EP0460944A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dynamic elbow support
Assignee: Smith and Nephew Inc
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Filing: 1991-06-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A dynamic joint support having proximal and distal support sections and means (46,60,66) for rigidly connecting each support section to bone and a pair of hinges (14) connecting each support section to each other and pivoting at the joint to cause movement of the support section and its corresponding attached bone through the movements of flexion and extension. The hinge (14) may be driven in its movement by a gear mechanism (30,70,74) which may be disengaged by means of a clutch (78). The dynamic joint support may also include a distraction mechanism for movement of the bones out of contact in the joint, while allowing for an active range of motion at the joint.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert N. Hotchkiss
- 👤 Arthur Woodward
- 👤 Kenneth W. Hotchkiss
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:56
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/56; A61B17/58; A61B17/60; A61B17/64; A61B17/6425; A61B17/62
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
A dynamic joint support, comprising: (a) proximal and distal external support sections, one for each skeletal element on opposite sides of a joint; (b) connecting means for rigidly connecting each support section to a bone in its respective side of the joint; and (c) hinge means for connecting the support sections to each other in the vicinity of the joint so the hinge means will pivot at the joint when the skeletal element move through flexion and extension.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
A support as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: (d) X-ray transparent means at the pivot point of the hinged means so the hinge means can be aligned with the joint.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
A support as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising: (e) adjustment means for adjusting the position and orientation of the hinge relative to the respective support sections and relative to the axis of the joint.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
A support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hinge means includes a gear means for moving the support sections and consequently their respective skeletal elements through flexion and extensions in response to the application of external force to the gear means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A support as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: (f) clutch means for selectively disengaging the gear means to allow the skeletal element to move freely.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: (g) distraction means for stably fixing the bones of the joint out of contact with each other.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
84 words
A method for preventing contracture and treating injuries of a joint comprising the steps of: (a) stably fixing the skeletal elements on each side of the joint to an external fixation device; (b) attaching a pair of hinges, one medial and one lateral to the joint, to the medial and lateral aspects of the external fixation devices; (c) adjusting the axis of the mechanical hinges to approximate the axis of the natural joint; and (d) operating the hinge through the motions of the joint.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the axis of the natural joint is approximated using an X-ray machine, and the axis of the mechanical hinge is adjusted using the X-ray data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the mechanical axis of the hinge is adjusted in the anterior-posterior, proximal-distal, and rotational directions with respect to the fixed skeletal elements.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the bones of the joint as distracted.
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Cited
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