Removable Collar CAM Walker for Cast Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CAM walkers are limited in adaptability and application, leading to excess inventory and inefficiency in healthcare systems due to their inability to accommodate various lower extremity treatment protocols and conditions, particularly with casted limbs.
Innovation Solution
A CAM walker design featuring a frame that can accommodate a brace device, with a collar assembly that is selectively attachable and detachable, allowing for adjustable engagement with the brace device to control ankle movement and distribute force effectively, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CAM walkers are designed with fixed structure for specific treatment protocols, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but adaptability to different treatment conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The CAM walker is divided into modular components including a frame, a collar assembly, and an engagement member that can be selectively attached or detached. This segmentation allows the walker to be configured for different treatment protocols by attaching or removing the collar assembly, thereby maintaining therapeutic effectiveness across multiple conditions without requiring separate devices for each protocol.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar assembly incorporates adjustable and removable features that allow dynamic reconfiguration of the walker. The engagement member can be selectively attached to the frame and positioned at different locations, enabling the device to adapt its structure and function based on specific treatment requirements, thus resolving the contradiction between fixed therapeutic effectiveness and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple discrete CAM walkers are stocked for different treatment phases, then therapeutic coverage is improved, but inventory efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The CAM walker is designed as a universal device that can serve multiple treatment phases and conditions through the selective attachment and configuration of the collar assembly. A single walker can be adapted for acute phase treatment, rehabilitation phase treatment, and other conditions by adjusting or removing the collar assembly, eliminating the need to stock multiple discrete walkers for different protocols and thereby reducing inventory quantity while maintaining comprehensive therapeutic coverage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable-height CAM walkers are designed, then adaptability to different leg heights is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The height adjustment capability is achieved through segmented, removable collar assemblies that can be selected in different heights rather than through complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms. Each collar assembly is a discrete component that can be attached or removed to achieve the appropriate height, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining adaptability to different leg heights and treatment requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A CAM walker includes a removable collar assembly configured to engage a cast or other brace device being worn on a lower extremity received in the walker. The collar assembly includes portions, such as paddles, configured to be brought into engagement with the brace device sufficiently to inhibit anterior and posterior movement of the proximal end of the walker relative to the proximal end of the lower extremity received therein.