Orthosis Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is an orthosis?
- A device that is Externally applied or Attached to a body segment and that Faciliates or Improves function by support, correcting or compensating for a skeletal deformity or weakness
What is the regions of the body in aaos nomenclature?
upper limb
- S= shoulder
- E= elbow
- W= wrist
- H= Hand
Lower limb
- H= hip
- K= knee
- A= ankle
- F=foot
Spine
- C= Cervical
- T=thoracic
- L= lumbar
- S= sacroiliac
What is the control of the designated function of Orthoses?
- F- free motion allowed
-
A- assist
- application of external force to increase range or velocity of a desire motion
- R- resist movement of a external force
- S - stop -ie static unit to deter motion
- H - hold ie elimination of all motion in a prescribed plane
- L -lock- optional lock
What are the ideal characteristics of Orthoses ?
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Biomechanically effective
- Cosmetically pleasing
- Easy to don and off
- Rapid provision and replacement
- Washable
- Adjustable
- Comfortable
- Free of pressure areas
What are the functional characteristics of Orthoses?
- Provisional support- prevent weak muscles/ligaments being stretched- TLO to support a collapsing osteeoporosis spine
- Limitation of motion - KO to prevent hyperextension
- Correction of deformity - force affected joint into near alignment and redirect growth e.g.a- tlso- Thoracolumbarsacral orthosis
- Assistance of motion- hkafo- hipkneeanklefoot orthosis in myelomeningocele
- Miscellaneous - warmth, placebo effect
- Combination-many combine several functions e.g.KAFO for leg with polio, gives support, limits movement at the knee, may correct ankle varus and springs assist ankle dorsiflexion
What other ways can you define the function of orthosis?
- Static- has no moving parts and is used to immobilise a part of the body
- Dynamic- moving parts by movement is controlled by an energy store
What must an orthosis have for proper control?
- 3 points of contact to control the joint
What are the criteria for a supportive orthosis ?
- Joint must be maintained in an optimium anatomical position during rest period
What is the purpose of a corrective orthosis ?
- Is to impose or control a set of forces on a body part
- Each force has magnitude and direction & the resultant worked out
What is Newton’s 3rd law of reaction?
- For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction
What is the ground reaction force?
- The force exerted by the ground on the body
- it is the magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted on the ground by the body
- if the GRF doesn’t pass thru the centre of the joint it creates a moment on that joint
Where is the GRF in mid-stance?
- Posterior to the hip
- -> hip extension moment counter balanced by the gradual tightening of the anterior hip capsule
- The GRF is anterior to the knee
- -> knee extension moment that resisted by the tight posterior knee capsule
- the GFR falls anterior to the ankle
- -> ankle dorsiflexion moment that is resisted by contraction os gastronemius soleus muscle complex
- ie in mid stance there is very little muscle activity required to maintain an up right position
Where is the GRF in pre-swing?
- the force passes behind the knee
- acts as a flexor- reducing the work requirements for knee flexion
How do orthosese function?
- By application of mechanical forces to the musculoskeletal system
How can orthosis modify the system of external forces and moments across a joint?
-
Direct
- Control of moments about a joint
- control of translation forces across a joint
- control of axial forces across a joint
-
Static
- Control of line of action
describe how orthosis control of moments across a joint?
- most common reason for prescribing orthosis
- modifying the moments about a joint may partially or totally restrict the rotational movement at the joint
- -> either a decrease in ROM about a particular axis or a limitation in number of axes about which motion may occur by
-
3 point fixation
- involves one force acting acting over the joint centre
- other 2 forces acting in oppposite direction to the first, placed proximal and distal to the joint

describe how orthosis control of translational forces across a joint?
- Translational forces arise only when there is significant shear forces acting across the joint
- achieved by 4 point fixation across joint
- can be hinged to allow rotation
- e.g. KO used to prevent translation in the transverse plane in PCL rupture

decribe how orthosis control of axia forces across a joint?
- load sharing between the anatomical structures and the orthotic exoskeleton
- useful for reducing pain in arthritic joints

decribe how orthosis control of line of action of GRF?
- involves modification of the point of application and line of action of the GRF during either static or dynamic weight bearing
- particulary useful in modifying abnormally high moments about a joint but also chnage alignment of a joint
- e.g. lateral heel wedge, transfer GRF from medial aspect of a varus degenerate knee to the intercondylar eminence or lateral joint line

name the materials used in orthotics?
- **Thermosetting plastics **
- Thermoforming plastics
- Self generating polyurethane foam
What are the thermosetting plastics?
- Polyester resins
- can be moulded into permanent shape after heating
- don’t return to original consistency even after being reheated
- Formed by pouring liquid resins into moulds, mixed with a catalyst the polymerisation reaction of resin to set in a rigid form
- often used in prosthetics cf orthotics - where greater ridigity required
What are thermoforming plastics?
- these soften when heated allowing reshaping by application of pressure
- harden when cool
- they can be **reshaped many times **
- subdivided into their moulding temperatures
-
High temperature thermoplastics
- require moulding between 120-190oC
- great skill required for manufacturing
- Ideal for high stress activities
- made by heating a sheet of polyethylene or polypropylene in a hot oven.
- final product is in either vacuum formed or moulded over a positive POP cast
- made for AFO/TLSO
-
Moderate temperature thermoplastics
- require moulding temp 100-120oC
- e.g.Plastozote foam made from polyethylene of closed cell construction
- very lightweight
- after heating in a hot-air oven it can be moulded directly on the patient as it has low heat conductivity & its sufaces cool rapidly
- commonly used for custom cervical collars, pressure distribution pads
-
Low temperature thermoplastics
- require moulding 80oC
- can be moulded in water bath ot hot air oven
- ideal for acute splinting
- moulded directly to the patient with minor modifications made using a gun/hair dryer
- less rigid and less durable
- cheaper, less time and skill for fabrication
- e.g. polycaprolactone (Polyform) to which synthetic rubber can be added
What is the self generating polyurethane foam
- used in “neofract” for corset and braces
- freshly prepared foam is poured into a cotton pattern and distributed evenly with a roller
- the filled pattern is allowed to harden directly over the patient
- the custom-made cast is prepared in minutes and donned and doffed by using a zip fastener.
- polyurethane foam is used to make moulded cushions for wheelchairs adn can be as a filler in KAFO’s a nd shoes
Name the types of insoles?
-
Simple
- off the shelf/fabricated w cast
- provide poor surface area contact
- little mechanical control
-
Total contact insoles
- made- initally imprint of pt foot & then casting of imprint w POP.
- A thermoplastic then moulded from the positive pop cast.
- most common type foot orthosis
-
Functional/biomechanical orthoses
- corrective insoles
- foot held in corrected position when cast is taken
- insole obtained therefore acts to correct underlying foot deformity when the deformity is flexible
- fixed deformities- require accomodative insole




