ORTHOPEDIC PROSTHESIS Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: medical engineering; prosthetics; medico-technical rehabilitation of sick and disable people with help of prostheses of lower extremities. SUBSTANCE: orthopedic prosthesis (orthesis) is positionable on posterior surface of disable extremity. It comprises pivotal shaft with automatic positioner, shin- and hip-enveloping trough-shaped flat splints also disposed, both of them, on extremity's posterior surface, adjusting assembly connected with knee joint, and seat of variable form connected with hip splint. Orthesis also comprises talocrural stop member connected with shin splint and having no articulated joints. In process of manufacturing proposed orthesis, its hip splint may be provided with stump-accommodating appliance of any individually suited stiffness, and, instead of shin splint, orthesis may be equipped with shin-supporting arm (cantilever), shin's tubular segment and foot of any design. Cantilever is designed in such manner as to make possible rigid fixation of shin tubes of various diameters, adjustment of shin length and turning angle of distally fixed foot, latter being of various designs. Most important structural member of orthesis is knee joint consisting of shin and hip portions articulately interconnected by pivotal shaft. Shin portion is vertically movable in relation to shaft and hip portion within distance 2-4 mm with help of cup having two lugs for passage of shaft, also with help of rod having longitudinal groove and connected with pivotal shaft and with resilient elastic support. Shin portion also comprises two spring-urged washers disposed on both sides of rack-and-gear spring-urged transmission intended to ensure bending of orthesis and prosthesis in its knee joint at angle 95-110 deg., to make possible shin-advancing effect during walking, and to automatically fix knee joint with help of resilient elastic support as it is subjected to vertical load applied within vertical angular range 180-160 deg. EFFECT: invention offers multiple advantages: operations requiring handling of gypsum are fully eliminated; volume of fitter's and harness-maker's operations is considerably reduced; under optimum conditions orthesis can be manufactured in 2-3 h; proposed design makes possible to rapidly manufacture relatively light- weight hip prostheses, which fact is particularly important in primary and geriatric prosthetics. 4 cl, 5 dwg