The present invention relates to medical crutches for supporting a human user's body weight, and in particular, to a medical crutch with a framework which disperses contact forces to multiple regions of the body.
The physical rehabilitation industry is a large industry sector related to enhancing and restoring functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. One of the greatest hurdles for those working within the physical rehabilitation field is providing proper equipment to a patient and ensuring that the equipment is being used properly. One of the major reasons found for improper use of equipment by patients is discomfort when using the equipment. Improper use of equipment can cause exacerbation of pre-existing injuries or conditions, as well as effectuate new injuries to arise.
One of the most commonly used pieces of equipment used in the physical rehabilitation industry are medical crutches. Medical crutches are used to carry and shift all or part of a user's body weight from one part of the body to another. Namely, crutches transfer weight from a user's lower body to their upper body. Two of the most commonly used types of crutches are axillary crutches and Lofstrand crutches. The axillary (or underarm) crutch usually has an axillary pad which is placed against the ribcage beneath the armpit, and a hand grip that is situated below and parallel to the axillary pad. This type of crutch is typically used by temporary crutch users because of the high amount of force shifted to the hand, arm, and axilla. On the other hand, the Lofstrand (or forearm) crutch does not extend to under or near the axilla. Instead, the top portion of the crutch has a cuff that goes around the forearm, and a hand grip situated below and near the cuff. This type of crutch is typically used by long-term crutch users but provides less overall support than axillary crutches and requires the user to maintain better balance.
Traditional axillary crutches transmit forces to the patient's hand, arm, and axilla. Forces at the crutch tip are intended to be primarily transferred directly to the hands and wrist, and only secondarily supported by the axilla. Supporting significant body weight on the axilla area can cause compression of sensitive nerves running through it. For example, many crutch users suffer from crutch paralysis when either the radial nerve or part of the brachial plexus containing various nerves that innervate sense and motor function to the hand and arm is under constant pressure from use of the crutch. Other serious conditions can also arise from crutch use, such as aneurysm and axillary artery thrombosis, from pressure placed on the user's axilla.
The present inventors have recognized that providing appropriate bends in the medical crutch frame can better redistribute the pressure applied to the user's hand, arm, and axilla.In addition, these changes increase crutch stride length and shock absorption, while also improving overall walking efficiency and aesthetic appeal. A number of improved attachments may also be secured to the crutch frame. The attachments are adjustable to provide a fitting particularly suited to a user's body size and dimensions.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a medical crutch having a frame with a number of bends which place the frame outwardly sidewards and outwardly forward relative to the user's body. Moreover, a S-bend places the frame outwardly forward relative to the user's body and backward relative to the user's body. Both the location and sequence of the bends provides a redistribution of weight to prevent user injury, while still providing a stabilizing crutch.
In one embodiment, the present invention may be a medical crutch for a human comprising an elongated rod having a first end positioned underneath an axilla of a user and extending a length commensurate with a distance between the axilla of the user and a ground to a second end when the user is standing upright on the ground. The elongated rod extends downward from the axilla to a first jog outwardly sidewards relative to a user's body and a second jog outwardly forward relative to the user's body. An axillary pad may extend from the first end of the elongated rod and may be sized to fit underneath the user's axilla. An arm support may be sized to receive an average user's forearm. A crutch foot may extend from the second end of the elongated rod to contact the ground at a slip resistant face.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to decrease the weight bearing load on the user's axilla by moving the placement of the crutch tip with respect to the axilla and creating other weight distribution surfaces.
A S-curve formed in the elongate rod may have a first bend outwardly forward relative to the user's body and a second bend backward relative to the user's body. The S-curve may be positioned forward relative to a user's arm when the user's forearm is received in the arm support.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide additional bends to position the crutch to the front and side of the user, but also not interfere with the user's feet during use.
The elongated rod's second jog may include a straight portion angled outwardly forward and down for a length substantially equal to the length of the user's forearm.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide an arm supporting surface at a comfortable angle consistent with the arm's natural extension and bend.
The first jog and second jog may be positioned below the user's axilla and above the user's forearm when the user's forearm is received in the arm support.
it is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to displace the crutch away from the axilla near the bend of the user's elbow.
The underarm support may be an elastic mesh. The underarm support may be rotatable about an axis along the upper end of the elongate rod.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide additional comfort to the user and distribute the forces to prevent pressure points on the axilla.
The crutch foot may be an elastomeric material having a plurality of holes extending horizontally when the crutch is positioned upright. The crutch foot may have a hemi-cylindrical bottom surface having a curvature axis sidewards relative to a user's body and wherein the bottom surface has traction grooves extending sidewards relative to a user's body
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to increase the elasticity and shock absorption of the crutch and improve ground traction to prevent slippage.
The elongated rod may receive the arm support below the first jog and the second jog.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide the arm support at the user's forearm when the elbow is at a comfortable bend.
The elongated rod may be constructed of a material from a group comprising fiberglass reinforced plastic, carbon fiber, and aluminum.
It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to maintain strength while considering cost, flexibility, and weight of the rod.
These particular objects and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention.
a is an enlarged perspective view of the underarm frame attachment of
b is an enlarged perspective view of the forearm rest attachment of
c is an enlarged perspective view of the crutch handle attachment of
d is an enlarged perspective view of the foot attachment of
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The bend continues to a middle section 22. The middle section 22 of the backbone 12 is generally straight and disposed at an outward angled position with respect to the user's body. The middle section 22 may be disposed at, for example, a 30-degree or 50-degree angle from horizontal. It is contemplated that the middle section 22 may be disposed at other desired angles. The middle section 22 contains receiving holes 40 for an adjustable forearm rest 32 and receiving holes 40 for a crutch handle 34. The forearm rest 32 and crutch handle 34 will be described in further detail below.
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A support swivel 66 is sized to fit within the inner volume of the enclosure 64 and is inserted into a bottom open end of the enclosure 64. The support swivel 66 has a curved top portion extending a width left and right and flanked by generally flat front and back faces 98. The support swivel 66 is secured to the enclosure 64 by inserting a pin or bolt through the pivot holes 68 of the front and back sidewalls 96 of the enclosure 64 and a pivot hole 80 of the support swivel 66 which extends between the front and back faces 98. The curved top portion of the support swivel 66 allows for rotational movement of the underarm frame 52 in a left and right direction. The underarm support pole 50 is secured to a flat bottom surface of the support swivel 66 The underarm support pole 50 has an attachment hole 70 at a lower end for receiving a c-clip 44 to secure the underarm support pole 50 to the upper section 20 of the backbone 12 as described herein.
The underarm frame 52 may be covered by a crutch pad 30 extending over and around the upwardly bended arms 62. The crutch pad 30 may be constructed of an elastic mesh material and shaped to provide proper weight distribution. While mesh material may be used, it is contemplated that other elastic materials may be used, such as a gel pad, which allow vertical compression of the crutch pad 30 so that it is more comfortable to the user and can better mold to the contours of the user's axilla. However, the crutch pad 30 retains its overall shape so as to prevent pressure points on particular areas of contact. The size of the crutch pad 30 is contemplated to provide a large surface area so that there is greater weight distribution onto the pad 30 and less pressure is placed on the sensitive nerves of the axilla. The size of the crutch pad 30 may be approximately 7-inches long by 4.25-inches tall by 1.50-inches wide.
The middle section 22 of the backbone 12 contains a plurality of holes 40 disposed at varying vertical and horizontal positions along the angle-defined middle section 22. The top of the middle section 22 receives a forearm rest 32, as seen in
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The crutch foot 38 is positioned to be offset from the user's feet so that it rests slightly in front of the user's feet during use. This allows the crutch foot 38 to not interfere with the user's stride while still allowing it to have a wider contact face 56.
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The backbone 12 may be a hollow rod having a diameter of 1.00-inches and a thickness of 0.065-inches. The underarm support pole 50 and bottom support pole 54 may be hollow rods with a diameter of 0.870-inches and a thickness of 0.065-inches. The overall length of the backbone 12 may be approximately 40.50-inches. The upper section 20 may be a length of 3.69-inches. The middle section 22 may be a length of 15.90-inches. The lower section 24 may be a length of 8-inches. It will be appreciated that a variety of other dimensions may also be provided.
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For proper use, the crutch 10 should be properly fitted onto the user's body. The user then supports their weight with their hands and arms. Minimal weight should be placed on the user's axilla. The user then leans forward, placing the crutch about 1-foot in front of them. The user's body then swings forward to the crutch 10. The crutch 10 should then be moved ahead again about 1-foot to continue movement.
Certain terminology is used herein for purposes of reference only, and thus is not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, “bottom” and “side”, describe the orientation of portions of the component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the component under discussion. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Similarly, the terms “first”, “second” and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.
When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein and the claims should be understood to include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. All of the publications described herein, including patents and non-patent publications, are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/718,843, filed Oct. 26, 2012, and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/721,555, filed Nov. 2. 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61718843 | Oct 2012 | US | |
61721555 | Nov 2012 | US |