Globally, osteoporosis is considered a widespread metabolic bone disease, vertebral fractures being probably one of the most common clinical manifestations encountered in osteoporotic patients. Non-pharmacologic therapies of osteoporosis include, among others, the use of different types of orthoses, such as spinal orthoses or hip protectors. To date there is a limited number of studies that eva...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of foot orthoses using the foot function index (FFI) in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during a period of 6 months. METHODS Thirty-six rheumatoid subjects with foot pain were examined and appropriate foot orthoses were prescribed according to each patient's needs. All the patients were evaluated 30, 90 and 180 days after the baseline...

OBJECTIVE As orthoses, and particularly ankle-foot orthoses, are widely used in the management of children with motor disorders, including cerebral palsy, we aimed to study their effect in normal children in order to add to normative gait data, which are essential for diagnosing, understanding and treating abnormal gait patterns. DESIGN We analyzed the effect of ankle-foot orthoses on classic...

BACKGROUND Foot and ankle problems are highly prevalent fall risks in the elderly. Ankle foot orthoses designed to stabilize the foot and ankles have been studied within specific patient groups, but their efficacy with a less restrictive elderly population is unknown. This study investigated if custom-made ankle foot orthoses improve postural stability in older adults. METHODS Thirty ambulato...

There is a strong trend away from the use of metal in the fabrication of orthoses. Advanced concepts and the availability of plastics have frequently resulted in wholly new designs of lower-limb orthoses rather than part-for-part substitution of plastic components for metal components. Many centers, including our own Veterans Administration Prosthetics Center (VAPC), are replacing the ugly, noi...

Robot-assisted physical gait therapy is gaining recognition among the rehabilitation engineering community. Several robotic orthoses for the treatment of gait impairments have been developed during the last 2 decades, many of which are designed to provide physical therapy to a single joint of the lower limb; these are reviewed here. The mechanism design and actuation concepts for these single j...

BACKGROUND Custom foot orthoses are commonly recommended for the treatment of foot pain. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of custom foot orthoses for different types of foot pain. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 2), MEDLINE (from January 1966), EMBASE (from January 1980), CINAHL (from January ...

[Purpose] The biomechanical effects of foot orthoses on malalignment syndrome have not been fully clarified. This experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of orthoses on the gait patterns of patients with malalignment syndrome. [Subjects and Methods] Ten patients with malalignment syndrome were recruited. For each participant, kinematic and kinetic data were collected un...

BACKGROUND Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disease that can change the load on lower limbs during walking. Plantar loads in patients with KOA may provide a basis for clinical decisions regarding footwear and foot orthoses. This study aimed to compare plantar loads in females with and without KOA during gait. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plantar pressure during walking was recorded in 23 females w...

BACKGROUND Foot posture has long been considered to contribute to the development of lower limb musculoskeletal conditions as it may alter the mechanical alignment and dynamic function of the lower limb. This study compared foot posture in people with and without medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA) using a range of clinical foot measures. The reliability of the foot measures was also as...