Hammer Toe Implant with Threaded Anchor and Tapered Blade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional implants for treating hammer toe are cumbersome, difficult to install, and prone to complications such as pain and snagging, while temperature-sensitive materials can deploy prematurely, requiring new implants.
Innovation Solution
An implant with an elongate threaded portion and a blade portion that tapers to a point, along with a driving assembly featuring a handle, driving rod, and adapter, allows for precise installation through a small incision, ensuring the implant remains within the toe and avoids external snagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pin or rod is placed in the distal, middle, and proximal phalanxes to fuse the joints, then the PIP and DIP joints are fused, but the patient cannot wear closed toe shoes and the rod may snag objects causing pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external rod or pin that extends beyond the toe, extracting only the necessary internal threaded portion and blade that remain within the bone structure. This eliminates the problematic external component that prevents shoe wear and causes snagging, while preserving the joint fusion function through the retained internal implant structure.
2Reliability
If a threaded member with male-female connection mechanism is used, then adjacent bones are coupled, but the implant is difficult to install in situ and has a tendency to separate
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into distinct functional segments: a threaded portion for bone anchoring and a blade portion for joint fusion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the threaded portion provides secure anchoring while the blade provides stable joint fusion - and simplifies the installation process by eliminating complex male-female connection mechanisms.
3Force
If a nitinol implant is refrigerated and then installed, then the head and feet expand to provide outward force on the bone, but the implant may deploy or expand prior to installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable implant that is prepared in a compressed state and remains stable until installation. The implant is designed to expand only once upon installation when the constraint is removed, ensuring it provides the necessary outward force on the bone without risk of premature deployment during storage or handling. The single-use nature eliminates the risk of repeated expansion cycles.
4Strength
If a plastic or polymeric ball is placed over the exposed end of the rod, then the rod is protected, but the ball extends from the tip of the toe and may snag objects causing substantial pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the external protective ball that extends from the toe tip, extracting only the essential protective function needed at the bone level. The implant is designed so that the threaded portion and blade remain entirely within the bone structure, removing the source of snagging and pain while maintaining protection of the implant components where they are needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An implant is disclosed including an elongate threaded portion and a blade portion extending from the elongate threaded portion. The blade portion has a taper terminating at a point.