The present invention relates to ankle braces for stabilizing ankles before or after injury. In particular, the ankle brace of the present invention stabilizes the ankle against inversion and eversion and anterior subluxation, while allowing normal dorsiflexion and plantarflexion movement.
After injury to an ankle, such as a fracture or severe ankle sprain, it is often necessary to completely immobilize the injured ankle through the use of a molded plaster or resin cast. Once the injury has been stabilized, however, recovery may be accelerated by removing the molded plaster or resin cast and replacing it with a removable ankle brace so that the ankle can be exercised while healing. Even if the injury is not severe enough to warrant complete immobilization of the ankle, it is still sometimes necessary to use a functional wailing brace to stabilize the ankle against inversion (the foot rolling inward), eversion (the foot rolling outward) and/or subluxation (partial dislocation), while still allowing the normal dorsiflexion and plantarflexion movement of the ankle.
A variety of ankle braces, walking casts and other orthopedic ankle apparatuses have previously been proposed. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,891, to Tracy E. Grim, an ankle brace comprising two relatively rigid side supports with inflatable bladders attached to them is described. Other ankle braces including air inflatable bladders are shown in Glenn W. Johnson, Jr.'s U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,280,489 and 4,628,945. These prior art devices proposed by Johnson are intended to be worn within a separate shoe and are also inflatable.
Thermal treatment has been available with the use of orthopedic gel pads which tend to mold themselves to fit the area they are applied to, providing a level of comfort and padding as well as providing thermal treatment of the affected area. One such pad is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,801.
Prior art walking braces have employed rigid support shells, which may engage and irritate, pinch and damage the skin within the shoe. For instance, the rigid ankle brace shown by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,078 is made of "high-performance composite material."
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,602 shows two relatively rigid side supports, where the area adjacent to the ankle is covered with a flexible or resilient material. A strap is attached to the lower ends of both side supports to tie them together.