Ankle foot orthosis (AFO) and method of making the same

An ankle foot orthosis, comprising:

• a brace body comprising a first polyolefin elastomeric material, the brace body comprising:
• a back portion;
• a medial side portion having a medial front edge;
• a lateral side portion having a lateral front edge;
• a sole portion;
• a proximal edge;
• a first reinforcement strip of a second polyolefin elastomeric material, the first reinforcement strip being a single medial stirrup-type strip having a first end situated on the medial side portion below the proximal edge and extending as a continuous strip along the medial side portion, under the sole portion and along the lateral side portion, to a second end situated on the lateral side portion below the proximal edge, to hinder talus range of motion and guard against unwanted tri-planar ankle foot motion;
• the medial front edge and the lateral front edge being configured for an overlapping arrangement;
• and
• a closure mechanism to tighten the ankle foot orthosis on a foot;
• wherein the brace body comprises a closed cell foam inner lining bonded to an outer layer comprising the first polyolefin elastomeric material, with the first reinforcement strip situated between the inner lining and the outer layer;
• wherein the first polyolefin elastomeric material is an ethylene-butene copolymer or an ethylene-octene copolymer, and the second polyolefin elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, and modified polyethylene (MPE);
• and
• wherein the first polyolefin elastomeric material has a melt index of less than 0.5 30 g/10 minutes (measured according to ASTM D 1238), a density of 0.857 to 0.910 g/cc (measured according to ASTM D 792), a melting range of 36° C. to 140° C., a Shore A hardness of 56 to 96 (measured according to ASTM D 2240), and a flexural modulus of from 3 to 110 MPa (measured according to ASTM D 790).