The invention is directed to a method and foot support device for dynamically treating plantar fasciitis in the foot of a patient while enabling patient mobility. The method comprises applying tension to the ball of the foot via a strap held in tension by extending the strap to form a continuous loop, from opposite sides of the knee in the leg of the foot in treatment through an opening in a channel guide member oriented relative to the ball of the foot, with the strap connected at opposite ends thereof to the opposite sides of the knee in alignment with the rotatable joint of the knee and controlling dorsiflexion of the plantar fascia while the patient is mobile by slidably adjusting the position of the strap within the channel guide member in response to the mobility of the patient.

Disclosed is a motorized with a tibial orthosis including: a tibial fastening that covers the user's shin; an ankle fastening articulated with a plantar fastening at the axis of the ankle; and a processor. The tibial fastening can include a support of a motorized winch, in which a strap is hooked, whose free end is fixed to the foot, so that the winch takes up the strap when a foot position sensor indicates that it is not resting on the ground. Alternatively, the system can have a femur orthosis with two femur actuators that take up or release two strap in parallel, one attached to a harness or belt and the other to the tibial fastening. The system may include additionally or alternatively a hip orthosis.

An orthotic apparatus includes a leg securing member adapted for attachment to a wearer's lower leg. A resilient strut that flexes in the anterior to posterior direction has an upper end connected to the leg securing member. A heel member is connected to the strut lower end at the heel member. A foot member is connected to the heel member. The foot member has a heel end at the heel member and a toe end spaced horizontally from the heel end. The foot member also has a substantially rigid lower foot plate extending between the heel end and toe end and a substantially rigid upper foot plate extending between the heel end and toe end above and generally parallel to the lower foot plate. In certain examples the orthotic apparatus is integrated with a shoe.

A device promotes triple flexion of the hip, knee and ankle. The device includes a belt, knee cuff, ankle wrap, foot wrap and two pairs of adjustable bands. The device is configured to promote triple flexion in the hip, knee and ankle of the user during the swing phase of walking when the user has the belt wrapped around the user's waist, the knee cuff wrapped around the user's knee, the ankle wrap wrapped around the user's ankle and the foot wrap wrapped around the user's foot.

Ankle foot orthoses and methods of manufacturing an ankle foot orthosis. In one embodiment, an ankle foot orthosis is disclosed that includes a foot plate constructed to have both a trimmable portion and a non-trimmable portion. The ankle foot orthosis includes a spiral strut coupled with either the hindfoot region of the foot plate laterally of a mid-line for the foot plate or the midfoot region of the foot plate laterally of the mid-line. The spiral strut includes a transition portion that spirals by approximately sixty-five degrees (65) over less than one-hundred sixty millimeters (160 mm) in height from the bottom surface of the foot plate. The spiral strut also includes an adjustable portion that enables a cuff coupled thereto to be height adjustable. Methods of manufacturing the aforementioned ankle foot orthoses are also disclosed.

An ankle-foot orthosis includes a plantar flexion limiting device that limits the plantar flexion of the foot and which is configured to provide support for a user's foot drop. The ankle-foot orthosis includes a lower leg shell including a foot support and a lower leg support, and is configured to position and/or fix a user's heel in the lower leg support. The plantar flexion motion of the foot is limited by the complementary action of elastic and non-elastic portions of the plantar flexion limiting device. The plantar flexion limiting device further leads to a dynamic return of the foot to an angle substantially equal to the angle value .sub.2.

An orthotic device is disclosed. The orthotic device may be adapted to be inserted into a shoe to enable the foot to replicate normal motion so that the user regains substantially normal operation of the foot. The orthotic device may have a frame system formed of a lightweight supportive material and configured to extend along at least the bottom of the user's foot, and an electronically actuated muscle operatively connected to the frame system for expanding and contracting at predetermined levels to adjust the inclination of the user's foot and mimic movement of the foot, when functioning normally. The orthotic device may also have a controller operatively connected to the muscle for transmitting signals corresponding to the predetermined levels to the muscle, and a sensor controlled by the user for actuating the muscle.

An orthopedic device is arranged as a lightweight ankle-foot orthosis providing dynamic support for drop foot or related disorders requiring dorsiflexion. The orthopedic device includes a main support adapted to secure about a lower leg, a strap assembly having a first portion coupling to the main support, and a second portion arranged to be drawn therefrom, and an anchor for receiving and attaching to the second portion of the strap assembly. The location of the anchor along a foot component enables increased medial-lateral control, and the arrangement of the strap assembly permits dorsiflexion during swing phase of a user's gait.

An orthotic foot part having a foot plate with a heel region and a front foot region, and at least one strut extending in a proximal direction from the foot plate. The foot plate has a foot plate contour formed of superposed, stylized contours of a right foot and a left foot.

The application discloses a conformable support structure for use in fiber composite precursor; a resin impregnated conformable fiber composite precursor, which may surround the support structure, for being manually manipulated and plastically deformed into a desired shape before being cured into a final product having the desired shape; the corresponding final product, which may be an orthosis or other product; and methods of making the final product or orthosis. The support structure is typically plastically deformable by hand to form the desired shape, may be substantially planar and may have various voids to promote controlled plastic deformation of the frame in one or more desired directions. The core may comprise a wire or tube and may include packing or filler material. The precursor includes a fiber layer impregnated with a thermoset resin and includes a compressor around the fiber layer. The fiber layer is supported internally or externally by the conformable support member. The precursor may be custom fitted to match the shape of an object and then thermally cured into a strong rigid product. The cured precursor can then be used to make a custom finished product.