Effect of trim line on stiffness in dorsi- and plantarflexion of posterior leaf spring ankle-foot orthoses.
Takahiro Go, Yukio Agarie, Hironori Suda and 3 others
PMID 35400835WHAT IT FOUND
Widening the posterior upright of a polypropylene ankle-foot orthosis increased its dorsiflexion moment in plantarflexion.
Narrower uprights reduced that moment. Trim width was linked to stiffness. This bench test did not measure patients walking.
Key findings
01Widening the posterior upright increased the dorsiflexion moment at maximum plantarflexion for both 3-mm and 4-mm orthoses.
02The plantarflexion moment at maximum dorsiflexion was largest for 6/12AP, with no difference between 4/12AP and 5/12AP.
03Trim width and orthotic stiffness showed a strong linear correlation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a bench test of six fabricated orthoses, not a study of patients walking. The orthoses were based on a healthy adult lower leg shape, so they may not match swollen, deformed, or spastic legs. The test measured only sagittal-plane dorsi- and plantarflexion, while walking involves three-dimensional motion of multiple joints and changing ground contact. The stiffness was measured without a patient's lower limb inside the orthosis, and the presence of the lower limb may affect stiffness characteristics. No clinical gait or patient outcome was measured, so it cannot show that a trim width improves walking.
Declared interests
TG, YA, HS, and YM concluded a joint research agreement with Konica Minolta Co., Ltd. and used some of those research funds in this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these stiffness values as proof that a trim width improves walking in stroke. This was a bench test of fabricated orthoses, not a patient study, and no gait outcome was measured.