We developed a powered ankle-foot orthosis that uses artificial pneumatic muscles to produce active plantar flexor torque. The purpose of this study was to quantify the mechanical performance of the orthosis during human walking. Three subjects walked at a range of speeds wearing ankle-foot orthoses with either one or two artificial muscles working in parallel. The orthosis produced similar tot...

Several pathologies of the foot can be solved simply by adding an orthosis under the patient’s foot. Defining the geometry and the size of such orthosis is key in optimizing its influence on the foot. For example, an orthosis with a heel lift (HL) has an increased height below the heel to force the patient to put his weight on front of the foot. An orthosis with a metatarsal bar associated with...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of tibial nerve blocking by percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation and an ankle-foot orthosis on the walking ability of stroke patients with a spastic equinus or equinovarus foot. DESIGN A placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial with a 2 x 2 factorial design and with a 3-month follow-up. SETTING Outpatient clinic of a department of rehabilit...

BACKGROUND In-shoe foot orthoses improve conditions such as plantar heel pain (fasciitis), probably due to their ability to raise the medial longitudinal arch of the foot and lower the stress on the plantar tissues. Increasingly the arch-profile form of the in-shoe foot orthosis is being incorporated into sandal footwear, providing an alternative footwear option for those who require an orthosi...

Persons with quadriceps muscle weakness are often prescribed a knee-ankle-foot orthosis that locks the knee in full extension during both stance and swing phases of gait. Locking the knee results in abnormal gait patterns characterized by hip hiking and leg circumduction during swing. The stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis (SCKAFO), a new type of orthosis, has emerged that permits free kne...

A plastic ankle foot orthosis (AFO) was developed, referred to as functional ankle foot orthosis Type 2 (FAFO (II)), which can deal with genu recurvatum and the severe spastic foot in walking. Clinical trials were successful for all varus and drop feet, and for most cases of genu recurvatum. Electromyogram studies showed that the FAFO (II) reduced the spasticity of gastrocnemius and hamstring m...

Foot orthoses and night splints have been used separately to treat patients with plantar fasciitis, but were not always successful. Combined use of both orthoses might give better outcomes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a soft and self-adjustable dorsiflexion night splint in combination with an accommodative foot orthosis for patients with plantar fasciitis. Twenty-eight patients we...

Serial casting is frequently prescribed for toe-walking but that does not allow continued physical therapy (PT). This report described a child and family who chose dynamic splinting (DS) with concurrent PT for treatment. The patient presented with right hemiparesis; below average motor skills and a gait pattern of toe contact (without ankle foot orthosis). Four months of PT plus 6 hours/night o...

objectives: this study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified floor reaction ankle foot orthosis (frafo) design on gait performance in children with cerebral palsy. methods: eight children with cerebral palsy wore a modified frafo bilaterally for six weeks. motion analysis was used to assess the immediate effectiveness of the orthosis on improving gait and also following six w...

BACKGROUND Bone, soft-tissue, and nerve deficits of the weightbearing surface of the foot are frequent sequelae from foot trauma or diabetes mellitus and present challenging treatment issues. Injury to the specialized, shock-absorbing, heel-pad tissue containing spirally arranged fat chambers is particularly difficult to manage. Appropriate footwear modifications and shoe inserts for protection...