United States Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Ted J Greene

George P Irons

Dan J Edwards

Matthew V Waidelich

A prosthetic knee component for an above knee prosthesis having a frame member and a bracket member pivotally connected to the frame member, thereby creating a center of rotation for the knee component. The knee component further including a gait control unit pivotally positioned between the frame member and the bracket member by flanges extending from a rear portion of the bracket member. A flexion bumper is positioned through the frame member away from the center of rotation and is sufficiently compressible in a flexion phase of the knee component to provide controlled energy absorbing compliance under force exerted on the bumper by the rear flanges. The knee component further includes an optional running gait flexion limiter positioned on an interior surface of the frame member for limiting flexion and providing inertia to the lower leg component during a running gait. The running gait flexion limiter provides inertia to the lower leg component by being sufficiently resilient in a flexion phase of the knee component to provide a controlled spring rate to the flanges on the bracket member to quickly return the lower leg component to an extension phase.

Multi-purpose prosthetic knee component

Adjustable modular prosthetic joint

A valve housing for a prosthetic socket has a secure leak-free mechanical interlock formed between the valve housing and the socket. A valve housing has an opening for receiving a removable relief valve. A plug separate from the relief valve is first removably secured in the opening in the valve housing, followed by fastening the valve housing and the plug to a model defining the shape of the finished socket. The fastened plug closes off the opening through the valve housing. The exterior wall of the valve housing has a mechanical interlock, preferably a pair of O-rings extending circumferentially around the body of the valve housing. A thermoplastic material is drawn down over the plugged valve housing and around the interlock device to cover the valve housing and the model. In one embodiment, a releasable pressure clamp is applied to the softened plastic that extends circumferentially around the exterior of the valve housing. The clamp applies circumferential pressure inwardly to the plastic as it cools to form a secure bond and interlock between the plastic and the O-ring-sealed valve housing. Any plastic covering the plug can be removed and the plug is removed from the valve housing, leaving an annular lip or locking flange of the plastic material on an annular end face of the valve housing, which retains the valve against movement from downward pressure and avoids leakage of air between the valve housing and the plastic socket.

Prosthetic valve system and process for sealing a socket

A link between members of a prosthetic limb, such as a connector between a knee joint and an elongated artificial leg member, has a frustopyramidal four-sided boss divergingly projecting from a spherically convex base which slidably engages a correspondingly concave annular socket surrounding the boss. Two pairs of set screws set 90.degree. apart in the annular socket are tightened against the sides of the frustopyramidal boss to enable its adjustment within a swing angle in two mutually orthogonal planes defining posterior-anterior positioning and lateral-medial positioning of the component parts of the prosthetic joint. The joint includes indexing means on a portion of one part visible for comparison of its angular position relative to the other part. The indexing means indicate relative position of the component parts in a plane that sets posterior-anterior position and in a separate plane that sets the lateral-medial position of the device. Further indexing means can indicate the relative rotation of one part with respect to the other part about a substantially vertical axis through the joint.

Adjustable prosthetic joint with alignment means

A tibia/ankle orthosis includes a flexible jacket shaped to fit around the lower leg of a patient. The jacket has a continuous resilient front section for extending along the front of the tibia and across the width of the tibia. A pair of semi-rigid uprights extend along lateral and medial sides of the jacket. The jacket terminates in lateral and medial flaps that overlap one another at the rear of the patient's lower leg. A footplate is rotatably secured adjacent the lower portion of the jacket for supporting the foot while the jacket is wrapped around the tibia. A narrow slotted opening at the lower front portion of the jacket permits the jacket to be applied from front to rear when wrapping the jacket around the lower leg while the patient's foot is held against rotation when placing the patient's foot on the footplate. The lateral and medial end portions of the jacket overlap uniformly around the patient's calf. A first set of straps on one flap extend through the opposite side of the jacket, and are wrapped in a first direction around the jacket and tightened to apply torque in a first direction of rotation. A second set of straps on the other flap extend in an opposite direction around the jacket and are tightened to apply torque in an opposite direction. This permits tightening of the jacket around the lower leg with torque applied in opposite directions to ensure good support while uniformly distributing the pressure around the leg, ensuring uniform fit and comfort of the orthosis.

Tibia/ankle orthosis

A cervical collar has a mandibular plate for supporting a patient's chin, an occipital plate for supporting the occipital region of the patient's head, flexible front and rear neck supports extending around the opposite sides of the patient's neck from the mandibular support plate and the occipital support plate, and releasable fastening means on the front and rear supports for providing circumferential support around the patient's neck. A sternal plate rests on the patient's sternum, a scapular plate on the scapular region of the patient's back, and lower front and rear flexible shoulder supports extend over the right and left shoulders of the patient. Releasable fastening means adjust the circumferential size of the shoulder supports. An elongated rigid front support bar extends from the mandibular plate to the sternal plate. Cooperating fasteners on the front support bar and on the sternal plate releasably adjust the height of the mandibular plate independently of the the sternal plate. An elongated rigid rear support bar extends from the occipital plate to the scapular plate. Cooperating fasteners on the rear support bar and on the scapular plate releasably adjust the height of the occipital plate independently of the scapular plate. The fastening means for the mandibular support and the occipital support resist downward pressures and any twisting forces normally encountered during use of the cervical collar to provide a stable means of immobilizing the patient's head and upper cervical spine region during use.

Cervical collar with circumferential and vertical height adjustability

A composite orthosis immobilizes an injured joint such as the ankle, wrist, elbow or knee joint. Generally, the orthosis has lateral and medial support members extending along opposite sides of a limb adjacent the injured joint, a brace secured to the limb on the opposite side of the injured joint, and pivot means hinging the lateral and medial support members to the brace. In one form of the invention, an ankle brace is provided by lateral and medial support members extending along lateral and medial sides of the lower leg above the ankle, a shell which fits around the foot, and a separate pivot for hinging each support member to the shell in the vicinity of the ankle axis of rotation. With the user's foot in the shell and the support members extending alongside the lateral and medial sides of the lower leg, a bandage is wrapped tightly around the support members above the ankle joint for tightly securing the lateral support members to the sides of the lower leg above the ankle joint. This immobilizes the ankle joint against lateral and medial movement and provides limited resistance against torsion while allowing forward and backward rotation about the ankle joint.

Growing community of inventors

La Canada, CA, United States of America

Ted J Greene