Background An Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) is commonly used in clinical practice to assist gait of patients with different pathologies. The flexibility of the AFO depends on different design characteristics while specific mechanical requirements of the AFO are correlated with patient anatomy and pathology. To this day, the correlation between AFO-design and patient pathology is mainly based on the...

A rigid ventral shelf ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may improve gait in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) whose gait is characterized by excessive knee flexion in stance. However, these AFOs can also impede ankle range of motion (ROM) and thereby inhibit push-off power. A more spring-like AFO can enhance push-off and may potentially reduce walking energy cost. The recent development of an ...

In this study, we performed a kinematic analysis of a new, low-cost sling for the lower limb, compared to a common ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). Gait with no orthosis, with the AFO, and with the new sling was analyzed in one hemiplegic subject. Both the AFO and the sling reduced the mean angle and ROM (range of movement) of the ankle and the vertical displacement of the center of mass. The sling, ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of the hinged ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on sit-to-stand (STS) transfers in children with spastic cerebral palsy. DESIGN Before-after trial. SETTING University-affiliated hospital. PARTICIPANTS Nineteen spastic diplegic children (age range, 2-6 y). INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The transitional movement of STS was tested ...

BACKGROUND Ankle foot orthoses (AFO) are commonly used orthotic device in order to restore the ankle foot function and to improve the balance and gait in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. However, there remain some discussions about their effectiveness on long term hemiparetic patients who had mild to moderate spasticity. AIM To investigate the relative effect of prefabricated thermoplastic p...

Background: Several studies have examined the benefits of ankle foot orthosis (AFO) in patients with hemiparesis, but little is known about their effects in patients with peripheral nerve palsy. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of AFO on functional ambulation in patients with hemiplegia and unilateral lower-extremity palsy. Subjects and methods: This study design was Case co...

PURPOSE Respiratory conditions remain a source of morbidity globally. As such, this study aimed to explore factors associated with the development of airflow obstruction (AFO) in a rural Indian setting and, using spirometry, study whether underweight is linked to AFO. METHODS Patients > 35 years old attending a rural clinic in West Bengal, India, took a structured questionnaire, had their bod...

UNLABELLED Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) can provide support and improve walking ability in individuals with plantarflexor weakness. Passive-dynamic AFO stiffness can be optimized for over-ground walking, however little research exists for uphill walking, when plantarflexor contributions are key. PURPOSE Compare uphill walking biomechanics (1) between dynamic AFO users and able-bodied control su...

OBJECTIVES We sought to compare the effects of a radio frequency-controlled neuroprosthesis on gait stability and symmetry to the effects obtained with a standard ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). METHODS A total of 15 patients (mean age: 52.2 +/- 3.6 years) with prior chronic hemiparesis resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury (5.9 +/- 1.5 year) whose walking was impaired by footdrop and re...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the ankle angle of an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) on foot pressure during the gait in healthy adults. [Subjects] Sixteen healthy males with neither orthopedic nor neurological problems participated in this study. [Methods] Subjects walked on a walkway at a self-selected pace with an AFO set at four different ankle angles (-5°, ...