Materials and Construction

Methods
Mrs.Momi Gul
Materials

Contemporary orthoses are constructed

from a variety of materials.

Orthoses often contain plastic and

metal components and few have leather,
wood or cloth element.
Physical Characteristics
Certain physical characteristics pertain to all
materials. The thicker a given material is, the
more rigid, heavier, and bulkier the resulting
orthosis.

Strength
Strength is the ability of a material to resist
forces. E.g
An AFO for adult with foot drop must be made
of stronger material than AFO for child with
the same diagnosis
Why
Physical Characteristics
Stress
- Stress is the measure of force per unit area.
- Great force over a small area causes high
stresses and high pressure.

Orthoses must have sufficient strength to control

stresses imposed by the wearer, and the tissue
must have good integrity to resist the pressure
exerted by the orthosis.
 Physical Characteristics

Stress may be
compressive, whereby
the force squeezes the
material

Tensile stress involve

pulling apart a material
Physical Characteristics

Shear is the
horizontal sliding
of one material
over another.
Materials

Other Properties
Other properties of materials used in orthoses
include elasticity,plasticity,malleability,and
corrosion resistance.
- Elasticity is the ratio of stress to strain i.e the
ability of material to recover to its original
dimension.
- Plasticity is the characteristics of material, that
changes shape without cracking.
Materials
Corrosion Resistance refers to the extent to
which materials deteriorate when exposed to
chemicals.
Plastics
All plastics are synthetic organic (carbon
containing) materials.
Molecular arrangements dictates
properties of the plastic.
 Thermoplastics
Many orthoses are made of
thermoplastics.

Be characterized by
activation temperature.

At room - temperature they

are hard and not
transformable.
 Thermoplastics
From a certain temperature
they are easy to transform

By changing the temperature,

the transition from hard to
plastic

Reverse can be repeated

several times, this makes re-
adjustments possible
Thermoset

Thermoset plastic go through an alternate

molecular arrangements to produce thermosetting
plastics, such as polyester.

Thermoset plastics cannot be heat modified post

production without destroying the molecular
structure of the plastic.
Can only be altered by grinding or cutting material
from the plastic or by adding pads.
 Metals
The mechanical properties of
depend on their chemical
structure.

As a group metals are strong,

stiff, fatigue resistance and
corrosion resistance.
Metals
Steel
- Steel used in orthoses is usually stainless steel,
which is alloy of iron, nickel and chromium.

- Stainless steel is heavier ,stiffer and stronger

than most other materials.

- It is radiopaque , undesirable if the patient with

scoliosis requiring periodic radiographs.
Steel
Metals
Aluminum
- Often alloyed with copper, magnesium and other
elements.

- More malleable and lighter than steel.

- More subject to fatigue failure, which make it

unsuitable for orthotic joints.
Metals
Titanium
- Very lightweight and corrosion resistance

- Desirable for orthotic joints

- More expensive than steel and aluminium,so it is

used less often
Materials Contd

Wood
- The most common wood used in orthoses is
cork.
- Primarily used for shoe lifts and arch support.
- Cushion cork is a combination of cork and
rubber.
- Thermo cork is the composite of cork and
thermoplastics.
Cork
Materials

Leather
It is porous, does not compress and can be
molded over a model of part of body.

Cow hide is strong and is widely used for straps

and the upper portion of the shoes.

Horse hide is frequently lines the calf and thigh

bands in orthoses.
Leather
Soft Materials

A) PE-lite

B) Plastazote
Other Materials
Rubber

Fabric
- Cotton
- Wool
- Synthetic Fibers
and
- Adhesive are commonly used in orthoses
Construction Methods
Orthoses are made in various ways. i.e
- Mass production: the clinicians adjusts the mass
produced orthoses to fit the patient precisely.
- Custom Made
1.Molding LTT plastic sheet directly on part of
body, as often done with hand orthoses.

2.Molding with HTT

It involves more elaborated methods
Construction methods
- The orthotist wraps the body part in plaster to
form a negative model of the body part.
- After the plaster sets the cast is remove.
- Liquid plaster is poured into the negative model
to get solid positive model.
- Positive model is modified and the HTT plastic
sheet is molded on the positive model.
Steps
Construction Methods

Conventional Orthoses
Orthoses with metal uprights are usually made
from a pattern, by taking the linear and
circumferential measurements of the limb.
Construction Methods

Computer-Aided(CAD-CAM)

- It is the newest mode of fabrication.

- The body part is exposed to an electronic sensor, such as
laser sensor creates the detailed pattern of the segment.
- A computer program then refines the pattern accordingly.
- Electronic creation of the positive model over which the
plastic is formed.
References
Edelstein, Joan E., and Jan Bruckner. Orthotics:
a comprehensive clinical approach. Thorofare,
NJ: Slack, 2002.
Hsu, John D., John Michael, and John Fisk.
AAOS atlas of orthoses and assistive devices.
Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008.