Lateral wedge

An orthopedic system comprising:

• a knee brace positionable around a knee of a user, the knee brace adapted to apply a first unloading of an affected compartment of the knee;
• and
• a lateral wedge positionable under a foot of the user on the same leg as the knee brace, the lateral wedge including:
• posterior and anterior ends;
• upper and lower surfaces extending between the posterior and anterior ends;
• a first side extending between the upper and lower surfaces;
• a second side opposed the first side;
• a thickness defined between the upper and lower surfaces, wherein the thickness tapers from the first side toward the second side such that the lateral wedge is arranged to apply a second unloading of the affected compartment by supporting a lateral side of the foot or a medial side of the foot in an elevated position relative to the other;
• a concave-shaped cutout defined in the anterior end and configured to terminate short of phalanges of the foot, the concave-shaped cutout extending through an entirety of the thickness of the lateral wedge and across an entirety or near entirety of a width of the lateral wedge defined between the first and second sides;
• and
• a ramped surface defined along a line extending diagonally across the upper surface between the first and second sides in a forefoot region of the lateral wedge and angling downwardly from the upper surface toward the concave-shaped cutout, the ramped surface configured to help direct a roll-over motion of the foot along a specific line of progression when the user steps forward on the lateral wedge.

A method of unloading a compartment of the knee affected by osteoarthritis (OA), the method comprising:

• positioning an unloading knee brace around the knee of a user to apply a first unloading of the affected compartment of the knee;
• and
• positioning a lateral wedge under a foot of the user on the same leg as the knee brace to apply a second unloading of the affected compartment of the knee, the lateral wedge including:
• posterior and anterior ends;
• upper and lower surfaces extending between the posterior and anterior ends;
• a first side extending between the upper and lower surfaces;
• a second side opposed the first side;
• a thickness defined between the upper and lower surfaces, wherein the thickness tapers from the first side toward the second side such that the lateral wedge is adapted to provide a lift under the foot by supporting a lateral side of the foot or a medial side of the foot in an elevated position relative to the other;
• a concave-shaped cutout defined in the anterior end and configured to terminate short of phalanges of the foot, the concave-shaped cutout extending through an entirety of the thickness of the lateral wedge and across an entirety or near entirety of a width of the lateral wedge defined between the first and second sides;
• and
• a ramped surface defined along a line running diagonally across the upper surface between the first and second sides in a forefoot region of the lateral wedge and angling downwardly from the upper surface to the concave-shaped cutout, the ramped surface configured to help direct a roll-over motion of the foot along a specific line of progression when the user steps forward on the lateral wedge.