Our aim was to develop and evaluate a new antipronation foot orthosis that addressed problems perceived by clinicians and users with existing foot orthoses. Clinicians and users were engaged to develop a user specification for the orthosis, and orthotic geometry and materials were developed using clinical reasoning. The orthotic material properties were tested and the ability of the orthosis to...

In this paper, we present the mechanical design, control algorithm, and functional evaluation of a quasi-passive compliant stance control knee-ankle-foot orthosis. The orthosis implements a spring in parallel with the knee joint during the stance phase of the gait and allows free rotation during the swing phase. The design is inspired by the moment-angle analysis of the knee joint revealing tha...

BACKGROUND Foot orthoses are widely used in the prevention and treatment of foot disorders. The aim of this study was to describe characteristics of custom-made foot orthosis prescriptions from a Australian podiatric orthotic laboratory. METHODS One thousand consecutive foot orthosis prescription forms were obtained from a commercial prescription foot orthosis laboratory located in Melbourne,...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study investigated the non-velocity-related effects of a 1-bar rigid ankle-foot orthosis on the gait of hemiparetic subjects, with particular emphasis on the muscle activity of the paretic lower limb. METHODS Twenty-one hemiparetic subjects who had been using an ankle-foot orthosis for equinovarus deformity for <1 week participated. Patients walked cued by a metron...

[Purpose] Standing and walking are impaired in stroke patients. Therefore, assisted devices are required to restore their walking abilities. The ankle foot orthosis with an external powered source is a new type of orthosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a powered ankle foot orthosis compared with unpowered orthoses in a stroke patient. [Subjects and Methods] A single ...

PURPOSE To assess the effectiveness of a turnbuckle orthosis as a means of improving the range of motion in patients with elbow stiffness. METHODS 17 males and 11 females aged 8 to 68 (mean, 32) years underwent static progressive stretching using a turnbuckle orthosis for elbow stiffness secondary to trauma or surgery. Patients were instructed to wear the orthosis during the daytime for a mea...

Objective. To investigate the influence of in vitro vibratory stimulation of human tonsillar mononuclear cells (TMCs). Methods. Fourteen IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients with chronic tonsillitis (CT) and 12 CT patients with no renal pathology were enrolled. Group A TMCs were collected after 24 hours of culture and used to determine baseline levels. TMCs in groups B, C, D, E, and F were exposed t...

Piezoelectric vibratory tactile sensors are used for measuring the softness and hardness of an object. In this research, the sensitivity of the longitudinal bar type tactile sensor was considered to establish the design guideline of the vibratory tactile sensor. First, the sensitivity on the frequency change of the longitudinal bar resonator in contact with an object was approximately derived f...

[Purpose] This study attempted to examine the impact on the pattern of walking on both level ground and stairs after restricting the movement of the spine and the trunk of the body by using a spinal orthosis. [Subjects and Methods] Forty healthy males in their 20s were selected as the sample, which was randomly and evenly divided into two groups: (1) the WT group (with a thoracolumbosacral orth...