Hinged cage-type knee brace

Claim 1

A cage-type knee brace comprising a rigid cage for fitting around opposite sides of the knee joint and having a generally U-shaped posterior brace portion for extending around the sides of and behind the knee joint, a pair of short upper lateral and medial uprights rigidly joined with opposite front portions of the U-shaped posterior brace for extending upwardly a short distance along lateral and medial sides of the upper leg above the knee joint, and a pair of lower lateral and medial uprights rigidly joined with opposite front portions of the U-shaped brace for extending downwardly along lateral and medial sides of the lower leg below the knee joint, the lower pair of uprights being longer in length than the short upper lateral and medial uprights; a pair of elongated rigid lateral and medial pivot arms pivotally affixed to end portions of the short upper lateral and medial uprights at pivot points spaced above the U-shaped posterior brace portion of the cage; means for pivotally securing the lower ends of the pivot arms to the pivot points on the short uprights of the cage so the pivot arms can each rotate independently of each other relative to the cage, the pivot arms extending along lateral and medial sides of the upper leg above the knee joint when the cage is positioned around the knee joint; separate stop means rigidly affixed to the short upper lateral and medial uprights for engaging lower portions of corresponding pivot arms to restrict forward rotation of each pivot arm relative to the cage and to allow independent rotation of each pivot arm in a rear direction relative to the cage; a flexible lower leg strap secured to the lower lateral and medial uprights for releasably securing a lower portion of the cage to the lower leg below the knee joint; a flexible U-shaped posterior strap affixed to the front portions of the U-shaped posterior brace and extending inside the U-shaped posterior brace for contacting a posterior portion of the knee joint when the cage is positioned around the knee joint; and one or more flexible U-shaped upper leg straps secured to the long pivot arms for releasably securing the pivot arms to the lateral and medial sides of the upper leg, the pivot arms being independently rotatable about their axes of rotation through the pivot points on the cage and extending for a distance of at least about one half the length of the thigh region of the leg to function by distributing thigh forces during a walking gait while the U-shaped posterior strap is held in a fixed position behind the knee joint to restrict hyperextension of the knee joint.