Ankle-Foot-Orthoses (AFOs) are assistive devices used for neurological and physical disorders affecting the movement of lower limbs. The needs an increasingly young active orthotic patient population have led to advancements in ankle foot orthosis (AFO) design materials enable higher function. Proper selection material manufacturing AFO leads greater increase popularity patients during walking ...

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were: (i) to compare the neuro-prosthetic effect of implantable peroneal nerve stimulation to the orthotic effect of a standard of care intervention (no device, shoe or ankle foot orthosis) on walking, as assessed by spatiotemporal parameters; and (ii) to examine whether there is evidence of an enhanced lower-limb flexion reflex with peroneal nerve stimulation a...

This research project investigated the orthotic prescription habits of podiatric physicians in Australia and New Zealand. A 23-item questionnaire was distributed to all members of the Australian Podiatry Association and the New Zealand Society of Podiatrists. When asked what type of foot orthoses they prescribe most often, 72% of respondents reported functional foot orthoses; the next most comm...

Purpose The synergistic effects of a trunk orthosis and an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in stroke patients with a hemiplegic gait are unclear. We previously developed a trunk orthosis with joints providing resistive force (TORF) to modify malalignment of the trunk and pelvis and confirmed its positive effects in stroke patients during level walking without an AFO. The aim of the present study was ...

Paraplegic users of mechanical walking orthoses, e.g. advanced reciprocating gait orthosis (ARGO), often face high energy expenditure and extreme upper body loading during locomotion. We studied the effect of kinematical pattern on the mechanical performance of paraplegic locomotion, in search for an improved gait pattern that leads to lower muscular efforts. A three-dimensional, four segment, ...

Background. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease which influences the performance of the knee joint. Moreover, the force and moments applied on the joint increase in contrast to normal subjects. Various types of knee orthoses have been designed to solve the mentioned problems. However, there are other problems in terms of distal migration during walking and the alignment of the orthosis which canno...

Since 1987, 22 children with myelomeningocele have been fitted with reciprocating orthoses. The level of the spinal lesions ranged from T10 to L4 and 13 had associated spinal deformities. Twelve of the patients currently use a Reciprocating Gait Orthosis, seven use a Hip Guidance Orthosis or Parawalker, one has progressed to a Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis, one has died and one has been lost to foll...

SCKAFO, stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis, is a type of orthosis that permits free knee motion during swing while resisting knee flexion during stance, supporting thereby the limb during weight bearing. This orthosis specially assists patients who have incomplete spinal cord injury and allows them to walk with the aid of canes or crutches, maintaining a proper gait. In this paper, based o...