Objective. The aim was to compare walking with an individually designed dynamic hinged ankle foot orthosis (DAFO) and a standard carbon composite ankle foot orthosis (C-AFO). Methods. Twelve participants, mean age 56 years (range 26-72), with hemiparesis due to stroke were included in the study. During the six-minute walk test (6MW), walking velocity, the Physiological Cost Index (PCI), and the...

The loss of the grasp function in cervical spinal cord injured (SCI) patients leads to life-long dependency on caregivers and to a tremendous decrease of the quality of life. This article introduces the novel non-invasive modular hybrid neuro-orthosis OrthoJacket for the restoration of the restricted or completely lost hand and arm functions in high tetraplegic SCI individuals. The primary goal...

Passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthoses (PD-AFOs) constitute a class of ankle braces that rely on material properties and physical features to establish functional characteristics such as bending or rotational stiffness. We have developed a novel framework that combines a fully parameterized PD-AFO computer-aided design (CAD) model and free-form fabrication to rapidly manufacture customized PD-AFOs...

BACKGROUND Robotic devices are expected to be widely used in various applications including support for the independent mobility of the elderly with muscle weakness and people with impaired motor function as well as support for nursing care that involves heavy laborious work. We evaluated the effects of a hybrid assistive limb robot suit on the gait of stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation....

BACKGROUND The ability to return to running and sports participation after lower extremity limb salvage has not been well documented previously. Although the ability to ambulate without pain or assistive devices is generally a criteria for a good limb salvage outcome, many patients at our institution have expressed a desire to return to a more athletic lifestyle to include running and sports pa...

Objectives. To determine the effect of weighted kypho-orthosis (WKO) on improving balance in women with osteoporosis. In this nonrandomized controlled clinical trial, 31 patients with osteoporosis were included. The patients were assigned to two groups: (1) control group who received 4-week home-based daily exercise program including weight bearing, back strengthening, and balance exercises and...

The hingeless plastic ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) changes stiffness largely depending on how much plastic is trimmed around the ankle. To support proper selection of the orthosis and final adjustment of the orthotic stiffness, the correlation between the posterior upright width and the resistance to dorsi- and plantar flexion movements was measured in 30 posterior-type plastic AFOs. The posterior...

In this paper, we present the mechanical design, control algorithm, and functional evaluation of a quasi-passive compliant stance control knee-ankle-foot orthosis. The orthosis implements a spring in parallel with the knee joint during the stance phase of the gait and allows free rotation during the swing phase. The design is inspired by the moment-angle analysis of the knee joint revealing tha...