BACKGROUND Orthotic devices are used to help children progressively acquire a more physiologic walking pattern. METHODS To determine the effect of an orthotic device with an out-toeing wedge along with a physiologic shoe as treatment for in-toed gait, angle of gait was measured in 48 children aged 3 to 14 years with in-toed gait. The following comparisons were made: angle of gait in children ...

objectives: although for those spinal cord injury (sci) patients with paralysis of the legs but not at arms, the primary means of mobility post injury is the manual wheelchair, there are many physiological and psychological advantages to standing and walking, such as improvement in respiratory function, lower limb weight bearing and preventing osteoporosis, pressure sores prevention etc. high m...

Current treatments for gait pathologies associated with neuromuscular disorders may employ a passive, rigid brace. While these provide certain benefits, they can also cause muscle atrophy. In this study, we examined NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that were annealed into springs to develop an active, soft orthotic (ASO) for the knee. Actively controlled SMA springs may provide variable assi...

Objectives: Although for those spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with paralysis of the legs but not at arms, the primary means of mobility post injury is the manual wheelchair, there are many physiological and psychological advantages to standing and walking, such as improvement in respiratory function, lower limb weight bearing and preventing osteoporosis, pressure sores prevention etc. High m...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that a custom-fit valgus knee brace and custom-made lateral wedge foot orthotic will have greatest effects on decreasing the external knee adduction moment during gait when used concurrently. DESIGN Proof-of-concept, single test session, crossover trial. SETTING Biomechanics laboratory within a tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS Patients (n=16) with varus ...

Objectives: Although for those spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with paralysis of the legs but not at arms, the primary means of mobility post injury is the manual wheelchair, there are many physiological and psychological advantages to standing and walking, such as improvement in respiratory function, lower limb weight bearing and preventing osteoporosis, pressure sores prevention etc. High m...

This study examined the energy cost of ambulation using the reciprocating gait orthosis (RGO) and the modified Isocentric RGO in paraplegic spinal cord injured subjects. In 4 subjects, the rates of O2 consumption per minute, O2 cost per metre, heart rate (HR), respiratory exchange ratio, velocity, and physiologic cost index (PCI) were measured during ambulation with the two orthotic devices. PC...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of an orthotic undergarment on gait, balance, and life skills of children who have diplegic cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS Five subjects (ages 7-13 years) with CP at Gross Motor Function Classification Scale level I wore a TheraTog undergarment for 12 weeks. Data collection included Vicon Motion Analysis, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, and C...

There are two distinct ways of applying electrical stimulation (ES) as a treatment option for the lower limb of children with cerebral palsy (CP) – orthotic and therapeutic. Therapeutic ES is ES applied as part of an exercise regime whereas orthotic ES is ES applied to enable useful functional movement, e.g. ankle dorsiflexion activated by peroneal nerve stimulation during the swing phase of ga...