Structure for enhanced retention of artificial limbs and method of fabrication

Abstract

Abstract An air impermeable sealing band of rubberized material is introduced between the patient's stump and the interior of a stump-receiving socket of an artificial limb, in one of two ways, depending on whether or not the patient wears a stump sock. If the patient wears a stump sock, the band of sealant material is impregnated into the stump sock. If the patient does not wear a stump sock, an impregnated sock is incorporated into the interior structure of the socket of the patient's prosthesis. The impregnated sock itself is fabricated by placing a conventional stump sock on a somewhat oversized form. An appropriate annular region on the sock is then masked off by means of tightly fitting plastic bags, and one of the plastic bags provides an enclosing outer sheath which encompasses the annular region and extends upwardly above the form. A rubberized material in liquid form is introduced through the top of the outer sheath and a vacuum is introduced below to draw the material into the annular region of the sock, so as top impregnate the same. The rubberized material penetrates the sock, is worked into an axially contoured shaped, and is then permitted to set. A stump-receiving socket for an artificial limb with an integral annular seal is fabricated by placing a stump sock with the seal on a cast of a patient's leg and then laminating the socket over the sock using conventional procedures for manufacturing stump-receiving sockets.

Inventors

• 👤 Sidney Fishman
• 👤 William Lembeck

Bibliographic Details