abstract introduction: multiple sclerosis (ms) is an autoimmune disease which affects the skeletal muscles and optical neural networks. weakness of ankle dorsi flexion and hip flexion muscles is commonly seen in consequence ms. the ankle foot orthosis (afo) is the most frequently prescribed orthoses to compensate for these weaknesses. it is generally believed that patients are commonly dissatis...

[Purpose] Observational study investigating the influence of various ankle-foot orthoses on the spatiotemporal gait parameters and functional balance in chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen chronic stroke patients participated in this study after providing informed consent. Two groups of patients were differentiated based on the Timed Up and Go Test. Patients were tested in t...

BACKGROUND There are a number of gaps in the evidence base for the use of ankle-foot orthoses for stroke patients. Three dimensional motion analysis offers an ideal method for objectively obtaining biomechanical gait data from stroke patients, however there are a number of major barriers to its use in routine clinical practice. One significant problem is the way in which the biomechanical data ...

INTRODUCTION This paper deals with the dynamic modelling of human walking. The main focus of this research was to optimise the function of the orthosis in patients with neuropathic feet, based on the kinematics data from different categories of neuropathic patients. METHODS The patient's body on the sagittal plane was modelled for calculating the torques generated in joints. The kinematics da...

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of an ankle-foot orthosis on gait variables (velocity and cadence) of stroke patients. To do this, a systematic review was conducted of four databases. [Subjects and Methods] The papers identified were evaluated based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) design: controlled, clinical trial; 2) population: stroke patients; 3) int...

Abnormal motion of the ankle-foot complex presents a major problem in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. These patients often develop drop foot, a problem involving excessive and uncontrolled plantar flexion. An ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is prescribed to constrain and inhibit this abnormal motion. The purpose of this investigation was to simulate the drop foot problem to determine the stres...

[Purpose] This study examined the effects of an ankle-foot orthosis worn during balance training on lower limb muscle activity and static balance of chronic stroke patients. [Subjects] The subjects were twenty-five inpatients receiving physical therapy for chronic stroke. [Methods] The chronic stroke patients were divided into two groups: thirteen patients were assigned to the ankle-foot orthos...

Current active leg prostheses do not integrate the most recent advances in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) and bipedal robotics. Moreover, their actuators are seldom driven by the subject’s intention. This paper aims at showing a summary of our current results in the field of human gait rehabilitation. In a first prototype, the main focus was on people suffering from foot drop problems, i.e. pe...

The authors have developed a knee-ankle-foot orthosis with a joint unit that controls knee movements using a microcomputer (Intelligent Orthosis). The Intelligent Orthosis was applied to normal subjects and patients, and gait analysis was performed. In the gait cycle, the ratio of the stance phase to the swing phase was less in gait with the knee locked using a knee-ankle-foot orthosis than in ...