Prosthetic foot having curved ankle section

Abstract

Abstract of Disclosure A prosthetic foot characterized by a foot portion and an ankle portion. The foot portion and ankle portion may be fabricated from polymer impregnated and encapsulated laminates, including such laminates as carbon fibers and / or fiberglass or synthetic fibers such as Kevlar. The ankle portion may include an upper end positioned near or below about the location of a natural human ankle joint, a lower end, and an elongated intermediate section at least a portion of which curves downward and forward between the upper end and the lower end. The foot portion may be curved and have a heel section, an arch section and a toe section. The foot portion may be connected to a lower attachment section of the ankle portion, with at least the heel section of the foot portion extending rearwardly from the lower attachment section and below the upper end of the ankle portion.

Description

Related Applications[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 08 / 991,082, filed December 16, 1997, now U.S. Patent No. 6,527,811, which is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 08 / 727,772, filed October 8, 1996, now U.S. Patent No. 5,976,191, which is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 08 / 532,530, filed September 22, 1995, now U.S. Patent No. 5,593,457, which is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 08 / 270,231, filed July 1, 1994, now U.S. Patent No. 5,486,209, which is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 07 / 977,654, filed November 17, 1992, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. Application Serial No. 07 / 337,374, filed April 13, 1989, now U.S. Patent No. 5,181, 932.Background of Invention[0002] This invention relates to foot prostheses in general, and specifically to a prosthetic foot characterized by a unitary foot and heel construction, and / or an auxiliary ankle construction which permits the flexibility ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, each of the prior art devices has significant deficiencies; specifically, the component parts of the prosthesis, as in Lange, are too heavy and too rigid or, as in Poggi, are too massive and monolithic to respond properly to the nuances of stress-response gradients characteristic of the human foot.

Consequently, the wearer of the foot may engage in a wide variety of activities which were precluded in the past because of the structural limitations and corresponding performances of prior art prostheses.

Images