Apparatus for providing dorsiflexion assistance in ankle foot orthoses and night splints

Abstract

An apparatus for providing dorsiflexion assistance in an orthotic device having ankle and foot sections joined by a hinge connection. The orthotic device may be, for example, an ankle foot orthotic or a night splint. The apparatus includes an elastic member, such as an elastomeric strap, having a first end that is attached to an upper portion of the ankle section of the orthotic device, and a cable that connects a second end of the elastic member to the foot section of the device at a position that is spaced anteriorly from the hinge connection, so that tension supplied by the elastic member creates dorsiflexion torque about the hinge connection. A tension adjuster is provided to allow the amount of torque to be adjusted to meet individual needs. An optional cable guard protects the cable from interference, and can also be used as a cable stop that effectively increases dorsiflexion force to compensate for loss of tension due to shortening of the elastic member upon dorsiflexion. The cable member may be attached to the foot section by routing it through a channel in a bridge piece under the arch area of the foot section of the device. The characteristics and amount of torque can be adjusted by adjusting the distance by which the cable attachment is spaced anteriorly (forward) of the hinge connection. The assist apparatus can readily be mounted to existing orthotic devices without requiring significant modification of the latter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.