Orthopedic shoe for preventing excess pressure loads

Abstract

An orthopedic shoe ( 01 ), for preventing excess pressure loads on pressure-sensitive foot soles, in particular those of diabetics, has a rigid sole ( 02 ) which substantially precludes bending of the forward joint of the foot during walking. A toes and/or heel area has a convexly rounded sole portion ( 04, 05 ) allowing rolling. The shoe has a shaft ( 03 ) with a fixation device ( 06, 07 ) to fix a foot in the shoe. The fixation device has a heel strap ( 11 ) and a dorsal strap ( 12 ). The dorsal strap has a load-transmitting attachment, with a left and a right connecting element ( 18, 19 ), to the left and right portion ( 11 a , 11 b ) of the heel strap. The connecting elements each have a distance to the two ends ( 13, 16 ) of the heel strap attached laterally to the shoe and a distance to the center ( 20 ) of the heel strap spanning across the heel bone.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An orthopedic shoe for preventing excess pressure loads on pressure-sensitive foot soles, the shoe comprising:
 a rigid sole which substantially precludes bending of the forward joint of the foot during walking, the sole having, in a toes area and/or in a heel area, a convexly rounded sole portion which allows the rigid sole to roll;   a shaft;   a fixation means, provided on the shaft, for fixing the foot in the shoe, the fixation means having a heel strap which extends from a left instep across a back of a heel bone of the foot of wearer to a right instep, the fixation means comprising a dorsal strap extending across a dorsum of the foot and a pulling means that is tensionble across the dorsum for size adjustment, wherein:   the dorsal strap is attached, in a load-transmitting manner, with a left and a right connecting element to a heel strap left portion and a heel strap right portion of the heel strap, the connecting elements each having a distance to two ends of the heel strap attached laterally to the shoe and a distance to a center of the heel strap spanning across the heel bone.   
     
     
         2 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the shoe, the connecting elements are arranged between the center of the heel strap spanning across the heel bone on the one hand and the two ends of the heel strap attached laterally to the shoe on the other hand. 
     
     
         3 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the two ends of the heel strap are attached to the shoe in respective pivot bearings with a respective fixing rivet. 
     
     
         4 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the shaft comprises a shell made of a supple upper material, said shell covering the foot at least in sections; and   the heel strap extends at least in sections along an outer side of the shell.   
     
     
         5 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 4 , wherein the heel strap is not connected to the shell in the left and right portion between the center of the heel strap spanning across the heel bone and the two ends of the heel strap are arranged laterally on the shoe. 
     
     
         6 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 a flap protrudes upward from the shell; and   the center of the heel strap, spanning across the heel bone, is not connected to the shell made of the supple upper material and is fixed in height by the flap.   
     
     
         7 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the heel strap is produced from a rigid material;   the heel strap, in an area of the connecting elements has a material weakening in a form of a wedge-shaped indentation, by means of which a stiffness of the heel strap is decreased transversally to a longitudinal axis thereof.   
     
     
         8 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the sole comprises an outer sole and an inner sole, the outer sole being produced from an elastically damping material, and the inner sole being produced from a more rigid material than the outer sole. 
     
     
         9 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner side of the sole facing the foot and the inner side of the shaft facing the foot are formed to be axially symmetric with respect to a longitudinal axis of the shoe, and the shoe can be worn optionally on the left or on the right foot. 
     
     
         10 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the pulling means for tightening the dorsal strap comprises a tension strap, the tension strap being fixed with a fixing end to the dorsal strap and being deflected in a deflection loop attached to the dorsal strap; and   an effective tightening length of the tension strap between the fixing end and the deflection loop is adjustable by means of a hook and loop fastener.   
     
     
         11 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 a right and a left deflection loop are provided on the dorsal strap;   the fixing end of the tension strap includes a coupling means attachable to the right or the left deflection loop of the dorsal strap.   
     
     
         12 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 11 , wherein a hook tape or a loop tape of the hook and loop fastener on the fixing end of the tension strap covers an outer side of the coupling means associated with the fixing end. 
     
     
         13 . The orthopedic shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein on the inner side of the sole facing the foot, an orthopedic inner shoe sole is arranged, at least one space being formed between the top side and a bottom side of the inner shoe sole, a pad distributing pressure peaks at least in partial areas being arranged in said space, the pad being a deformable pad casing filled with deformable filling bodies which are mobile relative to one another. 
     
     
         14 . The inner shoe sole according to  claim 13 , wherein the pad casing has at least one deaeration opening, through which air present in the pad can escape to the outside when pressure is applied. 
     
     
         15 . The inner shoe sole according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 the pad is divided into individual pad segments; and   one pad segment is arranged in a toe area of the foot, and/or one pad segment is arranged in the area of a forefoot joint of the foot and/or one pad segment is arranged in an area of a metatarsus and tarsus of the foot and/or one pad segment is arranged in the heel area of the foot.   
     
     
         16 . The inner shoe sole according to  claim 15 , wherein a spacing groove is provided between at least two adjacent pad segments, whereby the spacing groove allows a relative motion of the adjacent pad segments. 
     
     
         17 . The inner shoe sole according to  claim 15 , wherein the pad segments are formed to be at least partially communicative via one or more passage openings whereby air and/or filling bodies pass through the passage openings between two communicating pad segments.