The use of a flexible, foldable or rollable and heatable mat for the manufacture
of an orthosis, in which a flat sheet of a thermoplastic material is heated on
a flat-laid mat to a temperature at which the sheet softens and can be readily
shaped, whereafter the sheet is applied to and shaped on part of a patient's body
and then allowed to cool on the patient so as to form a supporting orthosis. The
mat can be transported in a rolled-up state or a folded state and laid out on a
supporting surface, such as a floor surface in the proximity of the patient. The
mat includes a heating element disposed over the area of the mat and functioning
to deliver heat uniformly to the sheet.
