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...

The ankle and foot complex at times must be mobile and at other times must be quite stable. The bony, ligamentous, and muscular structures of the ankle and foot are presented with respect to their mobility and stability functions. Innervation and vascular supply are discussed. Normal anatomy provides a basis and a reference point for discussion of dysfunction of the ankle and foot.

BACKGROUND Traditionally, the anatomical knee joint is locked in extension when walking with a conventional knee-ankle-foot orthosis. A powered knee-ankle-foot orthosis was developed to provide restriction of knee flexion during stance phase and active flexion and extension of the knee during swing phase of gait. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine differences of the powered ...

BACKGROUND Foot and ankle structures are the most commonly affected in people with gout. However, the effect of gout on foot and ankle muscle strength is not well understood. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether differences exist in foot and ankle muscle strength for plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion and eversion between people with gout and age- and sex-matched controls...

objectives: ankle foot orthoses (afos) are widely utilized to improve walking ability in hemiplegic patients. the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of rocker bar ankle foot orthosis (rafo) on functional mobility in post-stroke hemiplegic patients. methods: fifteen hemiplegic patients (men and women) who were at least 6-months poststroke and able to walk without an assistive device for ...

This article is written exclusively for Podiatry Management by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). Founded in 1942, ACFAS is a professional society of more than 6,300 foot and ankle surgeons. The College promotes the art and science of foot, ankle and related lower extremity surgery, addresses the concerns of foot and ankle surgeons, as well as advances and improves the sta...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the foot and ankle condition between elite athletes and non-athletes. [Subjects] The elite athletes group included 85 subjects (28 males and 57 females) and the non-athletes group included 85 subjects (38 males and 47 females). [Methods] All subjects were evaluated for pain (visual analogue scale, VAS) and foot and ankle condition (The Foot and...

A load deflection and a cyclic loading apparatus capable of measuring dorsiflexion/plantarflexion, pronation/supination, internal/external rotation, and cyclic dorsiflexion (60 cycles per minute) of ankle-foot prostheses are described. A test protocol was developed to assess the functional parameters of the Jaipur ankle-foot prosthesis before and after prolonged cyclic loading, with the simulta...