Objective. To compare the effects of two types of ankle-foot orthoses on gait of patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and to evaluate their preference in using each AFO type. Design. Thirty individuals with acute hemiparetic CVA were tested without an AFO, with an off-the-shelf carbon AFO (C-AFO), and with a custom plastic AFO (P-AFO) in random order at the time of initial orthotic fitt...

PURPOSE This case study examines the influence of an ankle foot orthosis footwear combination (AFO-FC) on musculotendon lengths and gait kinematics and kinetics after right thrombotic stroke resulting in left hemiplegia. METHODS Gait analysis was performed over three visits where the subject walked with an AFO-FC with two shank-to-vertical angle (SVA) alignments, a posterior leaf spring AFO (...

This study was conducted to compare the effects of three ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) designs on walking after stroke and determine whether an ankle plantar flexion contracture impacts response to the AFOs. A total of 30 individuals, ranging from 6-215 months post-stroke, were tested in four conditions: shoes only (SH), dorsi-assist/dorsi-stop AFO (DA-DS), plantar stop/free dorsiflexion AFO (PS), ...

We described 3D printing technique and automated design software and clinical results after the application of this AFO to a patient with a foot drop. After acquiring a 3D modelling file of a patient's lower leg with peroneal neuropathy by a 3D scanner, we loaded this file on the automated orthosis software and created the "STL" file. The designed AFO was printed using a fused filament fabricat...

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) have been described to have positive effects on the gait biomechanics in stroke patients. The plantarflexion resistance of an AFO is considered important for hemiplegic patients, but the evidence is still limited. The purpose of this case series was to design and evaluate the immediate effect of an articulated AFO on kinematics and kinetics of lower-limb joints in str...

We performed this review to provide a clearer understanding of how to effectively measure ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) rigidity. This information is important to ensure appropriate orthotic intervention in the treatment of patients with pathological gait. The two main approaches to the investigation of AFO rigidity are (1) bench-testing analyses, in which an AFO is fixed or attached to a measureme...

There are many reasons why a rigid ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may be prescribed. In some cases it is desirable that the rigidity is sufficient to maintain a constant ankle position throughout the gait cycle. There is a need to determine a design of cosmetic, lightweight AFO that provides the necessary stiffness whilst being acceptable to the patient, encouraging continued wear with the resultant...

Body sway, the total length of the sway of the center of foot pressure (CFP) and maximum walking speed were examined with and without AFO in eight post-stroke hemiparetic patients. Without AFO, the CFP moved towards the non-affected limb and the body sway was large. Wearing AFO, the CFP shifted to the midposition and the body sway became small. Without AFO, the time to walk the prescribed dista...

PURPOSE Poor recovery of postural stability poststroke is the primary cause of impairment in activities and social participation in elderly stroke survivors. The purpose of our study was to experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of our new elastic ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), compared to a traditional AFO fabricated with hard plastic, in improving postural stability in elderly chronic stroke s...

INTRODUCTION In patients with neuromuscular disorders and subsequent calf muscle weakness, metabolic walking energy cost (EC) is nearly always increased, which may restrict walking activity in daily life. To reduce walking EC, a spring-like ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO) can be prescribed. However, the reduction in EC that can be obtained from these AFOs is stiffness dependent, and it is unknown whi...