An Apparatus and method for distraction (stretching and/or straightening) of injured knee joints.

These FOOT NEUROPATHY SPRINGS are devices to help people suffering from genetic diseases or injury that affects a person’s ability to move their feet and that might have a condition known as FOOT DROP. This device helps to correct FOOT DROP, minimize a limp, improve balance, and help propel the person forward by replacing weak muscles with energized springs.

A surgical boot apparatus for use in surgery involving hip distraction includes a boot shell having a sole portion configured for placement adjacent a sole of a foot of a patient and a calf portion configured for placement adjacent a calf of the patient. The boot shell has a heel-receiving opening located between the sole portion and the calf portion and configured for receipt of a heel of the patient. A resilient pad is provided having a main portion configured for engaging an Achilles area of the patient. The main portion includes an end region that extends into the heel-receiving opening. The end region has an end edge that includes a notch configured for receipt of a calcaneus of the patient.

An ankle brace for treating or preventing a high ankle sprain is disclosed. The ankle brace includes a body configured to be worn over an ankle. A tightening mechanism is attached to the body and configured to tighten the body around a wearer's lower leg to prevent distal ends of the tibia and fibula from separating. A torsion strap is attached to the body and configured to wrap from a fifth metatarsal to a medial malleolus to limit external rotation of the foot. The ankle brace can include lateral and medial straps for limiting eversion and inversion of the foot. The ankle brace can include heat moldable lateral and medial support plates.

A limb support apparatus and corresponding methods for making same are disclosed. The limb support can comprise a shell for supporting a patient's limb during treatment, examination, and/or recovery. The shell can comprise at least one padding configured to protect the patient's limb. The padding can be secured to the shell using one or more mounting structures included in the padding. The mounting structures are configured such that they are received by corresponding mounting openings and/or features in the shell. An interference fit between the mounting structures and mounting openings/features secures the padding against the shell, thereby preventing the padding from inadvertently moving or sliding on the shell. Embodiments disclosed herein eliminate the need for traditionally used fasteners that are often difficult to clean and sterilize, thereby improving the quality of patient care and facilitating cleaning of patient and/or operating rooms.

The invention comprises an elastomeric athletic or orthopedic brace, support for a joint complex and is a network of interlinking elastomeric bands that extend radially from a hub member to support a joint in tension but provide for controlled hinging about an axis defined through the hub member. In particular, the brace is provided for an ankle.

A modular orthopedic bracing system is provided. The orthopedic bracing system includes a walking boot configured to cover at least the plantar aspect of the user's foot, a support detachably connectable to the walking boot and configured to suspend the weight of the user and an ankle-foot orthosis (“AFO”) detachably connectable to the walking boot. Also disclosed is a method for supporting an injured lower extremity, which includes the steps of attaching a first support member to the patient's leg, providing a second support member for an area at or beneath the foot and posterior portion of the lower leg, providing a first upward force on the patient's leg with the first support member, providing a second upward force on the foot with the second support member. By adjusting the amounts of the first upward force and the second upward force, the foot and lower leg, supported by the AFO, may be fully suspended, partially suspended or rest completely on the foot bed of the walking boot.

My invention is an ankle reinforcing device for the prevention of medial and/or lateral ankle injuries such as sprains or breaks. The object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive but highly effective device which will allow free and unhampered movement of the wearer's foot while engaged in athletic events or other physical activity but will prevent movement in such a direction and to such an extent that would result in spraining or breaking an ankle. The ankle reinforcing device is constructed from an underlying member which covers all or part of the foot and part of the leg above the ankle, reinforcing members attached to or integral with the underlying member, and means to securely attach the device to the wearer. The reinforcing members are arranged in a pattern to prevent excessive movement of the ankle in the medial and/or lateral directions, while allowing free up and down movement of the foot.

An inventive ankle-foot orthosis which transfers a portion of a wearer's weight normally applied to a wearer's foot and ankle to a wearer's calf thereby removing weight bearing stress from the wearer's foot and ankle.

A rear-entry ankle brace includes an elastomeric component defining an inside elbow channel configured to span an ankle joint. A channel opening extends the length of the elastomeric component for direct insertion on top of a leg. One or more leg straps are used to adjustably tension first and second rear edges of the channel opening toward one another and secure the brace to the lower leg. Two foot straps are used to adjustably tension first and second bottom edges of the channel opening toward one another and secure the brace to the mid-foot. The foot straps overlap on the bottom to define a plantar surface of the brace and cross over each other on the topside of the elastomeric component and are secured to a leg strap. A pair of stabilizing stirrups optionally are included on the inside surfaces of the elastomeric component and receive the malleoli.