SOLE INCORPORABLE INTO PLASTER CAST BANDAGES FOR THE FOOT

SEMELLE ADAPTABLE AU PANSEMENT D'UN PLATRE DE PIED

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention provides a sole for incorporation
into plaster cast bandages for the foot. The sole comprises a
body made of a rigid material dimensioned substantially to the
patient foot size and, at least under the lower surface of the sole,
at least a bearing surface extending with respect to said lower
surface by at least the current thickness of a walking plaster cast.
The sole improves the comfort of walking plaster casts.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A sole for providing a plaster cast bandage for
the foot, comprising a body made of a rigid material whose upper
surface corresponds substantially to a human foot shape and size
and whose lower surface comprises at least one bearing surface
constituted by at least one protruding transverse band, said
sole having a rear lug having a length substantially equal to
the projection of said at least one transverse band and extending
obliquely and toward the outside from the outer lateral edge of
the rear portion of the sole heel.
2. A sole according to claim 1, in which the lower
surface of the body comprises three bearing surfaces constituted
by protruding transverse bands, the foremost protruding transverse
band being situated in the widest metatarsal region of the sole
and the rearmost band in the anterior portion of the heel, the
plastered band forming the bandage being engageable in the space
between two contiguous transverse bands.
3. A foot plastered bandage including a sole as claimed
in claim 1 or 2 and a plastered band extending under the sole
between said at least one protruding transverse band and said
rear lug.

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Description

` 1~76930
The present invention relates to foot bandages made of
plastered bands referred to as walking plaster casts, either of the
plastered boot type extending to below the knee or of the so-called
cruro-pedal type extending up to the thigh.
With walking plaster casts, the plaster cast has to be
protected from a direct contact with the ground as otherwise
fracturing and disintegration of at least part of the plastered
mass would rapidly occur. The conventional technique consists in
incorporating into the plaster mass which is below the foot, wads
or pads extending below the plaster cast referred to as "walking
heel-pieces". Said walkins heel-pieces comprise a body of general
cylindrical shape the upper end of which has flexible side ears or
bands embedded, when laying the plaster cast, inside the layers of
plastered bands. With such walking heel-pieces, the body weight
is transferred to the ground via the section of the cylindrical
body, and due to the small thickness of the plastered mass inter-
posed between the foot and the upper surface of the heel-piece,
and to the residual flexibility resulting thereof of the interposed
plastered layer, the result is a notable compression of the area of
the sole of the foot situated above the heel-piece, which causes a
feeling of discomfort and even of pain. Moreover, when the
patient is in a seated position with his leg stretched, the heel-
piece is no longer in contact with the ground and the portion of
the plaster cast which is behind the heel is in contact with the
ground.
The present invention remedies these drawbacks of con-
ventional walking heel-pieces and provides a sole made of a rigid
material dimensioned substantially to the patient foot size and
comprising, at least under the lower surface of the sole, at least
one bearing surface extending with respect to said lower surface by
at least the current thickness of a walking plaster cast said sole
having a rear lug having a length substantially equal to the

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~,rojection of said at least one transverse band and extending
obliquely and toward the outside from the outer lateral edge of
the rear portion of the sole heel.
When laying the walking plaster cast, the sole is applied
directly against the sole of the foot and maintained in place by
plastered bands which are passed under the sole on either side of
the extending portion forming the bearing surface.
According to a preferential embodiment, the sole comprises
several bearing surfaces formed by protruding transverse bands,
the plastered bands being engageable into the space between two
adjacent transverse bands. Preferably and in order to facilitate
walking with the plaster cast, the foremost protruding transverse
band is situated in the widest metatarsal region of the sole and
;~
the rearmost band in the anterior portion of the heel. Preferably,
the anterior portion of the lower surface of the sole in front of
the forward transverse band is raised.
According to a preferential embodiment, the sole comprises
~ three protruding transverse bands.
,' In order to avoid, in a seated position with the leg
stretched, contact of the plaster cast with the ground, the sole
has a rear lug of length substantially equal to the protrusion of
the transverse bands and extending obliquely and toward the out-
: side from the outer lateral edge of the rear portion of the sole
heel.
Moreover, said lug on either side of which pass thep1astered bands, facilitates the laying of the plaster cast and
the maintenance in position of the bands until complete setting.
In order to improve the comfort, the sole upper surface
comprises a support for the arch of the foot and/or a metatarsal
; 30 wad.
Preferably, the lower surface of the transverse bands is
provided with an anti-skid coating.


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The sole according to the invention is preferably and
according to the most simple mode of manufacture made of a molded
rigid plastics material such a polyurethane. However, it could
comprise a body and a removable orthopaedic and cleanliness sole
constituting the upper surface of the sole and forming the support
for the arch of the foot and the metatarsal wad. Such a removable
cleanliness sole may be thin and made of a plastic foam.
The present invention will be further illustrated by way of the
accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the sole;
Figure 2 is a view from below;
Figure 3 is a view from above and
Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation view of a plaster-
ed boot using the sole.
; The sole comprises a body 1 made of molded rigid poly-
urethane having, under the lower surface of the sole, three pro-
truding bands 2 the lower bearing surface 3 of which is constituted
by an anti-skid band. Said bands 2 have an approximative width of
3 centimetres and their spacing is of the same order, their thick-
ness being from 15 to 20 millimetres.
At the rear of the body 1, from the outer rear edge of
the sole and extending obliquely toward the outside a lug 4 is
provided which protrudes by about 20 millimetres for the sole
outer edge.
; On the sole upper surface are provided a support 5 for
the arch of the foot and a metatarsal wad 6.
As is shown in Figure 4, the foot bears directly on the
sole and the plastered bands are wound in the usual way by passing
under the sole between the transverse bands 2 and at the rear
between the rear edge of the transverse band and the sides of the
lug 4.
G<

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