Importance

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Abstract

An inventive prosthetic ankle for use between a pylon and a prosthetic foot to support a person's weight on the ground comprises an integrally formed, generally C-shaped carbon-fiber composite flexure member having upper, lower and curved legs. The upper leg is connected to a lower end of the pylon, and the lower leg is connected to an upper surface of the prosthetic foot. The curved leg interconnects the upper and lower legs, with the curved leg extending from a forward edge of the upper leg to a forward edge of the lower leg in a rearwardly-facing arc about a medial/lateral axis positioned forward of the pylon. The curved leg is dog-boned to facilitate canting of the pylon with respect to the prosthetic foot in the medial/lateral plane. Also, the curved leg is resilient to resiliently bias the upper and lower legs apart from one another so the legs are positioned in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to one another when the person's weight is off the prosthetic ankle. The resilient biasing also allows the upper and lower legs to pivot toward one another about the medial/lateral axis when the person's weight is on the prosthetic ankle at heel strike. As a result, the prosthetic foot falls flat on the ground soon after heel strike. A limit strap coupled between the upper and lower legs limits rotation of the upper and lower legs away from each other about the medial/lateral axis so the flexure characteristics experienced by an amputee during step-off are substantially determined by the flexure characteristics of the toe portion of the prosthetic foot.

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First Claim