Dynamic Shoulder Orthosis With Adjustable Spring Column
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoulder orthoses for post-operative rotator cuff muscle tears lack intrinsic stability and adjustable rehabilitation mechanisms, often requiring external assistance for height adjustment and restricting movement of the uninjured arm, leading to discomfort and limited rehabilitation options.
Innovation Solution
A shoulder orthosis with a stabilized, height-adjustable column member and axial mechanical spring that allows cyclical exercise of the uninjured adductor muscles, providing stable support and adjustable abduction angles while minimizing rotator cuff muscle contraction, featuring a locking mechanism and telescopic extension for improved mobility and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a conventional arm sling is used for short-term treatment, then the injured limb is kept from moving to prevent further injury, but the sling requires external assistance for adjustment and cannot be used for long-term treatment beyond three weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The orthosis incorporates a dynamic adjustment mechanism that allows the user to modify the arm support position and abduction angle without external assistance. The adjustable column and telescopic elements enable the device to adapt to different treatment stages and patient needs, transforming a static conventional sling into a dynamically adjustable long-term solution.
Solution Approach 2:
The orthosis is designed with self-adjusting features including a telescopic column with locking mechanism and adjustable abduction angle components that the patient can operate independently. This eliminates the need for external assistance in adjustment, enabling patients to manage their own rehabilitation process throughout the extended treatment period.
2Reliability
If the patient's arm is stabilized at a specific angle for healing, then the shoulder is maintained in the optimal position for rehabilitation, but the patient cannot perform cyclical exercise of adductor muscles
Solution Approach 1:
The orthosis features an adjustable abduction angle mechanism that allows the stabilization angle to be modified according to the patient's rehabilitation progress. This enables the device to provide stable support at different angles, accommodating both the initial healing phase requiring fixed position and the later phase requiring exercise capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The orthosis enables cyclical exercise of the adductor muscles by allowing controlled periodic movement of the arm between stabilized positions. The adjustable design permits the patient to perform rhythmic adduction movements while maintaining proper shoulder alignment, facilitating muscle rehabilitation without compromising joint stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If all abduction braces immobilize the patient's injured arm, elbow and wrist, then the shoulder is stabilized for healing, but ankyloses and atrophy occur in the upper limbs after more than three weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The orthosis applies stabilization selectively to the shoulder joint while leaving the elbow and wrist joints free to move. The design provides targeted support at the injury site (shoulder) without immobilizing healthy joints below, allowing patients to maintain mobility in the elbow and wrist to prevent atrophy and ankyloses during extended rehabilitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable design allows the orthosis to transition from a more restrictive configuration during initial healing to a more permissive configuration that allows greater movement as rehabilitation progresses. This dynamic adaptation prevents the development of ankyloses and atrophy by enabling gradual increase in joint mobility while maintaining shoulder stability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the column member is made adjustable for height, then the orthosis can accommodate different patient needs and rehabilitation stages, but the adjustment mechanism increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The column is divided into telescopic segments that can be extended or retracted to adjust the height of the arm support. This segmented design provides adjustability while using simple mechanical elements rather than complex mechanisms, allowing the orthosis to accommodate different patient anatomies and rehabilitation stages.
Solution Approach 2:
A locking mechanism serves as an intermediary element that simplifies the adjustment process. The locking component enables easy transition between fixed height positions without requiring complex continuous adjustment mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining necessary adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the stability and adjustability of the orthosis, allowing for effective rehabilitation of the injured arm while enabling comfortable daily activities and reducing the risk of ankyloses and atrophy, with improved ease of use and reduced muscle stress.
Implementation Method 1
an axial spring means, cooperates with said column member and biases said splint away from said waistband belt member
Data Source
AI summary
A shoulder orthosis is provided for maintenance of a patients arm in a postoperative shoulder immobilization posture in the context of tearing of rotator cuff muscles. The orthosis comprises a belt, an arm splint, and a column member with axial mechanical spring continuously adjustable by a manual adjustment handle and interconnecting the belt to the splint and biasing the splint to an abduction upper limit position. The orthosis provides stable support for the patients forearm around a horizontal plane, while allowing pivoting movement of the patients injured arm about a vertical axis intersecting the patients elbow and approaching the patients torso in a transverse plane. This orthosis also allows a cyclical back and forth movement of the splint, the free downward movement of the patients arm by his healthy muscles, assisted by the adductor muscles against the bias of the adjustable spring without active movement of the rotator cuff. A control handle incrementally locks the spring in a selected retracted position of the axial spring. The axial spring column member remains closely spaced against the patients torso during movements of the splint relative to the patients waist belt.