Prosthetic Ankle Flat Section Articular Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current prosthetic ankles fail to accurately replicate the natural ankle's movement freedoms and stress distribution, leading to suboptimal bone recovery and increased stress at anchorages due to mismatched articular surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic ankle design featuring a tibial portion with a curved, concave articular surface including a flat section and a spheric portion, along with anchorage means like a removable pin and stop features, to enhance stress distribution and movement freedom, while maintaining anatomical alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a curved concave articular surface is used in the tibial portion, then stress distribution is improved and anchorages are better protected, but the articular surface geometry becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tibial portion features a curved concave articular surface with a flat section, combining spherical curvature with a planar extension. This curvature design allows the articular surface to better conform to the natural talus anatomy, improving stress distribution across the joint while the flat section provides a stable reference plane for stress transfer to the anchorage points.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the articular surface is made to closely match natural anatomy, then movement freedom is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The articular surface is segmented into two distinct zones: a curved concave portion that matches the natural spherical contour of the talus for optimal movement freedom, and a flat section that provides a stable platform for stress distribution. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently for its specific function while simplifying the manufacturing process compared to a completely complex organic shape.
Data Source
AI summary
A prosthetic ankle includes a tibial portion likely to be connected to the lower end of a tibia, a talus portion likely to be connected to a talus, and a pad inserted between the tibial portion and the talus portion. The tibial portion includes an articular surface likely to engage with a contact surface of the pad. The talus portion includes a curved articular surface likely to engage with a contact surface of the pad. The articular surface of the tibial portion is curved, concave and includes a flat section forming an extension to the rear of said articular surface.