US1879001A - Leg splint - Google Patents

Description

C. l. ALLEN LEG SPLINT Sept. 27, 1932.

Filed April 24, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 (2645 Z flue/W INVENTOR.

4Z1: ATTORNEY;

C. I. ALLEN Sept. 27, 1932.

LEG SPLINT 3 sheets sheet 3 Filed April 24. 1950 my ll INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 27, 1932 CHARLES: I. Amt, or wennseorio, noarn cAaoLinA LEG, SPLINT.

Application filed April 24,

This invention relatesto an improved leg splint to be used in the treatment tures of the leg and thigh.

It is an object of my invention to provide 5 a splint for usein treating fractures of the; leg and thigh'ot a human, in which means are provided for holding the leg in such a position as to cause a proper heal ng of the fracture, and to provide means .for applylng traction to the leg. to cause the fracture to heal properly and to hold the fracturedparts in proper position during the healing operation.

leg in proper positiomiand topresent a minimum of resistance'to the traction which 1s applied tothe leg duringthe treatment ofthe' same." and means are also provided 'forinr cheating the amount of traction which is 2110-? plied to the leg, together with-means for-hold 1 proper position i during the ing the foot in treatment.

Another object of my invention is to plrovide a leg splint having means for applying traction to the side portion of the leg where,

iths-fracture appears above the knee and for permitting adjustment of the lower leg porti on below the, knee to allow it to be suspended at various angles as desired- 7 Another object of my invention is to proany desired adjiustedposition.

Some of the, objects of my invention having been stated other objects will appear asthe description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 i V Figure 1 is a side elevation of my'd'evice showin a leg held in position therein Figure 2 is aplan view of Figure 1 showing only a. portion of the leg in position;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the lower end of a modified form of my splint;-

Figure is an enlarged detail view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an end view of Figural taken along the line 5- 5 in Figure 1; l

of frac- 'ad'iust theil'ower portion-of the'leg;

vide a leg splint for-supporting afracture in 15 ings the numeral .10 ,indicates a humans bone, andto cause-the ends of the bone. to fit 1930; Serial No. 446,910.

Figure6 is an elevation of the foot rest taken along the line 66 in Figure 1';

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along'the line 7-7 in Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a gross-sectional view taken; alongtheline 8 8 in Figure 1; 1 Figure S-isian enlargedip'lan View of thespreader meanst'or holding the tape for traction purposes; V

Figure 1Q is a cross-sectional view taken along-the line 1010 in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a perspectiveview of the means i p a for connecting the side bars to the ring mem- Another object of my invention is. to pro 1 l 15 vide an improved leg splint for the treatment of fractures, in which means are providedl for suspending the leg and for 'holdlng the secured intermediate the side members ,to'

Figure'15'is anothermodified form otmy P invention in which notraction is appliedbut the device is used to support a leg and act in the form of a-brace;

Figure 16 is a View similar toFigure'15' but showing'rnea'ns t'or suspending the leg in adjusted position; j

Figure 17 shows an adjustable support adapted to be used in connection with Figure Figure-1'8 is a plan view of a supporting member adapted to be used in lieu'of cuffs 36- and webbing 4:37; i v

Figure 19 isa side elevation of Figure 18.

"Referring moref specificallyto the drawthigh with the lower portion of the leg being designated by the reference character 11, and the foot being designated by the reference character 12. It is a well known fact that when a fracture occurs in a leg that the muscles of the leg pull the two ends of the bone-into-an over lapping'position and it is the purpose of this invention to prevent this I over-lapping position of thewends of the is P p ctive view of one of' ing while in position on the patient as these a projection 24. The projection24'has pivotparts 16 and 17 fit against the bed on which the patient is reclining. On the other side of the ring member-13 I provide projections 18 and 19 which likewise have holes interiorly threaded therein which are adapted to receive the threaded rods 16 and 17 when the device is used on the right leg, as it is shown in position on the left leg inthe drawings. This ring member13 has'a downwardly curved portion 20 whichisadapted to cause a better fitting of the ringmember around the upper leg portion of. the patient as this indentation 2O prevents undue pressure from being applied to the pubic bone of the patient.

This member 13 is covered with rubber or any other suitable material such as 21, and,

if desired a thin covering 22such asfa sanitary tape or other means can be placed on the outside of the portion 21.

Projecting rigidly from the portion 20 of ring 13 is the portion 23 and also projecting from the other side of the ring member is the ally mounted therein the member 25 which members 23 and 25 have threadably secured A therein the bolt 26. Hollow bar members 27 for patients having di'fierent lengths of legs,

and 28 are'adapted' to 'slidably fit over the members 23 and25, said bar members having' the slot 29 therein which isyadapted to slide past the screw 26, and when screw 26 is tightened it will rigidly hold thebar members 27 and 28 to the respectiveportions 23 and 25; This arrangement is'provided in order for bars of difierent length'to be used as it is evident that each individual patient will require a certain specifiedlength ot'bars such as 27 and The bars 27 and 28 have the other ends thereof sold and holes are provided in the solid ends into which the screws 32 and 33 aresecured, said screws penetratingholes 34 and 34 in a member'35, said member 35 being adapted to hold in adjusted position the free endsof the .bars 27 and 28. It is seen that the width of thesebar's 27 and 28 Y is adjusted bymeans of the member 35 and" the screws 32 and 33.

Slidably mounted on the bars 27 and 28 are a plurality ofcufl members 36, said cufl? members being moreplainl-y shown Figure 12. These-cuff members 36 have theupwardlypi'ojecting portion 37 in which theslots 38 and 39 appear, and these cuff members. are adapted to encircle the bars 27 and'28 and to slide there along. fOn the outerside' of the members 36 are the projections .40 and 41, in which the buckle member 42 is pivotally mounted, said buckle member 42 being adapted to hold in adjusted position the webbing or tape member 43. This webbing or tape member 43 is adapted to be held by the buckle members 42 to suspend the leg of the patient in the splint. I have indicated by the reference character 43 in Figure 1 the use of the webbing or tape merely to support the leg of the' patienu'and in the central portion of Fig ure 1, which is shown more fully in Figure 7 I provide the webbing 45, which is secured in the buckle ononeofthe cuffs and runs ben'eath the leg and into the slot 39 and back through the slot 38, and again beneath the leg and then around the topof the leg andback into the buckle portion which permits side pull to be applied to the leg.. 'This allows lateral, pressure to be applied to the leg to hold the same in proper position as wherethe leg would have a tendency to heal in a crooked condition. This arrangement can be used on any of the buckles but I have shownit applied to only one of them.

It is evident-that these cuffs and web supports are adapted toslide along the bar mem-- bers and odor a minimum of resistance to the traction applied to theleg. This traction is applied by providing a set of cuffs and 51 on the bars27 and 28. These ends 50 and 51 have vertically disposed grooves therein into which thefoot boardmeniber 52 is adapted to be placed, and thisfoot board member has a plurality of slots 53 through which a belt or webor tape 54 is passed and secured around by means of the buckle 55. f

slots and 61 therein through whichethe' tape portions-62 and 63 are adapted to pass, said tape. portions 62 and 63 being adapted to be applied to the side of the leg to exert a traction on the leg to hold it under proper tension while the healing operation is being completed. :These tapes 62 and 63 are applied in connection with the wrappings or bandages 64 whichare a conventional method of treatment in fractures, but I provide the tapes 62 and 63 andpass them out through the holes 60 and 61 and secure them in the buckles .65 and 66, which are in the ends of the member 67, this member 67 being a spreader mem- V ber and being adapted to prevent any pres sure from being made on the ankle bone by the tape members furnishing means of obtaining the ,tract-ionon the leg. Near the central portion of thismember 67 is an eye 68 into which a hook 69 is adapted to be secured,

and inone form of'the invention I show a scale or registering device 70 secured to this hook with ahook 71 secured to the other end of this registering device 70 which passes the upper portion of the foot of the patient through the central portion of member 36 and has a nut 72secured thereon-by means of which a certain given traction can be applied to the leg of the patient.

This registering device is shown more fully in Figure 13, in which the casing 70 has the movable casing 74: therein, in which the eye member 75 is secured which is secured to the link 69. A tension spring 76 is secured on the inside of this cylinder 74 and the other end of this tension spring is secured as at 77 to the plug member 78 which closes up the end of the cylinder 70 and has the'eye member 79 secured therein to which the member 71 is secured. In a modified form of this invention as shown in Figure 3, I may dispense with the registering device, but provide instead thereof the cord 80 which is adapted to be secured to the spreader member 67 which cord 80 passes around a pulley 81 and has a plurality of weights 82 adapted to be placed on the lower end of said cord 80 to apply the proper traction to the leg of the patient. It is evident that when the free ends of the bars 27 and 28 are adjusted apart from each other to a wider degree than that shown in Figure 2, that for each adjustment a separate foot board will have to be used as the foot board must be of proper width to fit the adjustment of the bars 27 and 28.

There is some play between the foot board and the cuif members 50 and 51 which it is carried, so as to allow a slight movement of the foot and foot cult members.

The metal cufls which have previously been described for holding webbing for sup porting the leg in any position are adjustable to any position on the bars and can be used on either bar by reversing them as to position.

The purpose of the foot piece or footboard which has previously been described is to 7 hold the foot in an erect position and to prevent what is called'foot drop.

It is thus seen that I'have devised a splint which may be used for either leg and is adjustable to any size and length of leg by using various size rings and lateral bars of various lengths. It is seen that it is so ar ranged that the splint can not turn to the right or left and that the bars 16 can be removed when it is desired for the patient to use the bed pan, and also that the splint-prevents the leg from being turned to the right or to the left. It is also seen that the foot is held in upright position and can not turn to the right or left thus keeping the leg and foot in their proper position with relation to the body at all times. It is also seen that the arrangement is such that the under-surface of the ring is held up against the pubic bone which is the most suited part to bear the tracand slots an arrangement has been devised to hold the webbing which supports the leg be tween the bars which permits an easy adj ust board with relation to thebe applied, and: thezwebbingand the metal cuffs do-not ofiermuch. resistance to; the trac f tive force. It is seen that by using metal euiiswfi'tlr a slot arrangement which carries offers no resistance to the tractive force that an advancement has'been made. 1

Furthermore it is seen that by having I buckles on theadhesive spreadera simpl'eand' eflicient means has been devised to hold the adhesive to permit easy adjustments and to prevent the adhesive from pressing on the ankle. the tractive pull may bemadeby acord and weight or by'a springjscale as desired, asiitiis Thesplint is also arranged; so that evident that either form of tractive pull; may

be employed to suitparticular conditions;

Inthe modified form of my invention as shown in Figures 14: to 17 ,inclusiveI provide the structure as shown in theprevious-figures in- Figure 14 and in addition thereto where the traction is desired to be applied to the up-- per portion of the leg or the sideportion, I have the same arrangement as shown. inthe preceding figures, but in addition thereto I provide the cuff members on each sideof the knee portion which are secured to the bars 27 and 28 by means of a thumbnut and screw101and on the lower side of these cufis .100. are adjustably secured by --means of thumbnutand bolt 102-the side bars 1-12 which have the conventional cuffs 3.6 thereon for supporting the lower portion of the leg and the conventional. foot board as previous-ly described and I provide the cord 103 for suspending the 'lower'portion of the leg so that it can be adjusted vertically and still traction can be applied to-the side portion. of theleg. The other parts in Figure 14 not described are identical. to the parts hereto fore described. a In Figure 151 show a modified form of my invention in which I have the conventional ring member 13 and associated parts but the side. bars are shorter than in the previous forms of my invention as shown, said side. 7 bars being designated bythe referencechar acter 115, and these side bars have the conventional Guile and supportingmeans as pre viously described, and, have the. conventional baracross the free endthereof for supporting the free end of said bars 115. Near ion irs

the knee portion I provide the structure I which has'previously been described and as shown in Figure 14, but the lower end ofthis V attachment is adapted to rest on the bed and a brace member comprising the. U-shaped part 105 which is tubular and the hooked" I rods 106and 107 are adapted to be adjustably securedtherein by means of the screws 108 for supporting the knee portion ofthe device at any desired height above the .bed as shown in Figure 15. 5 In Figure 16 I show the identical structure as shown in Figure 15, with the exception that I dispense with the support 105 and associated parts and provide the cords 110 and 111 by means of which the position of the'leg of the patient can be adjusted by'regulating the cords 110 andlll.

In Figures 18 and 19 I show a modified form of the supports for the leg which consist of the member 120 which has the downwarclly projecting portions 121 and 122 at one end thereof and the projections 128 and 124: at the other end thereof which projections are adapted to'fit over the side bars 27 and 28. It might also be stated in this application 20 that I have devised a leg splint having bars rectangular in cross-section forheretofore all splints of this nature have been round or of the similar nature and by providing the side members rectangular in cross-section I prevent any turning movement of the supporting means for the leg. r a

In the drawings and specifications I have set forth a preferred embodiment of'my invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation,the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

.3 i A leg splint having a limb encircling ring and track members secured to said ring to 00-- cupy positions on opposite sides'of the leg, a l. plurality of slidable web holding cufismounted on said track members, means'for prevent-o 40. ing turningmovement of said cuffs on said ftrack members, each of said cufis having a buckle therein'and also having anupw'ardly projecting portion integral therewith,v said upwardly projecting portions having two V 5 spaced horizontally disposed slots therein whereby a piece of webbing can be secured in the buckle on one cuff and extend beneath the leg then out through the lower slot in the other cuff on the other side of the leg, then 50, back throughthe top slot-in said other cuff,

then again beneath the leg and over the top of the leg and then over thetop of said proj ection in said other cuff and through the buckle in said other cuff to apply lateral traction to the leg. f I In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' CHARLES I. ALLEN.

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