Orthotic foot brace and method of assembly thereof
An orthotic foot brace for a person wearing a footwear, the orthotic foot brace comprising a leg holder, a foot strut having a hinge member extending from the posterior of the leg along a length of the footwear joining an instep strut securable to an instep portion of the footwear, and a heel member engaging the heel portion of the footwear below the hinge member, and a leg strut composed of a plurality of beams extending along the posterior of the lower leg towards the footwear, each beam secured at a first end within a cuff connector of the leg holder and secured at a second end within a foot strut connector of the foot strut.
1 . An orthotic foot brace for a person wearing a footwear, the orthotic foot brace comprising:
a leg holder having a cuff securable to a lower leg of the person for use;
a leg strut extending from the leg holder;
an instep strut having a coupler for attachment to a dorsal section of the footwear during use, two arms, and two ends, each one of the two arms extending rearwardly from the coupler, to a corresponding one of the two ends;
a foot strut having two hinge members, a heel member and two junctions, each hinge member extending downwardly and forwardly from the leg strut until each one reaches a corresponding one of the two junctions, on a corresponding side of the user's foot during use, the two junctions forming a structural connection with the heel member, the heel member having two proximal portions, each one of the two proximal portions extending downwardly and rearwardly from a corresponding one of the two junctions and merging with the other one of the two proximal portions at a distal portion, forming a loop between the two junctions, the distal portion being engaged with a heel portion of the footwear during use, each one of the two junctions having an opening receiving a corresponding one of the two ends of the two arms of the instep strut, the instep strut forming a crescent between the two arms and bridging the two junctions to one another while extending forwardly from the two junctions; wherein the foot strut and the heel member form part of a same component made of a same material extending continuously across the two junctions between the foot strut and the heel member.
2 . The orthotic foot brace of claim 1 wherein the same material is a thermoplastic elastomer.
3 . The orthotic foot brace of claim 1 wherein the instep strut is made of a fiber-reinforced polymer.
4 . The orthotic foot brace of claim 1 wherein the instep strut is made of glass-reinforced long chain polyamide resin.