Fabricating Orthoses with a Low-Temperature Inner Layer

Sometimes, advances in material sciences can provide big benefits to our patients—and be a big pain for our technicians. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the development and use of lower-temperature thermoplastics (e.g., DuraFlex® and PROFLEX™), which are very flexible and durable. These new materials have some great properties that allow us to make intimately fitting orthoses that are still soft enough to be very comfortable. The downside is that they can be a bit tricky to work with.