US 2026/0263254 A1 · HEEL-OFFLOADING ORTHOPEDIC BOOTS WITH PLANTAR-FLEXION CONTROL AND MODULAR SIZING

Abstract

An orthopedic boot for a lower extremity of a patient includes a plantar-surface support and a lower-leg-support portion joined by a curved heel region that elevates the patient's heel completely off an underlying support surface while avoiding contact with the heel. The boot further includes opposing pliable sidewalls extending from the plantar-surface support and defining an open cavity configured to receive the foot without enclosing the foot, and one or more flexible retention members spanning an open top of the cavity to cradle the foot while leaving the heel externally visible and accessible for clinical care. In certain examples, the plantar-surface support and lower-leg-support portion intersect at a non-parallel angle that maintains the ankle within a plantar-flexion range effective to prevent or reduce plantar-flexion contracture while the heel is off-loaded. Additional embodiments provide posterior support structures that protect the Achilles region from contact pressures, and modular or length-adjustable structural members and sizing features that allow customization of heel-offloading and plantar-flexion control across a range of patient anatomies.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An orthopedic boot for a lower extremity of a patient, comprising:

a base extending from a forefoot region to a lower-leg region and comprising a plantar-surface support configured to engage a sole of a foot of the patient;
a curved heel region formed between the forefoot region and the lower-leg region and configured such that, when the boot is worn, a heel of the patient is elevated completely off an underlying support surface and does not contact the curved heel region;
opposing medial and lateral sidewalls extending from the plantar-surface support and defining, together with the base, an open cavity configured to receive the foot without enclosing the foot;
and at least one flexible retention member configured to span across an open top of the cavity to bias the opposing sidewalls toward one another when secured, while leaving a posterior region of the boot open such that, when the boot is worn, the heel of the patient is externally visible and accessible for clinical care.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Heel-offloading orthopedic boots with plantar-flexion control and modular sizing

Life of this patent

Heel-offloading orthopedic boots with plantar-flexion control and modular sizing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20