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Published on: September 18, 2020
Influence of ankle-foot orthoses on kinematic segmental covariation among stroke patients
C Bleyenheuft1, T Deltombe, C Detrembleur
1Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, université catholique de Louvain, cliniques universitaires de Mont-Godinne, 1, rue Thérasse, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium. corinne.bleyenheuft@uclouvain.be
Objectives:
To evaluate the effect of ankle-foot orthosis on lower limbs kinematic segmental covariation (KSC) among stroke patients.
Methods:
Ten chronic hemiparetic spastic stroke patients presenting with a lack of ankle dorsiflexion were assessed with instrumented gait analysis under three conditions: wearing a shoe, with a prefabricated ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), and with a dynamic AFO. Kinematic parameters were recorded and computed KSC was calculated according to Borghese's methodology.
Results:
Contrary to the prefabricated AFO, the dynamic AFO improved KSC of the paretic side. We observed a high correlation between the external mechanical work and the affected side's KSC. In the unaffected side, KSC was globally unchanged.
Conclusion:
In stroke patients, wearing a dynamic AFO improves KSC of the paretic lower limb only.
