Description of orthotic properties and effect evaluation of ankle-foot orthoses in non-spastic calf muscle weakness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2642Keywords:
ankle-foot orthosis, orthoses, gait, neuromuscular disease, rehabilitation, muscle weakness, disease management.Abstract
Objective: To describe the orthotic properties and evaluate the effects of ankle-foot orthoses for calf muscle weakness in persons with non-spastic neuromuscular disorders compared with shoes-only. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: Thirty-four persons who used ankle-foot orthoses for non-spastic calf muscle weakness. Methods: The following orthotic properties were measured: ankle-foot orthosis type, mass, and ankle and footplate stiffness. For walking with shoes-only and with the ankle-foot orthoses, walking speed, energy cost and gait biomechanics were assessed. Results: Four types of ankle-foot orthosis were identified: shaft-reinforced orthopaedic shoes (n?=?6), ventral ankle-foot orthoses (n?=?10), dorsal leaf ankle-foot orthoses (n?=?12) and dorsiflexion-stop ankle-foot orthoses (n?=?6). These types differed significantly with regards to mass, ankle-and footplate stiffness. Compared with shoes-only, all ankle-foot orthoses/orthopaedic shoes groups combined increased walking speed by 0.18 m/s (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.13?0.23), reduced energy cost by 0.70 J/kg/m (95% CI 0.48?0.94) and limited ankle dorsiflexion by ?3.0? (95% CI 1.3?4.7). Higher ankle-foot orthoses ankle stiffness correlated with greater reductions in walking energy cost and maximal ankle dorsiflexion angle. Conclusion: Ankle-foot orthoses for persons with non-spastic calf muscle weakness vary greatly in properties and effects on gait. The large variation in effectiveness may be due to differences in ankle stiffness, although this requires further prospective evaluation.Downloads
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Niels F.J. Waterval, Merel-Anne Brehm, Jaap Harlaar, Frans Nollet
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All digitalized JRM contents is available freely online. The Foundation for Rehabilitation Medicine owns the copyright for all material published until volume 40 (2008), as from volume 41 (2009) authors retain copyright to their work and as from volume 49 (2017) the journal has been published Open Access, under CC-BY-NC licences (unless otherwise specified). The CC-BY-NC licenses allow third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution to the original work.
From 2024, articles are published under the CC-BY licence. This license permits sharing, adapting, and using the material for any purpose, including commercial use, with the condition of providing full attribution to the original publication.