Pivotal Inflatable Bladder Orthosis for Ulnar Deviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inflatable hand orthoses are ineffective in managing ulnar or radial deviation in patients with spasticity and contractures due to neurological diseases or cerebrovascular accidents, as they tend to come loose from the wrist element, limiting their ability to provide adequate support and adjust to the specific needs of the user.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable bladder hand orthosis with a pivotal bladder support that interconnects the inflatable bladder to a splint, allowing for adjustment along a distal-to-proximal axis and pivotal adjustment to align with metacarpophalangeal joints, even when fingers drift towards the ulnar or radial side, ensuring secure attachment and optimal positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing inflatable hand orthoses are used, then they can provide basic finger extension support, but they come loose from the wrist element when fingers drift towards ulnar or radial side
Solution Approach 1:
The orthosis employs a pivotal connection mechanism that allows the splint to dynamically adjust its angle relative to the hand, adapting to ulnar or radial deviations while maintaining secure attachment. The pivotal joint enables the structure to move and reposition itself according to the patient's hand drift, preventing detachment while providing continuous support.
Solution Approach 2:
The orthosis is divided into separable components including a wrist element, a splint, and an inflatable bladder, connected through a pivotal joint. This segmentation allows each component to function independently while adapting to the patient's anatomy, with the pivotal connection serving as an adjustable interface that accommodates ulnar or radial deviations without compromising attachment security.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the orthosis structure is made rigid to provide stable support, then it cannot adjust to individual patient needs and finger drift
Solution Approach 1:
The orthosis incorporates a pivotal joint that transforms a rigid structure into a dynamic system. The splint can pivot relative to the hand, allowing the orthosis to adapt to ulnar or radial deviations while maintaining stable support through the inflatable bladder. This dynamic capability ensures continuous effective contact and support despite positional changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal joint acts as an intermediary element between the rigid splint and the mobile hand. It mediates the interaction by allowing controlled movement and angular adjustment, enabling the rigid support structure to adapt to the patient's hand drift towards ulnar or radial side while maintaining stable attachment and support.
3Reliability
If the orthosis uses fixed positioning to ensure secure attachment, then it cannot accommodate finger drift towards ulnar or radial side
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotal connection mechanism replaces fixed positioning with dynamic adaptability. The splint can rotate and adjust its angle relative to the hand, automatically accommodating ulnar or radial deviations while maintaining secure attachment through the inflatable bladder's continuous contact with the hand surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The orthosis design allows the pivotal joint to self-adjust to the patient's hand position automatically. As the hand drifts towards ulnar or radial side, the pivotal connection naturally repositions the splint to maintain optimal alignment and secure attachment without requiring manual intervention or complex adjustment mechanisms.
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
The design effectively reduces the risk of the inflatable bladder coming loose and allows for precise adjustment, providing dynamic extension of flexor tendons, reducing spasticity, and improving the passive range of motion by supporting the MCP arch and thumb in volar abduction, thus aiding in reflex inhibition and preventing contractures.
Implementation Method 1
The inflatable bladder is inflatable by introduction of a fluid within an interior chamber of the inflatable bladder
Data Source
Figure 1~2B
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AI summary
An orthosis (100) comprises a palmar splint section (111) aligned with a palm of a hand of a human subject and a wrist and forearm splint section (112) extending from the palmar splint section (111) to a distance corresponding to at least a portion of a forearm of the human subject. A bladder support (130) is pivotally connected to the palmar splint section (111) and comprises a bladder connecting surface (131) opposite to a surface (132) of the bladder support (130) facing the palmar splint section (111). An inflatable bladder (120) is arranged on the bladder connecting surface (131) and is aligned with MCP joints of the fingers of the hand. The orthosis (100) is particularly useful for human subjects having suffered from neurological diseases or cerebrovascular accident (CVA).