Socks and liners with shock absorbing properties
A shock absorbing liner or sock that has an opening, a closed liner distal end, and sidewalls. The distal end further comprises a distal region that is knitted with spacer fabric to the same circumference as the liner or sock or is configured to conform to specific areas of a foot; preferably, (1) the toe region leaving out the big toe region, (2) the metatarsal head (MTH) 1 region leaving out the MTHs 2-3 region and the MTHs 4-5 region, (3) the medial mid-foot region, (4) the lateral mid-foot region, and (5) the lateral heel region leaving out the medial heel region. The spacer fabric is preferred as a 2×2 knit outer wall with a 1×3 inner wall made using a number of knitting steps described herein but may be a multitude of configurations allowing for a continuous seamless shape in three dimensions.
1 . A shock absorbing prosthetic liner comprising:
a generally cylindrical body comprising an open proximal end, a closed distal end, and sidewalls, wherein the closed distal end further comprises a distal region;
a spacer fabric having outer layers comprising polyester, three ends of monofilament distance fibers having a thickness of 0.12 millimeters, and an inner support structure comprising 0.5 inch tufts further comprising spandex yarns having a denier of between 70 and 560 linking the outer layers;
wherein the shock absorbing prosthetic liner incorporates the spacer fabric into at least a portion of the distal region and remainder of the shock absorbing prosthetic liner comprises a textile having a thickness between 1 millimeter and 4 millimeters.
2 . The shock absorbing prosthetic liner of claim 1 wherein the spacer fabric has a thickness between 4.5 millimeters and 9 millimeters.
3 . A shock absorbing prosthetic liner comprising:
a textile prosthetic liner comprising an open proximal end, a closed distal end, and sidewalls, wherein the closed distal end further comprises a distal region;
a spacer fabric having outer layers comprising a synthetic filament, three ends of monofilament distance fibers having a thickness of 0.12 millimeters, and an inner support structure comprising 0.5 inch tufts further comprising spandex yarns having a denier of between 70 and 560 linking the outer layers;
wherein the textile prosthetic liner incorporates the spacer fabric into at least a portion of the distal region.
4 . The shock absorbing prosthetic liner of claim 3 wherein the spacer fabric has a thickness between 4.5 millimeters and 9 millimeters.
5 . A shock absorbing prosthetic liner comprising:
a textile prosthetic sock comprising an open proximal end, a closed distal end, and sidewalls, wherein the closed distal end further comprises a distal region;
a spacer fabric having outer layers comprising a knittable filament, three ends of monofilament distance fibers having a thickness of 0.12 millimeters, and an inner support structure comprising 0.5 inch tufts further comprising spandex yarns having a denier of between 70 and 560 linking the outer layers;
wherein the textile prosthetic sock incorporates the spacer fabric into at least a portion of the distal region.
6 . The shock absorbing prosthetic liner of claim 5 wherein the spacer fabric has a thickness between 4.5 millimeters and 9 millimeters.