Anatomically designed orthopedic knee brace

A method of constructing an orthopedic knee brace, comprising:

• constructing a thigh engaging member and a calf engaging member from a rigid material;
• connecting said thigh engaging member to said calf engaging member with a lateral hinge and a medial hinge
• holding said lateral hinge and said medial hinge at a fixed distance along an instantaneous axis of rotation of the wearer's knee;
• adjusting the distance between said lateral hinge and said medial hinge to fit a pin/slot geometry whereby said knee brace prescribes asymmetric three-dimensional anatomic motion in six degrees of freedom by actively prescribing flexion and extension, abduction and adduction, internal/external rotation, anterior/posterior translation, medial/lateral translation and proximal/distal translation between a femur and a tibia of a wearer's leg.

An anatomical bracing hinge for an orthopedic knee brace comprising:

• a medial hinge including a first shell, a second shell, and a third shell in the shape of a segment of a sphere, said first and third shells being concentric and fastened parallel to each other to form a first opening, said first and third shells being fastened to one of a medial portion of a thigh engaging member and a calf engaging member;
• said second shell being fastened to the other of said medial portion of said thigh engaging member and said calf engaging member, said second shell designed to be inserted into said first opening concentric and parallel to said first and third shells, said first and third shells rotatably engaged to said second shell by a plurality of cam follower pins engaging a plurality of cam slots;
• a lateral hinge including a fourth shell, a fifth shell, and a sixth shell in the shape of a segment of a sphere, said fourth and sixth shells being concentric and fastened parallel to each other to form a second opening, said fourth and sixth shells being fastened to one of a lateral portion of a thigh engaging member and a calf engaging member, said fifth shell being fastened to the other of said lateral portion of said thigh engaging member and said calf engaging member, said fifth shell designed to be inserted into said second opening concentric and parallel to said fourth and sixth shells, said fourth and sixth shells rotatably engaged to said fifth shell by a plurality of cam follower pins engaging a plurality of cam slots, wherein said knee brace accurately prescribes asymmetric three-dimensional anatomic motion between a femur and a tibia during flexion and extension of a wearer's leg.

An orthopedic knee brace for controlling movement of a wearer's knee comprising:

• a thigh engaging means;
• a calf engaging means;
• a first interengaging control means lateral to the wearer's knee for rotatably connecting said thigh engaging means to said calf engaging means;
• a second interengaging control means medial to the wearer's knee for rotatably connecting said thigh engaging means to said calf engaging means;
• wherein said thigh engaging means is substantially rigid and forms rigid connections between said thigh engaging means and said first interengaging control means and between said thigh engaging means and said second interengaging control means;
• wherein said calf engaging means is substantially rigid and forms rigid connections between said calf engaging means and said first interengaging control means and between said calf engaging means and said second interengaging control means;
• whereby said rigid connections allow said knee brace to accurately prescribe flexion and extension, abduction and adduction, internal-external rotation, anterior/posterior translation, medial/lateral translation and proximal/distal translation between a femur and a tibia during flexion and extension of a wearer's leg.