We developed a pneumatically powered orthosis for the human ankle joint. The orthosis consisted of a carbon fiber shell, hinge joint, and two artificial pneumatic muscles. One artificial pneumatic muscle provided plantar flexion torque and the second one provided dorsiflexion torque. Computer software adjusted air pressure in each artificial muscle independently so that artificial muscle force ...

Background: Aging often results in thoracic kyphosis and adverse postural changes. This may interfere with physiologic activity of paraspinal muscles. Few styles of spinal orthosis have been already used to reduce thoracic kyphosis. This paper describes the development of a novel orthosis, which is designed based on the anatomy of the back muscles. This novel orthosis may potentiate muscle acti...

Our aim was to compare the degree of patellar descent and alteration in angle of the inclination of the tibial plateau in lateral closing-wedge and medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) in 51 consecutive patients with osteoarthritis of the medial compartment and varus malalignment. Patellar height was measured by the Insall-Salvati (IS) and the Blackburne-Peel (BP) ratios. The tibial...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to develop and assess the applicability of an experimental ankle-foot orthosis during gait in patients with hemiparesis. [Subjects and Methods] This was a noncontrolled cross-sectional study. Ten adult patients with hemiparesis but who were capable of independent gait were included in the study. Gait assessment was performed using two platforms (EMG System do...

A series of 29 patients with fractures of the tibial plateau were treated by means of a cast-brace. There were seven wedge fractures of the lateral tibial condyle, two dicondylar fractures and 20 compression fractures involving the lateral tibial plateau. The seven patients with wedge fractures were treated by skin or skeletal traction, followed as soon as possible by flexion exercises for the ...

BACKGROUND There are few studies comparing the biomechanical properties of angled blade plate and locking compression plates in supracondylar osteotomy. In the current randomized study, we prospectively compared the clinical and radiological outcomes of supracondylar osteotomy using these two plates. METHODS Forty patients with valgus knee malalignment were randomly assigned to two equal numb...

Objective: Lateral humeral condyle fractures are troublesome injuries and are common among the lower end humerus epiphyseal injuries. These fractures are prone to go for non union . Preference for treatment of these nonunions, is to be individualised. Methods, varying from open reduction internal fixation with or without bone pegs, varus osteotomy to displacement osteotomy in gross valgus defor...

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 si...