Open-Door Therapeutic Boot for Heel Pressure Relief Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices fail to effectively offload pressure from injury sites on the lower extremities of bedridden patients, causing pain and hindering wound healing, while also obstructing access for visual inspection and treatment.
Innovation Solution
A therapeutic boot with a rotatable sole and flaps that allow unobstructed access to the plantar surface without applying pressure, featuring a hinge mechanism and hook-and-loop fasteners to maintain visibility and minimize irritation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a gate is used to provide access to the plantar surface, then visual inspection is enabled, but the gate cannot be easily opened and requires separating two interleaving flaps which may apply unintended pressure to the injury site
Solution Approach 1:
The boot is divided into separate functional segments: a removable insole that provides access to the plantar surface, distinct from the upper and outsole. This segmentation allows the insole to be easily removed without manipulating complex flap mechanisms, thereby enabling access while avoiding pressure on the injury site.
Solution Approach 2:
The insole is designed as a separate, extractible component from the boot structure. By taking out the insole, practitioners gain direct access to the plantar surface for visual inspection and treatment without needing to separate interleaving flaps, thus eliminating the risk of applying unintended pressure to sensitive areas.
2Loss of information
If flaps are separated to maintain unobstructed view of the injury site, then visual access is improved, but the flaps must be held apart which requires continuous manual intervention and may still apply pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The insole is completely extracted from the boot structure, providing full visual and physical access to the plantar surface without requiring any parts to be held apart. The removal of the insole creates an unobstructed view while eliminating the need for continuous manual intervention to maintain access.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the inner flap is positioned close to the plantar surface for protection, then protection is improved, but separating the flaps requires pulling the inner flap away which applies painful pressure to the injury site
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is separated from the access function. The insole serves as the protective element that can be easily removed, while the upper and outsole remain as the structural protective shell. This segmentation allows the protective insole to be taken out without requiring forceful manipulation that would apply pressure to the injury site.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for a therapeutic boot that promotes the healing of pressures sores is described. Bedridden patients are prone to developing pressure sores over bony prominences of the foot such as a heel. The therapeutic boot includes a sides-down, open door design that provides unobstructed access to a wound site. The therapeutic boot may be designed to offload the patient's heel and bony prominences on both sides of the patient's ankle. The therapeutic boot is designed such that opening and closing the boot does not apply pressure and or friction to the wound site.