An external orthopaedic appliance, as a brace or splint, that prevents or assists movement of the spine or the limbs. [G. o., a making straight]
- cervical o. an o. designed to limit cervical spine motion to varying degrees, e.g., a soft cervical collar.
- cervicothoracic o. a device designed to limit cervical spine motion by extending to cover more of the upper torso than a standard cervical o..
- knee-ankle-foot o. an o. extending from the upper portion of the thigh, crossing the knee and ankle, and terminating at the toes; designed to control knee and ankle motion.
- thoracolumbosacral o. an external device applied to the trunk and extending from the upper portion of the thoracic spine to the pelvis; designed to provide immobilization of the thoracic spine.
- wrist-hand o. an o. that begins at the fingers, crosses the wrist, and terminates on the distal portion of the forearm; used to provided grasp and release despite some degree of hand paralysis.
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n.
a surgical appliance that exerts external forces on part of the body to support joints or correct deformity.
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or·tho·sis (or-thoґsis) pl. orthoґses [Gr. orthōsis making straight] an orthopedic appliance or apparatus used to support, align, prevent, or correct deformities or to improve the function of movable parts of the body. See also brace and splint. orthotic adjMedical dictionary. 2011.