A test procedure for orthoses of the lower extremities with a dummy foot

Orthopedic treatment of the lower extremities offers various approaches in terms of patient care with the use of technical, medical aids, e.g. lower leg relief orthoses for immobilising the foot or alternatively, dynamic foot lifter orthoses. The final device can be manufactured either industrially or by hand. However, regardless of the approach to patient care, there is a lack of evidence of disease-related effectiveness for many clinical patterns. The evaluation of the functionality, and thus the success of the treatment, is mostly dependent on the experience of the responsible orthopedic surgeon and/or orthopedic technician. Inadequate fitting and functionality can for example, lead to amputation, e.g. in the case of diabetic foot syndrome. The aim of the the fitting is therefore to enable sufficient effectiveness of the orthosis. The effectiveness is to be proven by test procedures, so that the additional costs that may be associated with this, are covered by the health insurance companies. A German university developed a solution based on the fact that in the case of diabetic foot syndrome, testing the stiffness of the orthosis is necessary in order to ensure adequate immobilisation. In order to be able to make a statement concerning this, the orthosis is put on a dummy foot. This dummy foot is individually adapted to the leg of the respective wearer. The movements of the natural joint axes of the corresponding foot can be evaluated sensorially. For individualisation, a 3D scan of the patient's leg is made, on the basis of which the individual parts of the dummy foot are produced using additional manufacturing processes. These are then connected to the joint parts. The dummy foot and the test procedure are intended to create a uniform standard for evaluating the functionality of lower leg orthoses or ankle orthoses. A prototype is available. The university offers licensing agreements to medical and orthopaedic industry who are interested in further developing and using the invention.