Effect of ankle-foot orthosis with a built-in spring on muscle activity during the sit-to-stand movement in healthy individuals.
Masafumi Itokazu
PMID 30936647WHAT IT FOUND
Wearing an ankle-foot orthosis with a built-in spring reduced muscle activity in the thigh and calf muscles during sit-to-stand movements in healthy men, while increasing activity in the shin muscle.
The spring assisted the movement mechanics.
Key findings
01The spring-assisted orthosis significantly reduced muscle activity in the vastus medialis, medial gastrocnemius, and soleus compared to the no-orthosis and no-spring conditions.
02Activity in the tibialis anterior muscle was significantly greater when wearing the spring-assisted orthosis compared to the no-spring orthosis.
03Wearing an orthosis without a spring did not significantly change muscle activity compared to wearing no orthosis at all.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 healthy men, so results may not apply to women or patients with movement disorders. Kinematic analysis was not performed, so the relationship between muscle activity and body movement angles remains unclear. The sample size was small, limiting the ability to account for individual differences in movement strategies.
Declared interests
Funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K21328. No other conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the orthosis assists sit-to-stand for patients with disabilities. This study tested healthy young men, and the spring mechanism increased tibialis anterior activity, which might be difficult for patients with dorsiflexor weakness to manage.