Knee guiding splints for fastening to braces, bands and the like

(42) Date of commencement of the patent: 15. 8.1994 (45) Date of issue: 27. 3.1995 (56) Documentation:

(73)

Patentee:

AT-PS 393620 AT-PS 384733 DE-Al 3825813 US-A 4620532 GRAFINGER JOSEF CH-A5 671876 EP-Al 0059472 A-1160 WIEN (AT).

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(54) THREADED RAILS FOR MOUNTING ON SHAPES, TAPES AND GLASSES

(57) In pivotally interconnected knee guide rails for attachment to shells, straps and the like. Of knee braces, braces or lower leg prostheses, in a first rail (1) two arcuate guides (10,11) are provided in the pivot angle of the two rails limiting bolt od. Like. (6) of the second rail (2) engage.

In order to achieve an optimal approach to the natural movement of the knee, engages in a rail (1) sitting another bolt or the like. (8,9) in a further arcuate guide (3) of the other rail (2), which extends obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the other rail (2).

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AT 399 092 be eeraas

AT 399 092 Β

The invention relates to pivotally interconnected knee guide rails for attachment to shells, bands u. Like., Of knee braces, braces or lower leg prosthesis, wherein two arcuate guides are provided in a first rail, in the pivot angle of the two rails limiting bolt od. Like. The second rail engage.

In the early functional treatment of the knee joint orthoses with limited joint movement are used. The use is carried out, for example postoperatively in knee joint surgery; for immobilization after second degree knee injuries requiring no surgery and later mobilization; postoperatively instead of a plaster to avoid subluxation of the tibia after anterior and posterior cruciate ligament injury or reconstruction; for the safe stabilization of injured or surgically treated collateral ligaments.

In many cases, the range of motion, both extension and flexion, is limited by displacing screws on a stop plate. But there are also known orthoses with free joint movement.

In order to achieve the greatest possible adaptation of the mutual movement of the knee guide rails to the natural movement of the knee joint, a variety of arrangements have been proposed and also realized. In particular, double joint knee guide rails are in use, which are designed as a double-jointed Zahnsegmentschienen. In this case, both rails are provided with a toothed segment, which segments mesh with each other, and for connection a hingedly connected to both rails intermediate plate is arranged.

However, as detailed studies have shown, even these orthoses can not understand the natural movement of the knee joint.

From AT-PS 393 620 a knee guide rail has become known, in which two arcuate guides are provided in a first rail, in which engage the pivot angle of the two rails limiting pin of the second rail. The pins or bolts are doing in the respective end position, the axis for the circular arc-shaped leadership of the other pin.

Such an arrangement can not mimic the natural movement of the knee, which is formed by a combined rotational and sliding movement.

The invention has therefore set itself the goal of pivotally interconnected knee guide rails to create, which can understand the natural movement of the knee joint in more detail than the previously known knee guide rails. This is achieved, starting from a knee guide rail of the type mentioned above, characterized in that a seated in a rail further bolt or the like. engages in a further arcuate guide of the other rail, which extends obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the other rail.

In a knee guide rail according to the invention demmnach three arcuate guides are provided, which are inevitably not circular arc-shaped. As a result, an optimal approach to the natural movement of the knee is achieved in a simple manner.

Pivotally interconnected knee guide rails with the inventive features can also be used for lower leg prostheses when the lower leg stump is so short that a determination of the prosthesis on the thigh is necessary.

In orthoses where limitation of extension and / or flexion is required, according to a further feature of the invention for limiting extension and / or flexion, the second rail is provided with a number of holes for selectively inserting the two arcuate guides , acting as stops pin od. Like. Provided.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that point in the extended position of the knee guide rails, the ends of the arcuate guide of the second rail to the inner central region of the arcuate guides of the first rail.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings, without being limited to this example. 1 shows an upper rail, ie a rail to be fastened to the thigh in a known manner with shells, straps and the like; Fig. 2, the lower rail: Fig. 3, the two interconnected rails in an intermediate position and Fig. 4, the two interconnected rails in the extended position.

According to the drawings, an upper rail 1 and a lower rail 2 are provided. The lower rail 2 has an arcuate guide 3, which extends obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 2 and thus to the longitudinal axis of the lower leg. The angle 4 between the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 2 and guide 3 is in the example about 40 °.

A series of threaded holes 5 in the lower rail 2 allows the insertion of bolts 6. The holes 5E serve, as far as bolts 6 are used, the limitation of the extension, the holes 5F, provided that bolts 6 are used, the limitation of flexion.

AT 399 092 Β

The upper rail 1 is provided with a bore 7 into which a bush held by a bolt 8 is inserted, which can slide in the arcuate guide 3.

The heads of the bolts 6 slide in arcuate guides 10 and 11 on the upper rail 1 and, in cooperation with the guide 3 and the sleeve 9, the two rails 1 and 2 against each other such that the natural movement is reflected in the knee.

At the same time limit the Boizen 6 and their heads, the movement of the two rails 1 and 2 against each other.

In FIG. 2, for reasons of clarity, only a few of the threaded bores 5E, 5F are assigned to the precise graduation. So limited one in the threaded hole 5Ei₀ 6 used the extension to 10 ', an inserted into the threaded hole 5Eioo bolt the extension to 100' and an inserted into the threaded hole 5FW bolt flexion to 10 '. The position of the bolts 6 drawn in FIGS. 3 and 4 would therefore correspond to an extension of 10 ° and a flexion of 90 '.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, in the extended position of the knee guide rails 1, 2 shown there, the ends of the arcuate guide 3 of the second rail 2 point towards the inner central region of the arcuate guides 10, 11 of the first rail 1.

In the context of the invention numerous modifications compared to the embodiment shown are possible. Thus, in order to achieve a slight movement, instead of the threaded bolt 8 and the bushing 9, a needle bearing can be used, the outer ring in the approximately arcuate guide 3 is displaceable.