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...

History/Symptoms-Clinical exam features-Gait parameters-Radiographic features-Surgical technique-Evidence I. PATHOANATOMY-CLINICAL FEATURES: This is primarily a stance phase problem a. EQUINUS CONTRACTURE at the ankle because of a gastro-soleus contracture. b. Initial contact: mid foot or forefoot c. Collapse of the medial arch: i. Talus is in equinus, talo-navicular joint is subluxed ii. Os Ca...

Introduction Several methods to decrease foot pressure applying foot orthosis wedge or gait strategies by evaluating foot pressure increased abnormally by various foot diseases are under investigation [1]. Recently, studies on foot orthosis, diabetic shoes and old people footwear have been conducted, but there have been a few studies on orthotic devices such as metatarsal pad, dome and wedge [2...

BACKGROUND Foot-drop is a common motor impairment of chronic stroke patients, which may be addressed with an ankle foot orthosis. Although there is reasonable evidence of effectiveness for ankle foot orthoses, user compliance is sometimes poor. This study investigated a new alternative to the ankle foot orthosis, the dorsiflex sock. CASE DESCRIPTION AND METHODS The dorsiflex sock was evaluate...

Twenty percent of the 6,400,000 stroke survivors alive today [1] are unable to dorsiflex the ankle [2], causing the foot to drag along the floor during swing. This can limit mobility, increasing instability and risk of tripping or falling [3]. The traditional treatment for foot drop is an ankle foot orthosis that holds the ankle in a neutral position during swing, preventing toe drag. An altern...

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...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficiency of knee-ankle-foot orthoses for treating painful genu recurvatum, and to determine users' tolerance and satisfaction. PATIENTS Patients included in the study had a genu recurvatum during the stance phase, confirmed by a medical doctor on physical examination. A total of 27 patients with 31 knee-ankle-foot orthoses were included. METHODS The main outcome wa...

This study investigated the effects of shoe heel height on the rollover characteristics of the biologic ankle-foot system. Ten nondisabled adult female volunteers walked using three pairs of shoes with varying heel heights and at three walking speeds with each pair of shoes. Kinematic and kinetic data needed to calculate the rollover shapes of the ankle-foot systems of the participants were col...