such a way that the ball of the foot to be plas- tered is supported upwards from the oblique lower edge of the plate. By means of the device of the invention, the leg to be plastered can be placed steadily in the right position and no assistant is needed for holding the leg to be plastered. In practice, the device has proved to be good and easy to use. The leg put in plaster is temporarily bound e.g. by means of gauze into the right position in the holder, and conse¬ quently, patients themselves need not try hard to keep the position of the foot right. Additionally, the durability of the position is of no insignifance and the position is not painful for the patient. The supporting holder does not cause any hindrance to treatments, and it can also be used for plasterings of other kinds of a lower extremity. A preferable embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the plate has a vertical axle essentially perpendicular to the level thereof, which axle is arranged to run between two toes, preferably the big toe and the second toe, the foot being in a position for plastering. A preferable embodiment of the invention is further characterized in that the plate is by means of the axle fastened to a holder fastened to a plas- tering or examining table, by means of which holder the position of the plate can be adjusted. Other preferable embodiments of the device of the invention are characterized in what has been set forth in the claims presented further on. The invention is described more accurately in the following referring to the drawing enclosed, in which Figures la and lb show a support plate belong¬ ing to a device of the invention from various direc- tions, Figure 2 shows the device of the invention in use. According to Figures la and lb, an essential part of the invention is a plate 1 to be positioned against a sole. Figure la shows in broken lines the outlines of a human foot. The breadth A of the plate 1 corresponds mainly to the breadth of the foot to be plastered at the ball C of the foot. The lower edge B of the plate 1 is oblique in such a way that it fol- lows the form of the ball C of the foot and supports it upwards from the edge B. This is essential, be¬ cause if e.g. the plate extended below the area of the ball of the foot or if the edge were formed straight, it would not give any substantial addition- al support to the foot, and what is the most impor¬ tant thing, a hollow space would be formed in the plaster below the ball of the foot when pulling away the plate, which is detrimental both to the strength of the plaster and to the patient's feel of walking. The plate 1 comprises an axle 2 perpendicular to the level thereof, which " axle is planned to run between two toes, preferably between the big toe (in latin: digitus I) and the second toe (digitus II), the foot being in a position for plastering. At the joint between the axle 2 and the plate 1, there is, moreover, a projection 3 running across the plate,, which projection supports the toes from below at the joints of the toes. The plate of Figure la is shown in a position for plastering the right foot (cf. Figure 2), but since the plate is symmetrical to its horizontal axle, it can be formed to a support plate for the left foot by turning it 180°. This can be easily proved by turning the drawing 180°, respectively. In order to function for instance in a hospital milieu, the plate shall be firm, durable and easy to clean, due to which it shall preferably be made of stainless steel. We now begin to examine Figure 2, in which the device of the invention is shown in a situation of use, in which a so-called boot plaster 8 has been prepared for the right leg 7 of the patient. The most common of the damages requiring a boot plaster are ligament ruptures. Other types of plasterings to be performed by means of the invention are a "boot-shoe" plaster, i.e. a short boot, (metatarsal and digital fractures) as well as a plaster cast for the whole leg (knee injuries, shinbone fractures). Because the use of the device of the invention is substantially similar at plasterings of different kinds, we con¬ centrate here on the example of the so-called boot plaster. The patient lies on a plastering table 6 and has before the plastering begins placed his foot 9 against the plate 1 of Figure 1, by hooking his toes over the projection 3 (not seen from Figure 2) and by placing the axle 2 between the big toe 10 and the second toe 11. The device of the invention comprises, in addition to the plate 1, a holder, in this exem- plary case constructed on rails 5 of the device at both sides of the table 6. The holder consists of an arm 3 supporting the plate 1, a pillar 4 and a plate¬ like part 15 moving on the rail of the device. The pillar 4 is fastened to the plate 15- in a slightly obliquely projecting position. When the pa¬ tient lies naturally in the middle of the examining table with the foot lifted obliquely sidewards for treatments, the direction of the support plate mount¬ ed in this manner is nearly transverse to the line big toe - knee - crista iliaca; i.e. practically to the line of the leg. The obliqueness of the pillar is at the simpliest provided by a suitable formation of a welded joint 16 between the plate 15 and the pillar 4. The plate 15 can be tightened in place to the rail 5 by means of a tension screw 17. The plate 1 can be adjusted suitable for each patient by means of levers 12 (rotating the plate on the level with the sole), -13 (turning the plate on the level with the table) and 14 (displacing the hol- der). The adjusting gears consist of simple parts to be loosened and tightened mechanically and to be dis¬ placed and locked with respect to each other, and consequently, it is obvious to one skilled in the a ' rt how to use them in order to bring the foot to * be plastered into the right position. During plastering the foot 9 of the patient is pressed against the plate 1. Due to the design of the plate, no big force is required of the patient to keep the foot against the plate, and on account of the steady plate and holder the foot stays in the right position without moving during the whole plas¬ tering procedure. After the plastering is completed and the plaster has hardened at least partially, the foot 9 can be lowered carefully, whereby the plate 1 slides out between the plaster and the sole. The plastering procedure is now finished and the final result is a conventional known boot plaster, the pre¬ paration of which has, however, by means of the de¬ vice of the invention, gone remarkably easily and smoothly both with respect to the patient and to the plasterer. It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention are not re¬ stricted to the example described above, but they can vary within the scope of the claims presented here¬ after.

Claims: Claims: 1. A device for supporting the foot when put¬ ting a lower extremity (7) in plaster, which device comprises a plate (1) to be positioned against the sole of a patient and to be fastened to a holder, the breadth (A) of which plate mainly corresponds to the breadth of the foot (9) to be plastered at the ball of the foot, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the lower edge (B) of the plate is oblique in such a way that the ball (C) of the foot to be plastered is sup¬ ported upwards from the oblique lower edge of the plate, and that the plate (1) has a vertical axle (2) essentially perpendicular to the level thereof, which axle is arranged to run between two toes, preferably between the big toe (10) and the second toe (11), the foot (9) being in a position for plastering. 2. A device according to claim 1, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the plate (1) is by means of the axle (2) fastened to a holder (3, 4, 15) fas¬ tened to a plastering or examining table (6), by means of which holder the position of the plate can be adjusted. 3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at the joint be¬ tween the axle (2) and the plate (1) there is a pro¬ jection (3) running at least partially across the plate, which projection supports the toes from below at the joints thereof. 4. A device .according to.one of the claims 1 to 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the plate (1) is symmetrical to the horizontal axle when being in a ■ position for plastering one foot, and consequently, the plate is made suitable for plastering the* other foot by turning it 180°. 5. A device according to one of the claims 1 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the plate (1) is arranged to be turned on its axle (2) into dif¬ ferent angles. 6. A device according to one of the laims 1 to 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the plate is arranged to be rotated horizontally on its holder in such a way that the angle of the plate with respect to the level of the sole of the foot to be put in plaster can be adjusted. 7. A device according to one of the claims 1 to 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the holder of the plate is by means of a rail fastened to the plas¬ tering or examining table in such a way that the dis- tance between the plate and the patient to be plas¬ tered is adjustable. 8. A device according to claim 7, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the holder moving on the rail projects obliquely from the plastering or ex- amining table. 9. A device according to one of the claims 1 to 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that plate is made of stainless steel.

Inventors: ILMARINEN SEPPO, ILMARINEN, SEPPO
Applicants: ILMARINEN SEPPO, ILMARINEN, SEPPO
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A61F5
IPC codes: A61F5, A61F13, A61F15