POSTURAL DEVICE FOR THE CORRECT POSITIONING OF THE LOWER LIMBS OF BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS, AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS THEREOF

Abstract

Disclosed is a postural device (1) for correct position of the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients and the corresponding industrial manufacturing process (F). The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients has a cylindrical conformation (3) at its ends and a hemi-prismatic conformation (4) in an intermediate section, and its particular conformation is devised in order to provide a device that will enable correct posture in semi-flexion of the knees (6), which would otherwise be forcedly extended, of a bedridden patient. The knees (6) rest in a recess (P-Q-R-S) that bestows the hemi-prismatic section (4) on the device (1). The presence of the cylindrical ends (3) corrects extra-rotation of the knees (6). The device can be obtained at a handicraft level or industrially according to a given manufacturing process (F).

Claims

1. A postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients, having a cylindrical conformation (3) at its ends a hemi-prismatic conformation (4, 4.1) in an intermediate section, said particular conformation of the device (1) being designed to enable correct posture in semi-flexion of the knees (6), which would otherwise be forcedly extended, of a bedridden patient, the knees (6) being able to rest in a recess (P-Q-R-S) that bestows said hemi-prismatic section (4, 4.1) on the device (1) and is designed, owing to the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), to correct extra-rotation of the knees (6) themselves.

2. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical conformation (3) of the device (1) is designed to enable a slight rotation of the device (1) itself and hence a slight mobilization in flexion-extension of the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient.

3. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical conformation (3) constitutes an unstable equilibrium of the device (1) that is able to provide optimal postural corrections.

4. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said postural device (1) may be made of foam rubber or polyvinyl, or other materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization.

5. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said device (1) is obtained by cutting out manually or automatically a cylinder, which is made of one of said materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization and has a diameter (D) comprised between 10 cm and 60 cm and a length (L) comprised between 20 cm and 100 cm, as well as a recess that develops in cross section along a polygonal line (P-Q-R-S) and has a width (M), thus bestowing said hemi-prismatic section (4) on the device (1).

6. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said recess with hemi-prismatic section (4) is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient designed for correcting forced extension of the knees (6), as well as, via the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), constituting a valid means of prevention of extra-rotation of the knees (6) of the bedridden patient in the supine position.

7. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein said postural device (1) can be easily covered with a cover made of cotton or other fabrics made of materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization.

8. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 1, wherein, as an alternative to said intermediate part with polygonal hemi-prismatic section (4), it envisages an intermediate part with curvilinear hemi-prismatic section (4.1).

9. An industrial manufacturing process (F) for the production of postural devices (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients, wherein said devices (1) can be obtained according to the succession of the following production steps: provision (F1) of raw materials (G), which have a low density and enable ease of hygienization; shaping (F2) to form cylinders with quincuncial axes from the parallepipedal blocks of said raw materials (G), according to design diameters (D); cutting (F3) of the cylinders thus obtained according to the design lengths (L); shaping (F4) of a recess of a width (M), having a polygonal hemi-prismatic section (4) or a curvilinear hemi-prismatic section (4.1), along a design polygonal or curvilinear line (P-Q-R-S); complete cleaning (F5) from the processing residue and dust of the device (1) thus obtained; final hygienization (F6) of the device (1); covering (F7) of the device (1) with a possible cover made of cotton or some other material that is readily available on the market and affords ease of hygienization.

10. An industrial manufacturing process (F) for the production of postural devices (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients, wherein said device (1) can also be obtained by producing first the intermediate section between the cylindrical ends (3) by connecting a polygonal hemi-prismatic section (4) or a curvilinear hemi-prismatic section (4.1) to a hemi-cylindrical section (3) along their congruent rectangular bases, and then rigidly constraining a pair of cylindrical sections designed to provide said cylindrical ends (3) at the coaxial ends of the intermediate section thus obtained.

11. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 2, wherein said cylindrical conformation (3) constitutes an unstable equilibrium of the device (1) that is able to provide optimal postural corrections.

12. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 2, wherein said postural device (1) may be made of foam rubber or polyvinyl, or other materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization.

13. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 3, wherein said postural device (1) may be made of foam rubber or polyvinyl, or other materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization.

14. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 2, wherein said device (1) is obtained by cutting out manually or automatically a cylinder, which is made of one of said materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization and has a diameter (D) comprised between 10 cm and 60 cm and a length (L) comprised between 20 cm and 100 cm, as well as a recess that develops in cross section along a polygonal line (P-Q-R-S) and has a width (M), thus bestowing said hemi-prismatic section (4) on the device (1).

15. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 3, wherein said device (1) is obtained by cutting out manually or automatically a cylinder, which is made of one of said materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization and has a diameter (D) comprised between 10 cm and 60 cm and a length (L) comprised between 20 cm and 100 cm, as well as a recess that develops in cross section along a polygonal line (P-Q-R-S) and has a width (M), thus bestowing said hemi-prismatic section (4) on the device (1).

16. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 4, wherein said device (1) is obtained by cutting out manually or automatically a cylinder, which is made of one of said materials (G) that enable ease of hygienization and has a diameter (D) comprised between 10 cm and 60 cm and a length (L) comprised between 20 cm and 100 cm, as well as a recess that develops in cross section along a polygonal line (P-Q-R-S) and has a width (M), thus bestowing said hemi-prismatic section (4) on the device (1).

17. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 2, wherein said recess with hemi-prismatic section (4) is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient designed for correcting forced extension of the knees (6), as well as, via the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), constituting a valid means of prevention of extra-rotation of the knees (6) of the bedridden patient in the supine position.

18. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 3, wherein said recess with hemi-prismatic section (4) is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient designed for correcting forced extension of the knees (6), as well as, via the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), constituting a valid means of prevention of extra-rotation of the knees (6) of the bedridden patient in the supine position.

19. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 4, wherein said recess with hemi-prismatic section (4) is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient designed for correcting forced extension of the knees (6), as well as, via the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), constituting a valid means of prevention of extra-rotation of the knees (6) of the bedridden patient in the supine position.

20. The postural device (1) for the lower limbs (2) of bedridden patients according to claim 5, wherein said recess with hemi-prismatic section (4) is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs (2) of the bedridden patient designed for correcting forced extension of the knees (6), as well as, via the presence of said cylindrical ends (3), constituting a valid means of prevention of extra-rotation of the knees (6) of the bedridden patient in the supine position.

Description

[0019] The above purposes and the consequent advantages, as well as the characteristics of the invention according to the present disclosure will emerge more clearly from the ensuing detailed description of a preferred solution, which is provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a preferred solution according to the present invention of a postural device 1 for the correction of the posture of the lower limbs 2 of bedridden patients, which has a particular cylindrical conformation 3 at its ends and is semi-cylindrical in an intermediate section; said cylindrical conformation 3 of the device 1 is designed to enable a slight rotation of the device 1 itself and hence a slight mobilisation in flexion-extension of the lower limbs 2 of the bedridden patient; from FIG. 1 it also emerges that, in the intermediate part, where the knees 6 of the bedridden patient are located and supported, the device 1 presents a recess with polygonal hemi-prismatic section 4;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a view of the cross section A-A indicated in FIG. 1 of the aforesaid postural device 1 for the lower limbs 2 of bedridden patients, where there emerges said particular cylindrical conformation 3 of the device 1 interrupted in an intermediate portion by said hemi-prismatic recess 4, made in such a way as to enable a slight roll of the device 1 itself, when it is applied;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a front view of the lower limbs 2 of a bedridden patient with evident extra-rotation in the supine position of the lower limbs 2, with forced extension of the knees 6;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a front view of the lower limbs 2 of a bedridden patient to whom the postural device 1 of FIG. 1 has been applied;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a lateral view of the illustration of FIG. 3;

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a possible procedural sequence F of steps (F1-F2-F3-F4-F5-F6-F7) necessary for industrial manufacture of the aforesaid device 1; and

[0026] FIGS. 7 and 8, which are similar to FIGS. 1 and 2, show a variant in which, in the intermediate part, where the knees 6 of the bedridden patient are located and supported, the aforesaid device 1 is provided with a recess with curvilinear hemi-prismatic section 4.1 instead of a polygonal hemi-prismatic section 4.

[0027] As emerges from the attached FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the postural device 1 for bedridden patients 2 according to the present invention is basically constituted by a cushion made of foam rubber G or vinyl or other equivalent materials, having a substantially cylindrical shape 3, but provided with a recess with hemi-prismatic section 4, which functions as means for containing extra-rotation of the knees 6 and moreover as means for correcting forced extension of the lower limbs 2 of a bedridden patient.

[0028] The conformation of the above device 1 may be appreciated better from FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0029] The modalities of insertion of the above postural device may be understood easily from the view of FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, where the device 1 appears correctly inserted under the lower limbs 2 of a bedridden patient.

[0030] The presence of the device 1 enables the bedridden patient to maintain a correct position of the lower limbs 2, in particular an alignment of the knees 6, which are prevented from performing extra-rotation, owing to the presence of a pair of cylindrical projections 3 at the ends of the device 1, as well as ensuring the correct posture in semi-flexion of the lower limbs 2 with the bedridden patient in the supine position.

[0031] The inventive step of the present device 1 is inherent in the fact of having devised an improvement of known postural devices, which affords the following advantages:

[0032] an optimal posture of the knees 6, as well as of the lower limbs 2 of the bedridden patient;

[0033] easy and inexpensive production given that it is constituted by a support that has a basically cylindrical shape 3 and is made of foam rubber or polyvinyl or other materials of equivalent elasticity and that afford ease of hygienization;

[0034] extreme lightness and just the right elasticity of the postural device 1 itself given that the latter is purposely made for each patient according to a given design for correcting the forced postures that are to be corrected or prevented; and

[0035] ease of hygienization of the device 1, in so far as it can be covered with an easily removable cover, which may be made of cotton or other materials that are readily available on the market and can be sterilized easily.

[0036] The postural device 1 for the lower limbs 2 of bedridden patients is likewise characterized in that it may be produced by cutting it to the desired shape manually at a handicraft level or even mechanically at an industrial level, in so far as it is constituted by a cylinder, obtained in particular starting from one of the aforesaid raw materials G that are readily available on the market and enable ease of hygienization. The cylinder usually has a diameter D of between 10 cm and 60 cm and a length L of between 20 cm and 100 cm. Formation of a recess P-Q-R-S subsequently bestows a characteristic hemi-prismatic section 4 on the device 1.

[0037] The aforementioned recess with hemi-prismatic section 4 is designed to provide a valid means of elastic support for the lower limbs 2 of the bedridden patient given that it is suited to correcting forced extension of the knees 6.

[0038] This recess, together with the presence of the afore-mentioned cylindrical ends 3 likewise constitutes a valid means for preventing extra-rotation of the knees 6 of the bedridden patient in the supine position. The above postural device 1 can likewise be easily covered with a cover made of cotton or other fabrics made of materials that enable ease of hygienization and are readily available on the market.

[0039] The device 1 can be easily produced according to the succession of the procedural steps, described by way of non-exhaustive example of a possible industrial manufacturing process F (FIG. 6):

[0040] provision F1 of materials G that have a low density and can be easily hygienized;

[0041] shaping F2 to form cylinders with quincuncial axes from the parallepipedal blocks of said materials G, according to design diameters D;

[0042] cutting F3 of the cylinders thus obtained to design lengths L;

[0043] shaping F4 of a recess of, width M, with a hemi-prismatic section 4, along a design polygonal line P-Q-R-S;

[0044] cleaning F5 of the device 1 thus obtained from processing residue and dust;

[0045] final hygienization F6 of the device 1;

[0046] covering F7 of the device 1 with a possible cover made of cotton or other coating material that is readily available and enables ease of hygienization.

[0047] The above industrial manufacturing process F can also be obtained by producing first the intermediate section between the cylindrical ends 3 by connecting a hemi-prismatic section 4 to a hemi-cylindrical section 3 along their congruent rectangular bases, and then rigidly constraining a pair of cylindrical sections designed to provide said ends 3 at the coaxial ends of the intermediate section thus obtained.

[0048] The advantages deriving from the present invention are thus multiple and amply overcome the limitations of the known art, above all enabling a suitable postural device to be obtained that is altogether valid above all for bedridden patients. It is also evident that to the example of embodiment described previously by way of illustrative and non-limiting example numerous modifications, adaptations, integrations, variations may be made, as well as replacements of elements with other functionally equivalent ones, without thereby departing from the sphere of protection of the ensuing claims.

[0049] What has been described herein can be applied directly, without any modifications, also to the variant illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, where the aforesaid recess has a curvilinear hemi-prismatic section 4.1 instead of a polygonal hemi-prismatic section 4.