Shoulder immobilizer and fracture stabilization device
AssigneeCradle Medical, Inc.
InventorsSteve Golden, Nathaniel Cohen, Ronald Joseph
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shoulder immobilizer (20) includes a semi-rigid or rigid orthosis, in the form of an arm support (22), which supports the upper arm, elbow, forearm and wrist of a patient. A bolster (24) is positioned between the patient and the arm support (22). A body strap (26) extends around the patient and attaches to the arm support (22) and/or the bolster (24), holding the arm support and bolster in position against the body of the patient. In embodiments, the shoulder immobilizer (20) may utilize a shoulder strap (28), but such a shoulder strap is not necessary for shoulder immobilization of the patient.
Claims20
A shoulder immobilizer, comprising:
- an arm support, the arm support being configured to support the arm of a patient when (1) the patient is upright, and (2) the patient is lying on the patient's side, the arm support comprising:
- a lower forearm support extending outward when the shoulder immobilizer is worn by a patient, the forearm support comprising a receiving surface for receiving a forearm of the patient and supporting the forearm in a substantially horizontal position when in use;
- an upper arm support for extending along a back portion of the patient's arm when worn by a patient;
- and
- a base connected solely to the lower forearm support and that is configured to engage a surface upon which a patient is lying to prevent or limit internal rotation of a shoulder when the patient is lying of the patient's side on the surface with the arm support on the opposite side of the patient's body from the surface, the base being configured to support the lower forearm support substantially parallel to the surface when the upper arm support is substantially against the side of the patient's torso.
A shoulder immobilizer, comprising:
- an arm support, the arm support being configured to support the arm of a patient in when (1) the patient is upright, and (2) the patient is lying on the patient's back, the arm support comprising:
- a lower forearm support comprising a receiving surface for receiving and supporting a forearm of the patient;
- and
- an upper arm support for extending along a back portion of the patient's arm when worn by a patient, the upper arm support and lower forearm support being fixed at an angle to one another so as to provide flexion at a patient's elbow in the arm support;
- a structure for anchoring an arm of the patient to the arm support, wherein the upper arm support is configured to extend substantially up the back of the patient's arm so as, when connected to a patients arm via the structure, the arm support provides cantilevered support of the forearm of the patient when the patient is upright, such support being independent of a sling, and
- a base that is connected to the arm support and that is configured to engage a surface upon which a patient is lying to prevent or limit shoulder extension when the patient is lying on the patient's back on the surface and the base is engaged with the surface.
A method of immobilizing a shoulder of a patient, comprising:
- attaching an arm of a patient to a rigid or semi-rigid L-shaped arm support, the arm support comprising a lower arm support for receiving a forearm of a patient, and an upper arm support rigidly connected to the lower arm support and extending substantially up the back of the patient's arm so as to provide cantilevered support of the lower arm support and a forearm of a patient in the lower arm support, such support being independent of a sling;
- and
- anchoring the L-shaped arm support to the patient's torso via a strap which goes around the torso of the patient, thus securing the arm support into position against the side of the patient's torso such that that a wrist portion of the lower arm support is spaced away from the body of the patient, such that internal and external rotation of the arm is restricted, thereby immobilizing the shoulder of the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.