Product History
The inventor of the Orthopedic Knee Crutch is a retired NASA Engineer with over twenty years of experience in the engineering field.
The Inventor has a congenital debilitating disorder that affects both feet.
Following earlier advice from a podiatrist, and more recently an orthopedic surgeon, reconstructive surgery was recommended as a treatment option. Since the success of such a procedure is contingent on no load bearing activity for several months, post operatively, conventional crutches would be dispensed when discharged from the hospital.
The weekend before the surgery, the inventor went out in his small metal working shop and fabricated a crude prototype of the
Orthopedic Knee Crutch invention. He had no idea at that time that such a device would eventually become a revolutionary new breakthrough in the field of durable medical equipment.
The crude prototype was tailor made, with right hand orientation, fixed handle and knee height dimensions that met his own body’s physical criteria. It was his experience with known limitations and the awkwardness associated with conventional crutches, combined with his knowledge of applied physics that prompted him to design and fabricate a new “state of the art” device.
Such a device would have to provide for increased mobility, safety, and ease of use in a manner far superior to conventional crutches, moreover, a device that would provide additional mobility benefits which would be impossible to accomplish with conventional crutches.
During post operative convalescing from right foot surgery, the inventor used his crude
Orthopedic Knee Crutch invention daily and received encouragement from his orthopedic surgeon and staff to develop the prototype further so that others may benefit.
To provide benefit to others, the orthopedic surgeon and the inventor discussed ambidextrous adjustment capabilities, knee and arm length adjustments, and fabrication using lighter materials.
Fabridyne Incorporated was then founded to do research and development of durable medical equipment. Many experts in various fields were solicited to assist in the development of the Orthopedic Knee Crutch. During the development, it was soon apparent that the
Orthopedic Knee Crutch could provide many benefits in addition to post operative convalescing, including a sitting stool for those with pain from long walks or long periods of standing and even use in the shower. The five rubber feet proved to be excellent for stability on wet surfaces with one’s eye plane level remaining as compared to having to sit on a stool or chair.
