ORTHOPEDIC INSOLES FOR PROTECTING SKIN FROM STRETCHING AND CRACKING IN THE AREA OF THE FIVE METATARSAL HEADS OF THE FOREFOOT
A specially designed insert for orthopedic insoles and a process for manufacturing said insole, the use of which prevents the foot from bending excessively at the metatarsal joints, thereby protecting the skin in the area of the metatarsal heads of the forefoot on the bottom of the foot and preventing that skin from stretching, cracking or being otherwise damaged.
This Application is a divisional application Ser. No. 10/595,170 filed Mar. 16, 2006, which is National Stage of International Application No. PCT/IL 04/000822 filed Sep. 9, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/502,943 filed Sep. 16, 2003.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to medical devices for treating diabetic side effects and specifically to protective orthopedic insoles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWhile walking or running, the feet are engaged in the continuous movement of taking repeated steps. These steps can be broken down into different actions. Each step begins when the heel of one foot strikes the ground. The foot continues moving forward in a rolling fashion through to the toes. As seen in
Raising the heel in the course of taking a step causes the foot to bend in the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, necessarily stretching the skin in this area and possibly causing friction. People who have diabetes and other diseases that affect the feet face greater risks; bending the skin in the area of five metatarsal heads can crack the skin, which may lead to severe and painful wounds.
For people so afflicted, even minor injuries can take long periods to heal, and can grow worse over time if not treated properly. Therefore, any condition that may potentially damage the skin must be avoided. However, existing shoes and insoles do not provide the room necessary to complete a step with significantly reduced bending of the foot. This means the skin in the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot is constantly exposed to potential damage. Currently, no preventive actions or devices exist to correct such limitations in existing shoes and insoles and to protect the skin in the area of the metatarsal heads from bending, stretching, and cracking.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONThe innovation presented here is a process for creating a uniquely formed orthopedic insole by adding a specially designed insert to the casting used to create the insoles. This new insole provides ample room for the foot to complete a step while preventing the problems associated with the bending motion described above by limiting said motion.
These orthopedic insoles, created by utilizing the proposed method of a specially designed insert at the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, will significantly decrease or prevent the stretching and cracking of the skin in the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot.
This innovation proposes to create an insole that provides ample room for walking, while significantly alleviating the problems associated with the bending motion described above. In order to create this new insole, a specially designed insert is added to the casting used to create the insoles. The proposed insert can be created from various types of materials.
This application relates to the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, on the bottom of the foot, seen in
The Innovation
This innovation proposes to create an insole with ample room for walking, while preventing the problems associated with the bending motion described above. In order to create this new insole, a specially designed insert is added to the casting used to create the insoles.
The first step in creating the new orthopedic insoles is to cast the patient's feet in plaster. Using the individualized plaster casting, any of various methods are incorporated in forming the insole.
Next, the specially designed insert, typically between 3 mm and 35 mm, will be measured and created specifically for each patient. The thickness of the insert is dependent on the patient's foot structure. The insert covers the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, and ensures that the insole will be created with enough space for the foot to complete a step without significantly bending the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot. The insert can be created from various types of materials.
In the final step, the plaster casting and the added insert are used to form the specialized insole.
The foot now has ample room to take a full step while greatly decreasing angle DD at the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, significantly reducing the risk of stretching and cracking the skin. The heel will reach the necessary height with minimal bending the foot in the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot. Distance G in
There is also the option to manufacture the specially equipped insoles in sizes that correspond to standard shoe sizes. In this variation, insoles will be manufactured to fit each shoe size, with different options to be available in each size. When manufacturing such insoles the cast is created in accordance with standard shoes sizes
Application
When the orthopedic insole, created with the proposed insert, is utilized in shoes, the user will begin taking a step at the heel, as before. The foot will rotate forward until the point where the front of the shoe's sole touches the ground, as seen previously in
Claims
1. An adapted insole for preventing skin stretching of a foot at the metatarsal heads area, said insole is designed according to combination of a positive cast of the foot and an insert design, wherein said insert is specially designed according to a positive cast of a foot, wherein said insert creates a space in the area of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot, thus creating enough space for the foot to complete a step with significantly reduced bending and reduced pressure of the five metatarsal heads of the forefoot during gait resulting in prevention of skin stretching at the metatarsal heads area of the foot;
2. The adapted insole of claim 1 wherein the specially designed insert has the thickness size between 3 mm and 35 mm adapted according to a foot structure.
3. The adapted insole of claim 1 wherein the adapted insole is adapted to fit a personal foot structure of an individual person according to a cast designed for said individual person.
4. The adapted insole of claim 1 wherein the insoles are adapted to fit a given size selected from plurality of standard shoe sizes, wherein he specially designed insert is one give size selected from a plurality of different insert sizes available for each plurality of standard shoe sizes.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 2, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 30, 2010
Inventor: Yahoshua BARAK (Holon)
Application Number: 12/829,769