Adjusting spring force of ankle foot orthoses according to gait type helps improving joint kinematics and time-distance parameters in patients with hemiplegia following stroke
- Authors: Daniel Sabbagh1, Jörg Fior2, Ralf Gentz2
- Institutions: 1FIOR & GENTZ GmbH – Scientific Editing, 2FIOR & GENTZ GmbH – Management
- Form of Contribution: presentation
- Congress: 26th European Stroke Conference
- Location: Berlin, Germany
- Date: 24 – 26 May 2017
- Expert Association: European Stroke Conference (ESC), European Stroke Research Foundation (ESRF)
Summary: After a stroke, patients often develop a pathological gait. Different biomechanical situations can either lead to a hyperextended or a hyperflexed knee in mid stance. These gait types are described in the N.A.P.® Gait Classification. Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are prescribed to improve the gait and to increase mobility. The gait types have different requirements related to the spring force of the spring units in an AFO. For eight patients, it was established that a gait type-specific spring force enabled the tibia’s push off and the passive plantar flexion. The very strong ventral spring forces create a knee angle in stance phase that comes close to a physiological one.
Keywords: stroke, gait type, ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), spring force, gait analysis