Patent Application
20240180735
Post severe medical conditions, such as: strokes, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other muscular or neurological challenges, a person can find it difficult to learn how to walk again. With therapy, many patients struggle to keep their legs and feet shoulder width apart and will often step and trip on their feet resulting in them becoming unsteady and feeling insecure in their gait. There have been no products available as original equipment or as an aftermarket to address this problem.
An apparatus to help patients who have suffered severe medical conditions become steady and secure in their gait. is not being met by any known device or system at present. There have been no products available as original equipment or as an aftermarket to address this problem either.
The main purpose of the ankle support device for walking therapy is to provide users with an ankle strap that allows patients to walk normally while eliminating the potential to trip over their own feet as they regain confidence.
A walking aid device for a wearer includes a brace comprising two ends and having a length adjustable between the two ends, a swivel joint at each of the two ends, and an ankle strap for each of two ankles and each comprising an overlap outside cuff adjacent a fibula of the wearer and an inside cuff adjacent a tibia of the wearer and configured to receive the swivel joint.
Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be used to identify similar elements depicted in multiple embodiments. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
The present disclosed ankle support device for walking therapy, also known as “Ambulatory Device”, offers a modern accessory that provides patients a supportive device able to keep their feet at the appropriate distance in effort to re-train their musculoskeletal system to maintain a normal gait pattern. Expanding on the initial design of an average ankle strap, the Ambulatory Device introduces a novel device meant to be attached to both ankles while being connected by an adjustable rubber bar or tightly coiled spring, in between, serving to outline the consistency of keeping the legs shoulder width apart but flexible enough to allow movement, independent steps to be taken by the wearer. Within the spring section between the ankle pieces there could be an option to insert a push-button mechanism that follows the pattern of the coiled spring allowing the device to be shortened or lengthened by twisting the spring allowing the button to pop into place in multiple spots depending on desired width. This will help ensure universal use so that it can be adjusted for any height which correlates with being shoulder width apart. Once the Ambulance Device is worn, the device will help users maintain a shoulder width stance to solve the issue of having too narrow of a base of support which serves to benefit the rehab experience and accelerate a patients progression toward walking at abnormal gait again. By training individuals how to put one foot in front of the other and teaching them how to take focused steps, the device permits muscle groups of lower extremities to gain muscle memory that is required in order to learn how to consistently walk with a normal gait pattern in a safe autonomous manner. This innovative, top-quality product ensures a fully operational medical device that will benefit patients as well as doctors who seek to have a more effective and practical means of reestablishing walking patterns post-severe medical diagnoses.
Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operations may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating manner.
