Orthoplasty (ortho-plasty) is the technique of making and customizing, medical devices tailored to optimize the biomechanical set-up of the foot, particularly the forefoot by making use of silicone rubbers that have different properties: hardness, softness, elasticity, and use properties.
Silicone can be distinguished into three types: Corrective, relieving or protective.
Corrective silicone
It is used when skeletal changes in the foot need to be corrected and is the most effective alternative to surgery, the where surgery is possible, or in cases where the patient himself does not want to undergo surgery.
Silicone offloading
It is used in situations where there is a need to unload an area of overload or subject to stress and/or friction from the footwear. To say that offloading orthoplasty does not correct, is incorrect, as it too must have an induction of correction, albeit slight but present to limit the biomechanical dysmorphosis already in place and/or to otherwise avoid flawed podopostural attitudes of convenience that would aggravate the pathology.
Protective silicone
Is such when it protects the joints and can be manufactured for any patient.
