Determining and implementing the individual normal posture in making a negative cast to produce orthoses for patients with neurological gait disorders
- Authors: Daniel Sabbagh1, Jörg Fior2, Ralf Gentz2
- Institutions: 1FIOR & GENTZ GmbH – Scientific Editing 2FIOR & GENTZ GmbH – Management
- Form of Contribution: poster
- Congress: 24th Annual Meeting of the ESMAC
- Location: Heidelberg, Germany
- Date: 10–12 September 2015
- Expert Association: European Society of Movement Analysis for Adults and Children (ESMAC)
Summary: Orthoses contribute greatly to the gait rehabilitation of patients with neurological disorders. The negative cast is the basis for the alignment of the orthosis and a successful orthotic treatment. The load on the leg during the making the negative cast determines the biomechanical properties of the finished orthosis. A dynamic pressure distribution measurement was performed at a patient who is suffering from hemiplegia after a stroke. Two different ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) were tested during walking. The results show that the gait is significantly more balanced during walking when the cast of the AFO has been produced in a gait-related normal posture as opposed to a stance-related normal posture. Accordingly, the gait-related normal posture is well suited to produce orthoses for actively walking patients, whereas the stance-related normal posture is aimed at patients with an increased need for safety.
Keywords: orthoses, neurological gait disorders, negative cast, individual normal posture