Device for exerting forces on and fixing the spinal column of a human body

Abstract

Apparatus consisting of three or more fastening members or clamps, adapted to be mounted on a vertebra of a spine, said clamps mutually connected so that a force can be exerted on one of the clamps which force is the sum of the forces on the two other clamps and that the clamps can be fixed with respect to each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

My invention relates to a device for exerting forces on the spinal column of humans, consisting of a frame.

Such a device is known from and described in the Netherlands Patent Application 72.05774 in the name of Applicant. With this known device forces are exerted on the human spine whereby a correction of its position is obtained. After a lapse of time a correction such will have been obtained that further correction is no longer necessary. Then the obtained correction should for some time be maintained by means of support. Although the known device offers the patient sufficient freedom of movement it is advisable that it is taken away from the patient as soon as possible. Since a corrected spine is often not firm enough to preserve its corrected position it should be strengthened. This strengthening can, e.g., be obtained when by means of pieces of bone the vertebrae are interconnected. Strengthening of the spine requires therefore often additional surgical operation and so it takes a long time before the patient is fully recovered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention aims to provide a device for exerting forces on the spine. This object is attained according to the invention by the arrangement that the frame of the device consists of

THREE OR MORE MEMBERS WHICH EACH CAN BE FIXEDLY SECURED TO A VERTEBRA OF THE SPINAL COLUMN, OF

CONNECTING MEANS CONNECTING THE FASTENING MEANS MUTUALLY IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY CAN FREELY MOVE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, AND OF

FIXATION MEANS CAPABLE OF FIXING THE FASTENING MEMBERS IN SUCH A WAY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER THAT EACH OF THE FASTENING MEMBERS IS PREVENTED FROM MOVING IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE CONNECTING LINE THROUGH THE TWO OTHER FASTENING MEMBERS, WHILE ADJUSTING MEANS CAN BE CONNECTED WITH THE FRAME, SO THAT A FORCE CAN BE EXERTED ON ONE OF THE FASTENING MEMBERS AND THAT FORCE IS SITUATED IN A PLANE WHICH IS PERPENDICULAR TO THE CONNECTING LINE OF THE TWO OTHER FASTENING MEMBERS AND THAT THE FORCE IS EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE FORCES EXERTED ON THAT OF THE TWO OTHER FASTENING MEMBERS.

According to a preferred embodiment the adjusting means consist of three securing rods which are interconnected by two, more or less parallelly extending rods, while the distance between at least one of the three securing rods with respect to at least one of the parallelly extending rods is adjustable. The preferred embodiment is also constructed in such a way that at least one of the fastening members consists of some clamping members which can engage about the transverse processus of the vertebra and which by means of bolts are clampingly connected around the aforementioned transverse processus, and of a cup-shaped part which can be hooked around the spinosus processus and by means of a bolt secured in the correct position (a so called thoracic clamp) and that at least one of the other fastening members consists of some clamping members which are provided with a bent end and which hook into the arch and around the spinosus processus of a vertebra and can be clampingly secured to the vertebra by means of bolts (a so called lumbar clamp).

With such a device it is possible to correct in a simple way a lateral curvature of the spine (scoliosis). After the achieved correction only an insignificant operation is necessary in order to fix the frame and to remove the adjusting means; so the spinal column obtains sufficient rigidity in order to enable the patient to move freely. The time the patient has to stay in the hospital is considerably shortened when this device is used, while the number of required operations is small.

SURVEY OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the device;

FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the device of FIG. 1 on the line II--II;

FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the device according to FIG. 1 on the line III--III.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the device composed of a frame and adjusting means. The adjusting means consist of three securing rods 1, 2, 3 which are interconnected by two, more or less parallelly extending rods 4, 5. FIG. 2 shows how one of the parallel rods 5 is connected with the rods 1, 2, 3. The mutual connections of the rods 1, 3 with the rods 4, 5 are all identical. The connections consist of a slidable sleeve 6 and a slidable sleeve 7, if needed electrically insulated from the rods 1 and 3, interconnected by a rod 8. The sleeve 7 is secured to the rod 8 in such a way that it can rotate around the axis of the rod 8. The sleeves 6, 7 can be fixedly secure to the rods by means of a bolt 9. The connections of the rod 2 with the rods 4, 5 consist of a sleeve 10 which is slid, if needed, electrically insulated, on the rod 2 to which is pivotally connected a rod 11 by means of a pin 12. A bush 13 is accommodated in rod 4, respectively 5 and through the hole 14 of the bush protudes the rod 11. The rod 11 is threaded and can be connected with the bush 13 by means of a nut 15. The distance from the rod 2 to the rod 5 can be reduced by means of torque spanners.

FIG. 3 shows the frame which is composed out of three interconnected fastening members. Two of the fastening members consist of clamping members 16, 17 which can engage about the transverse processus of a vertebra and by means of bolts 18 clampingly be connected around the aforementioned transverse processus. The other fastening member consists of some clamping members which are provided with bent ends 19, 10 which hook into the arch and around the spinosus processus of a vertebra snd which by means of bolts can be clampingly secured to the vertebra (a so called lumbar clamp).

Each of the outer fastenings means is by means of two rods 21 connected with the central fastening member. The two outer fastening members have each two holes, while through each of the holes protrudes a rod 21. The outer fastening members are in this way slidably mounted on the rod 21 and the distance between the fastening member with respect to each other can be changed in this way. Each of the rods 21 is connected by means of a bolt 22 with an intermediate piece 23. The intermediate piece 23 is connected by means of a bolt 24 with a plate 25 which is fixedly connected with the central fastening member. The contact surfaces of the rods 21 with the intermediate pieces 23 and of the intermediate pieces 23 with the plate 25 are roughened in such a way that when the bolts 22, 24 are tightly screwed the various parts are prevented from turning on the axes of the bolts. The rods 1, 2, 3 of the adjusting means are fixedly secured by means of screw thread on the frame. As a consequence the adjusting means can be removed from the frame in a simple way.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A device for exerting forces on the spinal column of a human body, comprising a frame including

three or more fastening members which each can be fixedly secured to a vertebra of the spinal column,

connecting means connecting the fastening means mutually in such a way that they can freely move with respect to each other, and

fixation means fixing the fastening members in such a way with respect to each other that each of the fastening members is prevented from moving in a plane perpendicular to the connecting line through the two other fastening members, and adjusting means connected to the frame, for exerting a force on one of the fastening members, the force being situated in a plane which is perpendicular to the connecting line of the two other fastening members and the force being equal to the sum of the forces exerted on the two other fastening members.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means are connected to the frame by means of screw thread.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means consist of three fastening rods which are interconnected by two more or less parallelly extending rods.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the distance between at least one of the three securing rods with respect to at least one of the parallelly extending rods is adjustable.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fastening members consists of some clamping members which can engage about the transverse processus of a vertebra and be clampingly connected around the transverse processus by means of bolts (a so called thoracic clamp).

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fastening members consists of some clamping members which are provided with bent ends hooking into the arch and around the spinosus processus of a vertebra and which by means of a bolt can be clampingly secured to the vertebra (a so called lumbar clamp).