Spinal Orthosis Positioning Frame for Precise Brace Casting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for casting and fabricating custom spinal orthoses for skeletally immature patients with orthopedic deformities, such as scoliosis or hyperkyphosis, are imprecise and subjective, leading to unrealistic estimates of the brace's effectiveness due to the use of fixed devices or manual manipulation, which are prone to error and fatigue.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic device comprising a frame assembly with adjustable frame members and extensions, contact panels, and a parallel extender assembly, allowing for precise positioning and alignment of the patient's spine to achieve a physiologically normal spine configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixed devices or manual manipulation are used to position the patient's spine during casting, then the casting process can be completed, but the positioning precision deteriorates due to error and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation with a mechanical frame system that uses the patient's own body weight as counterbalance. The frame includes adjustable arms and extensions that position the spine quantitatively without requiring practitioner fatigue-prone manual holding, thereby improving both precision and reliability of spine positioning during casting.
2Ease of operation
If a stabilized device is used to manipulate the patient's torso position, then the patient can be positioned, but the casting result becomes unrealistic because it doesn't reflect the actual brace effect
Solution Approach 1:
The frame system is designed to be supported by the patient's own body weight rather than requiring external stabilization. The patient's torso is manipulated using their自身的 weight as counterbalance, eliminating the need for fixed external devices and creating a realistic casting that accurately reflects the actual brace effect.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual holding is used to maintain spine position during cast hardening, then the cast can be applied, but error increases as the practitioner's upper extremities become fatigued
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the practitioner's manual mechanical holding with a self-balancing frame system. The frame's arms and extensions maintain spine position through mechanical adjustment and the patient's own body weight, eliminating the fatigue-related precision degradation that occurs during prolonged manual holding.
Data Source
AI summary
An orthopedic device comprises a frame assembly comprising a parallel frame member and a perpendicular frame member. Each of the parallel frame member and the perpendicular frame member are substantially elongate in shape, and each have a first end and a second end. The orthopedic device further comprises at least three primary extensions each having a mount end and a free end. The perpendicular frame member is coupled by the first end thereof to the parallel frame member along the length of the parallel frame member between the first end and the second end thereof. Each of the at least three primary extensions is adjustably disposed by the mount end thereof along the frame assembly.