| 摘要 |
A custom fitted ankle brace (10) and a process for constructing the brace is described. The brace is comprised of anterior and posterior supports (12 and 16) connected together at their distal ends (12B and 16B) by pivot pins (22). The anterior and posterior supports both have arcuate sidewalls (12C and 16C) which form openings (14 and 18). When the brace is in the closed position around the ankle (102), the sidewall of the posterior support overlaps the sidewall of the anterior support and the opening of the anterior support is adjacent the achilles tendon of the ankle. The anterior support has a cushion (26) adjacent the inside surface (12H) to increase the user's comfort. To apply the brace, the proximal ends (12A and 16A) of the supports are pulled apart and the user (100) inserts his foot (104) into the brace and pulls the brace into position around his ankle. The brace is then secured on the ankle by a securing strap ( 28) extending around the proximal end of the supports. To construct the brace, supports are fabricated according to the user's measurements, preferably using patterns (34 and 36). The supports are then heated and formed onto a cast (32) of the user's ankle and foot. The anterior support is formed first and the posterior support is formed over the anterior support. The supports are then removed from the cast and connected together.
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