Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7597672?dq=6004266
Timestamp: 2017-11-22 06:17:20
Document Index: 633053254

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n19', 'art.\n20', 'art.\n22', 'art.\n24', 'art 4', 'art 6', 'art 8', 'art 10', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 10', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 6', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 8', 'art 10', 'art 8', 'art 28', 'art 6', 'art 10', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 8', 'art 10', 'art 8', 'art 10']

Patent US7597672 - Hip orthosis, method for preventing the dislocation of a hip and use of a ... - Google Patents
A hip orthosis, provided with a trunk engaging part and an upper leg engaging part which are intercoupled by coupling means, wherein the coupling comprise at least one resilient element for operatively preventing an adducting movement of an upper leg engaged by the upper leg engaging part by means of...http://www.google.com/patents/US7597672?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7597672 - Hip orthosis, method for preventing the dislocation of a hip and use of a hip orthosis
Publication number US7597672 B2
Application number US 11/438,474
Also published as DE602006008391D1, EP1743607A1, EP1743607B1, US8162864, US8728019, US20060264790, US20100069805, US20120197167, US20140228726
Publication number 11438474, 438474, US 7597672 B2, US 7597672B2, US-B2-7597672, US7597672 B2, US7597672B2
Inventors Lambertus Joseph Martinus Kruijsen, Gert Nijenbanning
Original Assignee Össur Europe B.V.
Patent Citations (15), Referenced by (55), Classifications (19), Legal Events (7)
US 7597672 B2
a coupling device intercoupling the trunk engaging part to the tipper leg engaging part, the coupling device having at least one resilient element for operatively preventing an adducting movement of an tipper leg engaged by the upper leg engaging part by a spring force,
the coupling device comprising a connecting part connected to the upper leg engaging part and a coupling part connected to the trunk engaging part, wherein, during use, the connecting part is rotatable about a point of rotation with respect to the coupling part, wherein the point of rotation is defined as a virtual point of rotation;
wherein the resilient element is defined as a leaf spring;
wherein the at least one resilient element exerts a pressing force on a hip joint, such that a hip is pressed into a socket thereof under the influence of the pressing force.
9. The hip orthosis according to claim 1, wherein when the upper leg engaging part is fitted to the upper leg, the leaf spring is arranged to move away from the upper leg in an untensioned condition, and is located substantially along the upper leg in a tensioned condition.
18. The hip orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the connecting part is slidably coupled to the coupling part.
19. The hip orthosis according to claim 14, wherein the connecting part comprises a rod-shaped end, wherein the coupling part is arranged for operatively preventing an outward movement of the rod-shaped end with respect to the trunk engaging part.
20. The hip orthosis according to claim 19, wherein the coupling part is provided with a sleeve for, operatively, at least partly receiving the rod-shaped end therein.
21. The hip orthosis according to claim 15, wherein the connecting part comprises an annular part, wherein the coupling part is arranged for operatively preventing an outward movement of the annular part with respect to the trunk engaging part.
22. The hip orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the trunk engaging part is provided with a trunk girding part arranged for girding a part of a trunk of a wearer wherein the trunk girding part is arranged for guiding a force (F3) coming from the coupling device to a trunk side facing away from the coupling device.
23. The hip orthosis according to claim 22, wherein the trunk girding part is arranged for substantially only absorbing tensile forces in the circumferential direction of the trunk girding part.
24. The hip orthosis according to claim 23, wherein the girding part includes a flexible or resilient material.
25. A method for preventing the dislocation of a hip of a person, comprising the steps of
attaching a trunk engaging part to the trunk of a wearer;
attaching an tipper leg engaging part to the upper leg of a wearer;
intercoupling the trunk engaging part with the upper leg engaging part by connecting a connecting part with the upper leg engaging part and connecting a coupling part with the trunk engaging part;
operatively preventing an adducting movement of an upper leg engaged by the upper leg engaging part with a spring force provided by at least one resilient element having a leaf spring;
responsive to movement of the person, rotating the connecting part about a point of rotation with respect to the coupling part, wherein said point of rotation is a virtual point of rotation; and
preventing an inward movement of the associated tipper leg by a spring force;
wherein the force is directed substantially such that the hip is pressed into its socket under the influence of that force.
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the force is directed substantially inwards.
27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the upper leg is rotated substantially outwards, in a direction transverse to the sagittal plane, by a moment.
FIG. 5 b shows a similar detail to FIG. 4 b of a second exemplary embodiment:
FIG. 6 a shows a similar view to FIG. 1 of the first exemplary is embodiment in untensioned condition;
In use, the resilient element 14 exerts a force on the upper leg engaging part 4 and the trunk engaging part 6, so that the connecting part 8 and the coupling part 10 are pretensioned with respect to each other, see FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 b. The force is directed such that, in use, the resilient element 14 exerts a force F1 directed outwards on the upper leg via a lower pressure plate 16 of the upper leg engaging part 4, and a force F2 directed inwards on the upper leg via an upper pressure plate 18 of the upper leg engaging part 4. It will be clear that, in this example, the force F1 is thus directed transversely to the sagittal plane, in the lateral direction, and the force F2 is thus directed transversely to the sagittal plane, in the medial direction. It will be clear that the resilient element 14 thus exerts moment on the upper leg engaging part 4 and consequently, in use, on the upper leg.
The moment exerted on the upper leg may, for instance, press the hip into its socket. In FIG. 1, the coupling part 10 is provided with a sleeve 20 which prevents an outward movement of an end 22 of the connecting part 8. Here, the end 22 of the connecting part 8 is slidably positioned in the sleeve 20 of the coupling part 10. Consequently, the resilient element 14 exerts a force F1 directed outwards on the coupling part 10 via the end 22 in the point of contact 12. It will be clear that, in this example, the force F1 is thus directed transversely to the sagittal plane, in the lateral direction, for instance along the virtual line 24. The sleeve 20 can be designed as a rigid element from, for instance, metal or plastic, but also as a flexible, elastic or resilient part from, for instance, rubber or (plastic) cloth.
In FIG. 1, the wearer of the orthosis is in a standing position. The point of contact 12 is then substantially at some distance above the point of rotation 25, and therefore above the line 24, see FIG. 4 a. The lower and upper pressure plate 16 and 18, respectively, are substantially below the line 24. As a result, the resilient element 14 will effectively exert a force F and a moment M on the hip joint of the upper leg, which joint is located on line 24, while the force F is directed substantially inwards in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. It will be clear that, in this example, the force F is thus directed transversely to the sagittal plane, in a medial direction, for instance along the virtual line 24. As a result, the hip is pressed into its socket, so that the risk of dislocation is reduced further. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the moment M is directed such that the knee of the upper leg is pressed substantially outwards, in a direction transverse to the sagittal plane. As a result, too great an adduction of the upper leg (towards the other leg), which increases the risk of dislocation of the hip, can be prevented.
The trunk girding part 34 may, for instance, be designed such that the trunk girding part 34 can substantially only absorb tensile forces in the circumferential direction of the trunk girding part 34, and cannot absorb forces ion a direction transverse to the trunk girding part 34. Preferably, at least a part of the trunk girding part 34 is integrally provided with a flexible and/or resilient material. Such material may, for instance, wholly or partly gird the respective part of the trunk. If the trunk girding part 34 has an at least partly resilient design, the trunk girding part 34 may also, for instance, contribute to a clamping force which keeps the trunk engaging part 6 positioned with respect to the trunk. If the trunk girding part 34 is provided with a flexible or resilient portion, the trunk girding part 34 forms a girding arc B around the trunk side 36 facing away from the coupling part, which girding arc makes it possible to absorb the resulting force F4 on the rear side of the trunk.
FIG. 5 a shows a side elevational view of a portion of the connecting part 8 and the coupling part 10 of a second embodiment of the orthosis 2. Here, the parts are shown in the positions which they assume with respect to one another if the orthosis 2 has been fitted to a standing person. The connecting part 8 is provided with an annular part 28, which is coupled to the trunk engaging part 6 by means of coupling loops 30 of the coupling part 10. The operation of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b is analogously to the operation of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4. Here, the annular part rotates about a center 32, and a point of contact 12 shifts from the first position Q where the point of contact was located in the standing position to a second position R, see FIGS. 5 a and 5 b.
Since, in this example, the resilient element 14 is connected to the band 40 fitted to the upper leg via the second hinge point 46, the lever 38 and the first hinge point 44, inserting the end 22 into the sleeve 20 requires little force and/or effort, In this situation, the resilient element 14, designed as a leaf spring, is in an untensioned condition and recedes away from the upper leg. To this end, in an untensioned condition, the leaf spring may, for instance, trace an arc or comprise a bend. In this situation, the lever 38 is not excited and, in this example, recedes away from the upper leg and from the resilient element 14.
Then, the lever 38 can be tilted about the first hinge point 44, so that the lever 38 is moved towards the upper leg. Here, the second hinge point 46 will be moved towards the upper leg, and the leaf spring will be tensioned. The resilient element 14 is thus in the tensioned condition substantially along the upper leg, see FIG. 7 b. As soon as the resilient element 14 has been tensioned, the lever 38 and the resilient element can be fixed with respect to each other, so that the tensioned condition of the resilient element 14 is maintained. In this example, to this end, the lever 38 is provided with fixing means 48, for instance a snap connection, which engage the resilient element 14. Preferably, the lever 38 and the resilient element 14 are fixed with respect to each other such that the fixation cannot be broken by accident, at least is difficult to break by accident. To this end, the snap connection may, for instance, be provided with an operating element which is to be operated with at least two fingers.
As can seen in FIG. 7 b, the tensioned resilient element 14 exerts the force F1 directed outwards on the upper leg via the band 40 of the upper leg engaging part 4, and the force F2 directed inwards on the upper leg via a pressure piece 42 of the upper leg engaging part 4 connected with the resilient element 14 in this example. The sleeve 20 prevents a movement directed outwards of the end 22 of the connecting part 8. The resilient element 14 thus exerts the force F2 directed outwards on the coupling part 10 via the end 22.
In FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, the resilient element 14 is hingedly connected or hingedly connectable with the lever 38 in the second hinge point 46. It will be clear that it is also possible that the connecting part 8 is provided with a, for instance, at least partly substantially rigid sub-connecting part which is hingedly connected or hingedly connectable with the lever 38 in the second hinge point 46, while the sub-connecting part further comprises the resilient element 14. The sub-connecting part may, for instance, comprise a substantially rigid rod or strip which comprises a leaf spring near the end directed towards the coupling part 10.
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U.S. Classification 602/16, 128/846, 128/882, 602/5, 128/869, 128/117.1, 602/23, 128/95.1, 602/24
International Classification A61F5/30, A61F13/00, A61F5/37, A61F5/24, A61B19/00, A61F5/00
Cooperative Classification A61F5/0193, A61F5/0102, A61F2005/0179
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:KRUIJSEN, LAMBERTUS JOSEPH MARTINUS;NIJENBANNING, GERT;REEL/FRAME:018006/0150;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060529 TO 20060530