Orthoses for athletic overuse injuries. Comparison of two component materials

Forty recreational and professional athletes were followed in this prospective study comparing the acceptability and effectiveness of two orthotic component materials commonly used in sports medicine. TL-2100 SF (semiflexible) was compared to 4.0-mm thick polypropylene in six different subjective categories. The subjects were able to perceive a significant difference in favor of TL-2100 SF in the categories of weight, resilience and springiness, and overall comfort of the orthosis. The subjects were also able to perceive physical differences between these two component materials, which had previously been confirmed in laboratory studies.